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Cape Henlopen girls win Division I state championship track meet

Cape edges Delcastle 98-93
May 20, 2012

Can you feel me? The Cape Henlopen girls' track team battled ear, nose and throat issues with sick or injured athletes over two days and even a hurdler that saw spots before her race on a hot afternoon and slowed it down to a crawl. But one sense not disturbed or disrupted was the sense that they all would touch the championship trophy at the end of the day.

Cape crawled, roared and staggered back into contention several times over 18 events with more heroes than a South Philly sub shop, and when Shanel Dickens brought home the bacon on the anchor of the 4-by-400 relay in a time of 4:08 for a third-place finish, Cape had secured another state championship, edging Delcastle 98-93.

Charter School placed third in the Division I girls' race with 85 points, followed by Caesar Rodney with 80.

A big race for Cape was the 1,600, where Ali Coning set a school record, clocking 5:15.8  and finishing second to Amanda Rickert of Charter's 5:08, while Shanel Dickens ran 5:18.8 to place third. The event gave Cape 15 points.

“Shanel and Ali, our seniors, led the comeback,” coach George Pepper said. “They have been amazing track athletes for the last four years.”

Cape’s 4-by-100 relay team featuring Anshe Boyer, Kadijah Doughty, Tyra Weatherly and Ahkeesha Duffy won its race, setting a school record with a time of 48.2.

Shanel Dickens bested a deep field in the 800 meters, winning in 2:17.6, while Coning took fifth in the event in 2:23.

Anshe Boyer picked up a crucial fifth place in the open 200 meters for 2 team points.

Megan Hart picked up 4 points in the high jump with a 4-10 jump and another 2 in the triple jump, her six-point contribution crucial in a five-point victory.

Kadijah Doughty won the shot put at 41-4 while Alyssa Miller placed seventh and contributed 2 team points.

Lost in all the tabulations of points was the Friday pole vault. Kayla Albertella and Melissa Aucion placed fourth and fifth, contributing 9 team points to the victory.

“We are not a deep team, so we are forced to push our kids and run them hard,” Pepper said after the meet. “All championship teams are different, but this one overcame more than most during the meet, and now the trophy is on the bus.”

A complete listing of results can be found at www.directathletics.com.

 

 

 

 

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