Cape track & field teams head into Henlopen Conference Championships

The boys’ and girls’ teams from Cape Henlopen High School are competing in the Henlopen Conference Championships Thursday and Friday, May 13 and 14, at Lake Forest High School in Felton. The boys finished 5-3 on the season, while the girls finished 8-0 and captured the Henlopen Conference Northern Division title. The field events are scheduled for 4 p.m. on both days, while the running events kick off at 4:30.

Here are some highlights for the Vikings heading into the meet and the best chances for the Vikings to grab the gold, silver and bronze.

Ryan Baker is ranked second with a season best of 9:58.57 in the 3,200-meter run. He is sandwiched between the Polytech duo of Kenny Guy (9:42) and Matt Gatune (10:04). Baker needs to run sub 9:54 to add his name to the all-time top 10 list. On the girls’ side, Mia Nuebling is looking to break 13 minutes and take a shot at the bronze medal.

The Cape girls are ranked first in the 3,200m relay with the team of freshman Hannah Maney, junior Tia Jarvis, sophomore Lexi Dougherty, and junior Emma Duffield earning a season-best time of 10:29. Sussex Academy is second with a 10:44 best.

In the girls’ 400-meter dash, Tia Jarvis is the top seed at 1:01.20, with junior teammate Reagan Ciabattoni, who will play field hockey for Duke University, on her inside ranked third. They both have to get by a tough Cierra Young of Lake Forest, winner of the Panther Challenge Invitational.

The Cape boys’ 400 relay is ranked fourth in 45.30, with Lake Forest, Sussex Central and Smyrna ranked ahead of the Vikings.

The girls’ 1,600 should be exciting, with three Vikings in the hunt to score. Leading the way is the fast duo of Josephine Ledford of Lake Forest and Brynn Crandell of Indian River, who should break away. The next five are all within 10 seconds’ time of each other, with first-year junior Emma Duffield sitting at 5:46, sandwiched between Sussex Tech runner Arina Varrato and Sussex Academy runner Emily Trout. It should take a sub-5:40 time to grab the bronze medal. On the boys’ side, Ryan Baker is ranked fourth and has run 4:31; he is looking to break the 4:30 mark.

The girls’ 300-meter hurdles find four Vikings in the final seeded heat, led by No. 2-ranked senior Taylor Johnson, who looks to improve on her 48.38 season best. She will have to get by a tough Elise Carter from Smyrna, who has run 47.32. The two met at the Panther Challenge Invitational last month, with Johnson edging out Carter. Also in the final are Vikings Lexi Dougherty, Noelle Sabbagh and Elizabeth Melson.

In the girls’ 800 relay, the Vikings will go with the team of Mehkia Applewhite, Amaya Daisey, Lainey Shockro and Hannah Maney, who are seeded third behind Smyrna and Sussex Central.

Shockro, a freshman, has a great chance for the pole vault silver medal as she is ranked second at 9-feet-even, tied with Kassidy Willey of Milford. Casey Talamini-Kelemen of Polytech is top ranked at 11-feet-6-inches.

On the boys’ side of the pole vault, Jakob Hayes is ranked fifth at 9-9 and looking to break the 10-foot barrier.

The girls’ 1,600 relay, one of the premier events on the track, finds the Vikings as top seed with a season best of 4:12 and a top-five performance statewide. Polytech and Sussex Academy are second and third at 4:29. The Vikings have their eye on a 4:08 performance, which will land them on the all-time top 10 list. The Vikings’ boys are ranked fifth in the relay.

In the girls’ 800, top seed Tia Jarvis at 2:26 will try to lead her teammates Emma Duffield and Hannah Maney to the podium as they need to hold off the charging Sussex Academy duo of Emily Trout and Alissa Swann. On the boys’ side, Julian Callaway is ranked sixth and will try to improve on his 2:03 season best.

In the girls’ shot put, Mehkia Applewhite is ranked fourth and looking hard at the bronze medal, which is pegged for Kirja Hickman of Lake. Applewhite will have to be in the 35-foot range to catch Hickman. Viking Josiah Miller is ranked first with a throw of 49-feet-2-inches, a full four feet ahead of No. 2-ranked Mahlon Dyer of Caesar Rodney.

In the boys’ triple jump, Nate Loucks is ranked fifth at 40-feet-2-inches and would have to see the 42-foot distance to secure a medal in the meet. in the girls’ meet, Reagan Ciabattoni is ranked fourth at 32-11, but she has a personal best of 34-11 and will try to improve on her season best.

In the girls’ high jump, Elizabeth Melson has jumped 4-feet-8-inches this season and will shoot for 4-10 and a possible bronze medal. Vikings 5-foot jumper Aya Daisey will not compete, as she is out for the season with a stress fracture.

In the discus, sophomore Hailey Archambault is ranked fifth at 93-feet-8-inches, and teammate Cailyn Bledsoe is ranked eighth at 81-6, but both throwers have had a great week of practice with consistent throws in the 100-foot range. Josiah Miller is ranked second in the boys’ discus at 142-7 and has a great shot at the title with only Ethan Roth of Dover ahead of him at 142-9.

Delaware State Championships

The DIAA Track & Field Championships will be held this year at Dover High School with trials and the 4-by-800 relay final and 3,200 final next Friday evening, May 21. The meet will continue Saturday, May 22, with Division II in the morning and Division I in the afternoon.

Track & Field Clinic III

The final Track & Field Clinic of the year will be held at Cape High’s Legends Stadium Sunday, May 16, beginning with the elementary athletes from 9 to 11 a.m., and middle school and high school from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For details, go to seashorestriders.com.