Cape, Sussex Tech battle through conference championship meet

The Cape Henlopen Vikings and the Sussex Tech Ravens were headed to the Henlopen Conference Championships Thursday and Friday, May 8 and 9, at Dover High School. Cape’s Austin MacElrevey will have run his final Henlopen Conference distance races where he tried to stay ahead of Caesar Rodney, Smyrna, and Sussex Tech distance runners he knows so well in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Sam Hete hoped to dip under the 10-minute barrier in the 3,200 meters and take a shot at the school record, while several runners in the conference should have broken the 4:40 barrier in the 1,600 meters, which should have come down to the wire. The 3,200m relay final, sprint trials, and 3,200m final were held Thursday beginning at 4:30 p.m., while Friday’s finals go off at 5 p.m.

McKinnon Invite

The Rich McKinnon Championship Invitational was held last Friday, May 2, at Mount Pleasant High School in Claymont, with 14 of the best middle schools from the area competing in the event. It was the third meet in four days for the Beacon Middle School team, but it did not seem to bother them, as the girls' squad scored 140 points on the night to easily win the team title.

Beacon girls won all four relays to dominate the track, as the 3,200m relay of Zoe Callard, Mel McCoy, sixth-grader Olivia Brosefsky, and Logan Shuttleworth shocked Tatnall to win in 11:08, while the 800m relay of sixth-grader Rose Minni, Katie Frederick, Zoe Scott, and Alia Marshall brought it home in a new school record of 1:53. The 400m relay also won gold as the team of lead-off Annie Judge, Frederick, Minni, and Tamesha Cannon won in 54.7. The best relay of the day came in the meet's final event as the foursome of Scott, Minni, Shuttleworth, and Marshall won in a meet record of 4:30. Beacon also swept the long jump, captured both hurdles races, won the high jump, and won the 400 meters.

“I have never seen a middle school track program that is so talented and so knowledgeable on the track and in the field, from blocks to handoffs to hurdles to starts,” said St. Georges head coach and former Clemson All-American and Cape graduate Kai Maull. “Many girls on that team could have a bright future in track & field if they decide to take that path.”

Sam Nye won the 1,600 meters in 5:14, while Dane Palmer placed in the 400 meters and long jump. Robert Marsh went through a boxing match at the start of the mile, but cleaned himself up by the 1,600m relay to team with Nye, Palmer, and Ben Anderson to place in the event. Curtis Purnell competed in the 100 and 200 sprint races. The boys' team placed third in the meet with only five athletes.

Cape Classic

On May 1, Beacon's boys' and girls' teams captured the Cape Classic meet with Alia Marshall wInning three events for 30 points and Zoe Scott scoring 20.5 points to lead the way. Annie Judge won the 55m hurdles and Logan Shuttleworth the 1,600 meters, while Beacon also won the 400m relay with Judge, Katie Frederick, Rose Minni, and Tamesha Cannon in a new school record of 54.2 and the 800m relay with Minni, Frederick, Jody Boyer, and Scott in 1:55.

The Beacon boys surprised the field by scoring in nearly all the events, and most importantly the throwing events, where they brought back 40 points. DeMarcus Perry broke the school discus record as he won in 138-feet-5-inches and won the shot put in 38-2. Dane Palmer broke the long jump school record of 18-5, won the 400 meters in 57.2 and brought his team from fifth to second with a blazing anchor run in the 800m relay. Sam Nye won the mile in 5:07.

In the girls' meet, Beacon scored 135 points to win its third championship in a row, while second was Chipman with 53 points, and Smyrna and Postlethwait tied for third place overall with 39 points.

In the boys' meet, Beacon scored 111 points, while Postlethwait scored 99 for second, followed by Smyrna in third with 55 points.

Upcoming races

Saturday, May 10, 6th Mother's Day Remembrance 5K, Irish Eyes 6-Pack Series, Lewes, seashorestriders.com.

Sunday, May 18, 2nd annual Wild Goose Chase 5K Run & 1M Walk, Trap Pond State Park, Laurel, seashorestriders.com.

8:30 a.m., Sunday, May 18, 5th annual DE-Feet Breast Cancer 5K Run/Walk; 8:30 a.m., Tanger Outlets, Rehoboth Beach, races2run.com.