The Tidewater Classic Cross Country Invitational, hosted by the Salisbury University cross country team, was held Wednesday, Oct. 4, at Winter Place Park in Salisbury. A nice large field of 25 teams and 295 athletes raced from the starting line on the fast and flat 5,000-meter, 2-loop course.
When the dust had cleared, it was Delmar standout Austen Cave emerging from the woods with a 100-meter lead as Cave hit the line in 15:54 for a new personal cross country best and the overall title. Cave, a junior who put in a solid summer of training, averaged 5:08 a mile in the race. Another junior, Sussex Central's Albert Norman, ran his personal best of 16:12, finishing 3rd in the race. Norman, a senior, could be the most improved runner in Delaware as he ran in the mid to high 17s all last year. Junior Greg Boyce of Cape finished fourth overall in 16:34, while senior Ben Campagnone of Sussex Central ran a great race of 17:04 for 11th place. Junior Kurt Rushing led Sussex Tech with an 18th-place finish in 17:30, while Junior Kolbe O'Donnell, son of 1983 Seaford standout Joey O'Donnell, was 23rd in 17:43. Junior John Di Stefano of Cape was 34th in 18:04, while junior teammate Owen Allen was 37th in 18:11. Young Gabe Best, a freshman, was 43rd in 18:19 for his best race of the year.
In the team race, Northwest won the meet with 45 points, while Caesar Rodney was second with 119 points. Cape Henlopen finished third with 134 points.
In girls' action, Smyrna's Naomi Bowser ran away with the race in a good time of 18:33, nearly a minute ahead of second place. Bowser, a senior, is one of the best distance runners in Delaware and even competes in the pole vault in track & field. Cape's Olivia Brozefsky, only a sophomore, ran in the fifth position with a time of 21:06, while freshman Hannah Murphy led Sussex Tech with a time of 21:20. Teammate Kylie Miliner, a junior, finished 22nd in 21:58, while freshman Caroline Maull of Cape ran a nice race of 22:00 for 23rd place. Freshman Taylor Johnson ran 22:37 for 31st place, while Amaya Daisey, another freshman, turned in a 22:39 for 34th. Leah Marsh, a junior, rounded out the top five in 42nd place with a time of 22:58.
A field of 216 competed, with Northwest scoring 34 points to win the team title, while Smyrna was second with 95 points. Cape finished third with 131 points.
Striders to Host XC Invite
The Seashore Striders will host an open cross country invitational this Saturday, Oct. 7, at the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment off Pilottown Road in Lewes. The meet is open to all runners age 14 and under, and will feature races of 1K/.62m (6 & U), 2K/1.24m (7-8), 3K/1.86m (9-10 & 11-12), and 4K/2.48m (13-14) with an entry fee of $5 per runner. Registration will be set up by 10 a.m. with the course walks going off at 11 a.m. The opening race will be at noon. The top 10 runners in each of the eight races will receive awards in the finish chute. This is a great opportunity to introduce your son or daughter to the sport of cross country running. As you are approaching Lewes, follow the windmill to the starting line.
Paradise Grill 5K
A nice field of 230 turned out for the third running of the Paradise Grill Crush Cancer 5K held in Long Neck Saturday afternoon, Sept. 30. For the first time in my 27-year race directing career, I set up two courses with the same distance with runners and walkers given the choice of course. At the 250-meter mark, runners could choose a course along the water and boats or a course straight out and back on the shady cart path. At the 2.5-mile mark, the courses come back together for a common final half-mile to the finish line.
Noah Wood of Prince Frederick, Md., won the overall title in 18:56, while El Jones from Wilmington won the female title in 21:54.
Runners were treated to a post-race party on the beach with entertainment by Mike Hinds & the Look as well as an incredible lunch buffet to enjoy. An added bonus was that each participant over 21 years of age was treated to their signature Orange Crush drink, while under 21 participants were treated to Hopkins Ice Cream. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Tunnell Cancer Center.
Maryland XC Invite
Bennett Brumbley won the 9-10 boys' race and Lorelai Freese won the 6 & U girls race to lead the Striders at the Westminster Invite last Sunday afternoon in Winchester, Md. A group of 15 Striders made the trip west to a hilly and challenging course at Westminster High School. Brumbley quickly moved to the front of the pack in the 3,000-meter race and kept the lead throughout over a field of 60 9-10 boys. Freese ran the 1,000-meter course and won easily as her motivation was that she was running for a corndog at the snack bar.
In the 7-8 race, first-year runner Emmi Swope was 8th in 12:19 and Theo Hart was 25th in 11:08 for the 2,000m course; both are first-year runners.
In the 9-10 race, Gage Hall ran a nice effort for 4th overall in 13:01, while Eric Swift was 38th in 16:34. For the girls, Ally Diehl was 12th in a time of 15:27 for the 3,000-meter course.
In the 11-12 girls' race, Katie Kuhlman led the way in 8th place in a time of 12:32, while Faith Mitchell was 11th in 13:16. Devin Hundley was 12th in 13:31, while Landon Diehl was 41st in a time of 15:17.
In the 11-12 boys' race, Caughnery Freese led the way in 4th place in a time of 11:22, while Alexander Arnold was 22nd in 13:20. Jakob Hayes finished 23rd in 13:29, while Stephen Hart was 24th in 13:32.
Upcoming Races
Saturday, Oct. 7 - Purple & Gold Open Cross Country Invite; 11 a.m., College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, Lewes, seashorestriders.com
Saturday, Oct. 7 - Dewey Goes Pink 5K, Dewey Beach, races2run.com
Saturday, Oct. 14 - 2nd Ashley Furio 5K Run/Walk, 9 a.m., Crooked Hammock Brewery, Lewes, races2run.com
Sunday, Oct. 15 - 4th Herring Point 5K/10K, 9 a.m., Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, www.seashorestriders.com
