Vikings compete in marathon track meet in Snow Hill, Md.

The Cape Henlopen boys’ indoor track & field team, led by coach Matt Lindell, finished fifth in a field of 16 teams at the Snow Hill Invitational Jan. 13. The weekly meets are held for the member high schools in the Bayside Conference, as well as for a certain number of Henlopen Conference teams that sign up to attend. Cape Henlopen, Sussex Tech, Lake Forest, Smyrna, Caesar Rodney and Seaford are regulars at the weekly meets, while Dover will be the additional team at next week’s Henlopen Conference Championships.

Several coaches have used the word “marathon” when describing the meets, as most teams arrive by 1:30 p.m. and do not pull out of the facility till 8 p.m.

When talking to longtime college coach Duane Henry, who is now coaching at Seaford, he joked about the length of the Snow Hill meets.

“These meets might run me into a sooner retirement,” said Henry.

Cape girls’ assistant coach Gilbert Maull is not sure how to make the meets end sooner, but is pleased that they exist.

“The crew does a good job putting on the meets at Snow Hill, and events move along at a good rate. I’m not sure what the answer is to get them finished earlier,” said Maull. “Maybe it’s too many teams or too many heats of each event, but without a facility in Delaware we are lucky to be able to compete at Snow Hill. Some coaches have suggested that maybe entering two per event instead of three as it is now might be the answer, but that would mean less racing for the kids."

One athlete who is getting the job done quickly is Cape distance runner Sam Nye, who has enjoyed a solid season so far, winning the 1,600 meters Jan. 13 in a time of 4:56.8. Nye did the distance double, as he also finished fourth in the 3,200-meter run in 11:04.1. Nye won the 3,200 meters at the Jan. 6 Snow Hill meet with a time of 10:56.

Branden Mills finished fifth in the 55-meter hurdles in 9.36, while also grabbing second in the high jump at 5-feet-8-inches. Sprinter Wardell Allen was second in the long jump in 19-feet-5-inches, just off his season best of 20-feet-1-inch. Hykeem Evans took the boys’ triple jump in 38-feet-3-inches and also finished fourth in the long jump in 18-feet-11-inches. Raiquan Mosley was second in the shot put in 39-feet-11-inches, while Robert Mitchell was fourth in 38-feet-10-inches. Ryan Head scored in the pole vault by jumping 8-feet-6-inches for seventh in the field.

On the female side, leading the Vikings is junior Dajonte Mackey, coming off her first win in the hurdles at the Jan. 6 meet. She finished second this time around in a time of 9.30 seconds. Mackey also scored in the jump events, finishing third in the long jump in 15-feet-4-inches and fourth in the triple jump in 30-feet-3-inches. Mackey also led off the 200-meter relay to an eighth-place finish in 2:00.

Freshman thrower Ceyra Middleton won her second straight shot put title with a throw of 30-feet-9-inches. Her personal best for the season is 32-feet-11-inches. Chakyriah Wright finished eighth in the triple jump in 27-feet-10-inches, while Mackenzie Parker was also eighth in the shot in 26-feet-11-inches. Andy Brzoska was seventh in the shot in 27-feet-9-inches, while Marissa Legates was seventh in the pole vault in 6-feet-6-inches. Grace Brokaw was fifth in the pole vault in 7-feet even, while she also doubled back to set a personal best in the 3,200-meter run in 13:22 for seventh place. The Cape girls finished eighth of 16 teams with 41 points.

The Sussex Tech girls scored 39 points in the meet. They were led by 18 points from Roxanne Ramirez who won the 1,600 meters in 5:39 and was second in the 3,200 meters in 12:43. Ruby Mullen won the triple jump in 31-feet-8-inches, while finishing third in the high jump in 4-feet-8-inches and eighth in the long jump for 17 points. The duo finished with 35 of the team’s 39 points on the day.

The Sussex Tech boys finished with 18 points. They were led by jumper Isiah Brown who won the long jump in 20-feet-10-inches. Brown has been over 21 this season in the long jump.

The Henlopen Conference Championships will be held Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Snow Hill facility beginning at 3 p.m.