Delaware well represented at national outdoor championships

The New Balance Nationals Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held this weekend, June 16-18, in Greensboro, N.C., and the contest is being considered as one of the best all-time lineups in several events.

Follow the action through live results, photos and videos, and interviews by going to www.nbnationalsout.com.

Delaware will be represented in several events in the meet, led by multi-state champion and state record holder Daija Lampkin of Middletown. Lampkin will compete with 43 others in the 100-meter dash championship. She will come out of the first heat. Lampkin will also race the 200 meters, one of her best events, along with 36 other competitors in the field.

In the 5,000-meter championship, one of the best ever from the First State, Lydia Olivere, will move up from the mile and two-mile, and take a shot at the track 5K distance. There are 37 in the race.

The 400-meter championship, one of the most challenging on the track, will have 33 girls, and among them is Delaware’s Taliah Cintron of Wilmington.

In the discus championship, Myrissa McFolling-Young of Clayton will aim to improve her record throw this season against 32 of the best throwers.

The 400-meter run for emerging elite, a step down from the top championship athletes, will find Ashley Pearce of Newark in the field, while the Smyrna foursome of Saani Edwards, Shaneese LaMons, Taimira Ramseur and Madison Keister will race in the emerging elite 800-meter relay.

On the male side of the national action, Joe Johnelle of Claymont will race in the 800-meter championship, while Ryan Thompson of New Castle will be in the 400-meter hurdles championship.

The 800-meter relay championship will see Howard TC in the field with the foursome of Brandon Justin, Ian Chege, Zaire Hermon and Edwin Rosembert, while Justin, Chege, Julian Brown and Rosembert will double back in the 1,600-meter championship, better known as the mile relay.

The long jump championship will have two Delaware athletes in Jonathan Bailey of New Castle and Miles Duncan of Bear, while Thompson will return in the emerging elite 200-meter dash. The 100-meter hurdles emerging elite will feature Tayshaun Chisholm of Fredericia, while the Dover foursome of Nyjal Drayton, Nate Guy, Gavin Williams and Kyron Roberts will race in the 3,200-meter relay for emerging elite.  Andrew Davis of Wilmington will compete in the freshman triple jump.

There are no downstate track athletes scheduled to compete in the showcase meet.

Sam Young

Lewes resident and Cape Henlopen graduate Sam Young now attends the University of Virginia. Sam jumped 15-feet-6-inches in 2015 as a pole vaulter for the Vikings, finishing second in the Division I State Championship meet, but he returned a few days later to jump 15-feet-even to win the Meet of Champions. Sam went on to Delaware, where he continued to vault with clubs and personal coaches. Sam then transferred to Virginia where he was classified as a redshirt freshman, according to the Virginia Track & Field website. At the end of April in a meet called the Virginia Grand Prix in Charlottesville, Va., Sam jumped his season best of 16-feet-8 ¼-inches to finish third overall. Earlier in the season, Sam had tied the freshman record at 16-feet-8 ¾ and added his name to the Virginia all-time list for indoor and outdoor.

Sam, I was told, is in town with his poles, and if you happen to see him flying through the air on Second Street or vaulting 16 feet to the top of Dairy Queen or King’s Ice Cream, stop and say hello. He is one of the nicest and most respectable kids you will ever meet.

Field Day fan

Field days are held throughout the country in the elementary physical education world, with most celebrations happening toward the end of May and the beginning of June. Traditional events like the sack race, spoon race and three-legged race are longtime favorites, while shuttle, rescue, and 4-by-100 relays are the favorite among the elementary speedsters. Oh boy, let’s not forget about the tug-of-war, the beast of field day.

Leading up to the celebration, I speak to my Shields students about eight vocabulary words: sportsmanship, teamwork, working together, listening, following directions, cooperation, peace making and fun. We talk about the meaning of the words and do some demonstrations using the words, and it seems to make a huge difference in the success of the celebration. I thought it would be interesting to get a perspective of field day from one of my young and talented athletes.

Ally Diehl of Lewes, who will be a third-grader in the fall, was asked to write a short piece on what she remembered about field day.

“On game day, I had a lot of fun, and I think I did really well. I made it to the finals in the spoon race, the three-legged race, and the 50-yard dash. I won every one of the races. My 4-by-100 relay was really fast, and we won that too. I think the most important thing was that I had lots of fun and will always remember this field day.”

Triple Crown Series

The seventh annual Triple Crown Series, produced by the Seashore Striders, will be held this weekend, consisting of three races in three towns over three days. It will kick off with the 14th annual Georgetown Public Library 5K Friday, June 16.  

On Saturday, June 17, at 8 a.m., the seventh annual Irish Eyes 5K Dash will step off in Milton, while at 7:30 a.m., Sunday, June 18, it will be the popular 27th annual Father’s Day 5K in Rehoboth.

Runners who complete all three events will qualify for awards that will be presented at the popular Jungle Jim’s 5K in Rehoboth Saturday, June 24.