Beacon track & field off to a 3-0 start
The Beacon and Mariner boys' and girls' track and field teams kicked off their season April 2 at a four-team meet at Cape Henlopen High School. When the dust had settled after 26 events and more than 300 athletes competing, it was the Beacon boys capturing the meet with 117 points, followed by Mariner with 47, Georgetown with 23, and Seaford with 10. The Beacon girls picked up where they left off and added three wins to a 36-meet win streak dating back to 2010. Beacon scored 120 points for the win, while Seaford was second with 33, Georgetown third with 25, and Mariner fourth with 21 points. Individually for Beacon, Curtis Purnell won the 100 and 200 and anchored the 400-meter relay team to a new school record of 50.8 seconds. Purnell also set a school record in the 200 meters in 24.9. Dane Palmer set a new school record in the long jump with an 18-foot leap, while Damarcus Perry set the shot put school record with a throw of 41-10. Other event winners for Beacon were a distance double win by Robert Marsh in the 1,600 and 800 runs, Palmer in the 400 meters, Ian Robinson in the triple jump, and the 800m relay. Mariner’s Isaiah Morris won the high jump with a nice leap of 5-6, while Isaac Whaley won the 110 hurdles in 16.4.
On the girls' side, Alia Marshall won three events as the seventh-grader landed one of the country’s best middle school long jumps with a leap of 16-2-3/4 for a new school record, won the triple jump in an impressive 33-3, and won the 800 meters in 2:49.0. Zoe Scott jumped 5-0 in the high jump to also set a school record.
Beacon kicked off the meet grabbing the top five spots in the 55m hurdles led by winner Annie Judge at 9.4 seconds. Kailee Truitt won the mile in 6:23.0, backed up by a nice race from young Olivia Brozefsky in 6:29.0. Beacon ran 56.1 to win the 400m relay anchored by young sixth-grader Timesha Cannon in 56.1. Beacon also won the 800m relay in 1:59.3. Judge came back to get second in the long jump with a nice 15-2, while Scott also had an impressive second in the triple jump at 33-1.
Mariner’s Lakendra Harpe won the 100 meters in 13.2 and 200 meters in 27.5 to lead Mariner.
Mariner and Beacon will return to action next Wednesday, April 9.
Upcoming races
• Inaugural Kim Miller 5K & Boobs & Brew Charity Event by 16 Mile Brewing Company, 9 a.m., Saturday, April 5, 16 Mile, Georgetown.
• 2nd Oy Vey 5K Run & Walk, 8 a.m., Sunday, April 6, Seaside Jewish Community, Rehoboth Beach.
• 5th Seashore Classic Half Marathon & 5K, 8 a.m., Sunday, April 13, Irish Eyes, Lewes.
