The Cape Henlopen Vikings hosted the Riders of Caesar Rodney in winter track & field action held outside at Legends Stadium in cold and windy conditions Feb. 16. The Vikings easily won both meets, with the boys’ score 88-20 and the girls’ score 98-8.
“The boys are coming along, and for the conditions, they ran well,” said coach Ellis Gaulden.
The Cape boys were led by Ryan Baker and Barritt Ross with 9.25 points each, as they each won an event, grabbed a second place and ran on a winning relay.
Baker won the 1,600 meters in 4:45, returned to take second in the 800 in 2:21, and ran on the 4-by-800 relay team.
Ross won the high jump in 5-feet-6-inches, took second in the 55 meters, and ran on the winning 4-by-400 relay.
Ja’on Harris won the 55-meter dash in 6.60, while Andrew Wolak won the 400-meter dash in 54.4. Julian Calloway won the 800 meters in 2:11, while Cody Workman won the 200 meters in 24.5. Lance Kauffman won the 3,200 meters in 10:38, while Nolan Kersetter won the triple jump in 34-0. Daniel Saez won the long jump in 18-5, while Josiah Miller won the shot in 44-0. Jakob Hayes won the pole vault in 8-0. The Riders won the 4-by-200 meters, along with Gabriel Gumus winning the 55-meter hurdles in 9.40.
In girls’ action, the Vikings won every event in the meet. They were led by Tia Jarvis, Montana Jones and Katie Kuhlman, each winning two events for 10 points. Jarvis won the long jump in 15-0 and the 400 meters in 1:04.3, while Jones won the 55 meters in 8.10 and the 200 meters in 31.10. Kuhlman won the 1,600 meters in 5:54.1 and the 3,200 meters in 13:07.
Aubrie Myers won the 55-meter hurdles in 11.5, while Lainey Shockro won the 800 meters in 2:42.7. First-year track athlete Alexa Dougherty won the triple jump in 28-0, while Haley Archambault won the shot put in 26-1. Elizabeth Melson won the high jump in 4-6.
Next week, the Vikings hope to host Smyrna and Dover either on two separate sunny days or in a midweek tri-meet.
The state championship meet is still being finalized. At last count, there were 18 teams hoping to come together for the competition at Dover High School. The boys’ meet is planned for Wednesday, March 3. The girls’ meet date has been bouncing back and forth among March 6, 7, and 10. Everyone hopes it will be finalized sooner rather than later.
Cape girls present track & field clinic
The inaugural Cape Henlopen Track & Field Clinic will be held Sundays, March 14 and 21, and hosted by the Cape Henlopen girls’ track & field team and coaching staff. The clinic will give coaches a refresher, while introducing athletes from kindergarten to 12th grade to the many aspects the sport of track & field has to offer. The youth clinic will host kindergarten through fifth-grade athletes from 9 to 10:30 a.m., while the middle school and high school athletes will attend from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost for each session is $50, with the youth focus being on track events, hurdles and jumps. The middle and high school focus will be on all track & field events. Middle and high school coaches attend free with 10 registered athletes. A T-shirt and boxed lunch will be included for all registered athletes and coaches. For more information, contact Director Tim Bamforth at 302-542-4536 or email timothy.bamforth@cape.k12.de.us.
Cape runners tackle MD Ultra
A dedicated group of runners from the beach traveled south to Pocomoke, Md., to take part in the Algonquin Ultra, 31 miles of trails and mud – more mud than trails. The Algonquin 50K winds through the Chesapeake Forest and Pocomoke State Forest on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The course is a modified out and back, with the middle portion different going up and returning. The race begins and ends at the Milburn Landing area of Pocomoke River State Park. Runners were told to be prepared for cold, rain, snow, mud and possible frozen conditions.
Nick Cruz of Milford, running for the Seashore Striders Racing Team, was the top local finisher in 4:15:08 for second overall, while Holly Smith of Rehoboth was the female champion in 4:28:05 for fifth overall. Well-known ultra runner Michael Wardian out of Virginia/Delaware was sixth in 4:28:16, while Martin Rodriguez of Selbyville, running for the Seashore Striders, was eighth in 4:52:08. Brandon Smith of Dewey Beach was ninth in 4:53:58, while Anthony Romano of Millsboro ran 6:25:31. Other Delaware results: David Naples of Milton, 6:42:50; Jen Perry of Millsboro, 6:59:41; Kendra Wagner of Delmar, 7:20:14; Elaine Fielding of Selbyville, 7:20:15; and Robert Buecker of Selbyville, 7:39:04.
