Ritter kicks off final XC season and quest to land at D1 Nationals
This week, I'm taking a look at several locals who are lucky enough to be running in college. Leading the wrap is former Sussex Tech runner Emily Ritter, who will open at the Rider University Cross Country Invitational Saturday, Sept. 19. The invitational will include teams from Fairfield, Fairleigh Dickinson, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Quinnipiac, Rutgers, Siena, Saint Peter’s, The College of New Jersey and Wagner, along with host Rider.
All-East harrier Ritter, a fifth-year senior who earned All-American honors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last spring at the NCAA Championships, will lead the way with a quest to advance this season to the Division I National Championships.
In other local college news, Misericordia University captured the team title at the Cougar Classic college cross country meet by scoring 24 points. Sussex Tech graduate Bethany Killmon ran in the No. 2 position for her team and finished sixth-place overall in a time of 24:10 for the 6K. Killmon went through the 5K in about 19:20.
Running for Delaware Valley College, freshman Megan Davidson ran the 6K course in 32:48, running in the No. 6 runner on her varsity team. Davidson was a graduate of Sussex Tech.
At the Delaware Invitational, Cape graduate Ryan Wilson, a frosh, finished 45th in 29:24 on the White Clay hills of Newark. Another Cape graduate, Madison MacElrevey, a freshman at Otterbein University in Ohio, finished 17th in 22:11 for the 5K distance. Madison will be in action this Saturday, racing at the Otterbein Invite at home. Brother Austin, a sophomore at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, was the No. 4 runner for his team, finishing 26th in 29:08 for 5 miles. Another Sussex Tech runner, Amanda Sava, competing for Florida Tech, opened last Friday night but only got 2 miles into the race before it was halted due to a storm. Sava will be in Gainesville this Saturday for the popular Mountain Dew Invite. Senior Isabel Wharton, another graduate of Sussex Tech, finished 15th in 19:10 in her opening meet of the season last weekend.
Dewey Beach Triathlon
The 19th annual Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, beginning at 7:30 a.m. from Delaware Seashore State Park. The race will be a half-mile swim, a 16-mile bike, and a 3.45-mile run. Registration for the race will also take place on Friday at packet pickup from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Sussex Family YMCA.
Prizes will be presented to the top finishers in the following age groups: 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, and 70-plus. Awards go to the top three male and female and top three masters males and females; top three relay teams, top three first-timers, clydesdales, master clydesdales, athenas and aquabikers. There will also be prizes for first-time male and female finishers.
The first Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon was held Sept. 14, 1996. It was held in the back of what was then called Gary’s Surf Spray Café on New Orleans Street in Dewey Beach. The after party was held on the roof of the building. Since its inception, the race has been held as a charity event for the Sussex Family YMCA's Campaign for Healthy Kids. The following year it was also held on the same street but quickly outgrew the venue and has been held in Delaware Seashore State Park ever since. It’s a no-frills, grassroots community event and a Dewey Beach tradition that brings athletes and their families from near and far to the resort area.
We have simply striven for a safe, enjoyable and fun triathlon with a fast and scenic course while keeping the money within our community by all proceeds going directly to the Sussex Family YMCA.
Bethany Tri-Du-Aquabike
The Bethany Beach First Responders Triathlon, Duathlon and Aquabike will take off from Bethany Beach at 7:30 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 20.
The triathlon will be a 1,000-meter ocean swim (.62 miles), 30K bike ride (18.5 miles), and 7K run (4.35 miles).
The duathlon will consist of a 1,000-meter hard sand beach run (.62 miles), 30K bike ride (18.5 miles), and 7K run (4.35 miles).
The aquabike will be a 1,000-meter ocean swim (.62 miles), 30K bike ride (18.5 miles) and less than a quarter mile run to the finish.
The packet pickup and expo will be held Friday, Sept. 18, at The Starboard Restaurant in Dewey Beach from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Sept. 19, athletes can also pick up at the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company from 3 to 8 p.m.
The Dewey Tri and the Bethany Tri will attract more than 2,000 athletes to our area and thousands of spectators and family members. If you're traveling to Dewey Beach or Bethany Beach along Route 1, make sure you give yourself extra time for possible delays.
Barthelmess wins Lake Invite
Seventh-grader Emma Barthelmess of Bethany Beach moved up from last year's runner-up finish to capture the Lake Forest Invitational in a time of 14:14 for the 2.2-mile course. Emma is a consistent, smooth and young runner who has gained racing experience over the last few years. She is not afraid to go to the front and be a leader. “Emma ran a nice race out front, never worrying about what was behind her, and just focused, raced and took care of business,” said Striders member Derek Shockro.
Other finishers for the Striders were as follows: Devin Hundley, third, 15:26; Lindsay Rambo, sixth, 15:38; Lindsey Guida, seventh, 15:54; Lainey Shockro, eighth, 15:58; Myranda Beebe, ninth, 16:02; Katie Kuhlman, 10th, 16:08; Natalie Guida, 11th, 16:13; Emily Trout, 13th, 17:00; Mia Nuebling, 14th, 17:48; Lily Manlove, 15th, 18:09; Miranda Perez-Rivera, 20th, 20:18; Ellie Scoda, 22nd, 21:18. The boys' race was stopped at the 1.1-mile mark by the noise of thunder in the background - or was it the takeoff of a C5 at the Dover Air Force Base? Over and out!
