27th Seashore Striders Summer Series is in the books

The 27th Seashore Striders Summer Racing Series wrapped up this past weekend with the Last Blast Prediction 5K held at Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach. Awards were presented to the overall, masters and top five finishers and all qualifiers of the summer championship series. Here is a look at some highlights from each age group:

9 & U - Bennett Brumbley scored a perfect six points to be the lone qualifier in the age group as he also completed all 13 events of the summer.

10-13 - Aydan Vanderwende, 12, won the age group as the lone qualifier and is following his dad Brent's footsteps to the top of the charts. For the girls, it was Huntington Valley runner Olivia Montini with a perfect six points to win the age group, while second place went to Katie "K" Kuhlman with 13 points.

14-19 - A much-improved DJ Farren of Wilmington won the championship with 15 points, while Austen Cave of Delmar was second with 18 points. Mason Hall and Aaron Cave rounded out the top four finishers. On the girls’ side, Lake Forest runner Mikayla Cannon scored nine points to win the title, while Kayla Maguire was second with 18 points and Ashlyn Cave was third with 25 points.

20-24 - Sussex Tech graduate Sonny Landis was the lone qualifier, winning the age group with nine points. On the female side, it was Cape Henlopen graduate Keren Rams scoring seven points to grab first place, while Rebekah Yanacek was second with 18 points.

25-29 - First-year qualifier Moiber Rivera scored nine points to win the age group as the lone qualifier, while Alyssa Welsh won the female side with 12 points and Carolyn Sweeney was second with 22 points.

30-34 - Joey Andrisani scored seven points to nip a tough Francisco Puac, nine points, for the win in the championship. On the female side, Abby Andrews scored 10 points to win the title, while Eugenija King (15), Elizabeth Gerritt (25), Rosie Nielsen (39) and Teri Overington (52) rounded out the top five finishers.

35-39 - Justin Welsh scored 17 points for the win. He was followed by Jeff Evans with 25 points. Greg Baran finished third with 37 points on the male side. On the female side, it was Amy Kuhlman winning the title as the lone qualifier with 36 points.

40-44 - In one of the toughest age groups in the series, John Blackford won the title with seven points, just three points ahead of Breck Vanderwende with 10 points. Frank Cannon was third with 17 points and Eric Smith finished fourth totaling 51 points. Another much-improved runner, Molly Sewell, won the female title with 11 points, while Amanda Alexander was second with 23 points, Jen Murray was third with 28 points and Alyssa Simon (53) and Amy Huff (64) rounded out the top five finishers.

45-49 - One of the best rivalries in the series, the Montini vs. Stanley bout, lived up to its reputation, as Paul Montini and Chris Stanley each scored 11 points to tie for first place in the championship. Bryan Bowles was third with 21 points, while Erik Farinas was fourth with 28 points. Chris Sinclair rounded out the top five finishers with 37 points. Most Improved Jackie Quigley won the age group with a perfect score of six points, while Becky Montini was second with 14 points. Linda Stanley was third with 27 points and August Cave was fourth with 33 points. Carla "Y" Yngve rounded out the top five with 38 points.

50-54 - Brent Van Scyoc easily won the title with 11 points, while Todd Bireley and John Yanacek tied for second with 20 points each. Fourth went to Doug Ludwig with 23 points, while Dave Farren was fifth with 42 points. Always-tough Mardiny Ung scored nine points to grab another championship, while Karen Johnston scored 10 to finish in her shadow. Linda Schwartz-Chi was third with 24 with Amy Keating close behind with 25 points. Sheila Young rounded out the top five with 27 points. Some pretty close races in this female age group.

55-59 - Tim Young topped David Landis, who completed all 13 events, by a score of seven to 10 points for the win, while John Dowling was third with 19 points. Peter Chiarelli was fourth with 25 points, and Peter Tracey rounded out the top five with 27 points.

60-64 - Brian Johnston recorded a perfect score of six points to win the overall championship in this tough age group. Longtime runner and finisher of all 13 races Alan Quillen was second with 14 points. Robert Fitzgerald was close behind with 15 points, and Doug Purcell was fourth with 27. Rounding out the top five was Rick Poppleton with 29 points. Dam Mill Hall of Famer Dianna Golden scored a perfect six to capture the age group, and Jill Extract was second with 9 points. Mary Andrisani was third, while Debbie Rementer finished fourth. Cathy Haut rounded out the top five with 23 points.

65-69 - Always-tough Jules Woodall dominated the age group with six points, while longtime runner Woody Disharoon and Terry Gricher tied for second with 16 points. Jack "Tutu" Vassalotti was fourth, with Jim Marvin in fifth. Georgette O'Cone scored 12 points for the win, followed by Marie Kuhlman with 19 and Laura Buckland with 23 points.

70-74 - Tim Abbott of Georgetown scored a perfect six points for the championship, while Doug Hawkland finished second, Gene King was third and Brian Logan was fourth. Mike Richardson rounded out the top five with 22 points. One of the finest age-group runners in the country and holder of several age group records, Joann Szczepkowski, easily won the championship with six points. Sherri Wright was second with 10 points. Gerry Bradley was third with 18 points.

75-79 - Jack of all trades Jack Huxtable scored seven points to edge out Bill McArthur with nine points. Magic Jack Noel was third with 10 points. Paul Kiefer scored 16 points for fourth place, followed by John Neal with 25 points for fifth. A tie for the win between Elaine Sims and Jamie Wollard highlighted this age group, as both runners scored eight points, while third went to Marge Warshauer with nine points.

80-84 - Series legend Dr. Lee Masser won the championship with six points, while Stella Castillo won the female side with six points.

85 & O - Ed Green took the championship with six points, while Alberto Castillo was second with eight points.

The overall championship went to Martin Rodriguez of Selbyville who ran all 13 races and had a combined total time of 2:00:08, while Susan Dunn of Laurel got it done on the female side with a combined total time of 2:21:06. The masters championship went to Mike Sewell of Camden with a time of 2:04:35, while Meryl Ludwig of Maryland won the female masters with a combined time of 2:29:49.

The Most Improved Award went to runner Jackie Quigley. Quigley has improved her 5K time by minutes and now is a competitive force in her 45-49 age group.

The Performance of the Year Award was presented to first-year qualifier Francisco Puac. Puac ran onto the scene this season and instantly was a force to deal with; he won several overall championships in his opening year. Local Ginger Shaud has autism and is just an amazing person, overcoming many hurdles in her young life. Ginger is a great swimmer and runner, and she is our choice for Performance of the Year, having won several age-group championships this summer.

The Hank Brittingham Volunteer of the Year Award went to Doug Hawkland who would give the shirt off his back to the Striders if they needed a hand. Alyssa Simon and Jane Boyd were presented the New Balance Volunteer Awards by longtime Strider Fran Donaway.

Prediction 5K

The top 20 runners who finished closest to their predicted times were awarded trophies in the Prediction section of the morning, as 140 runners were given the challenge of having no mile markers, no watches, no GPS devices, no finishing clock and no luck involved with the race. That did not bother regular Louise Holt who predicted 33:08 and hit the line in 33:08.16 to win the title. Francisco Puac was second with a difference of 1.07 seconds, while Steven Grudis was third with a difference of 2.57 seconds. Puac won the overall race in 17:50 on the male side, while Eve Hoffman ran 20:23 on the female side.

Striders Youth Cross Country

The Striders met officially this week for practice at Fort Miles in Cape Henlopen State Park as part of the regular season for the Seashore Striders. This season will be the 27th straight year for the Seashore Striders Youth Cross Country team, and the season will kick off at the Lake Forest Invitational Saturday, Sept. 9.

The Seashore Striders program is an organized youth cross country team in existence since 1990. Youths from age 7 to 18 have participated in training and competition in local and regional events. Since 1990, 495 youth athletes have qualified to participate at the Regional Championships, with 260 runners representing the Seashore Striders and the Cape Region at the National Championships.

Participating in running events helps area youths build physical fitness, discipline, teamwork, and a strong sense of self-esteem. Daily, we read about overweight issues and sedentary lifestyles that impact the health of today's youth. These young runners are hopefully building lifelong healthy habits through the program. The Seashore Striders program meets twice a week from 4:15 to 5:45 p.m. For information on the program, contact coach Tim Bamforth at 302-644-8952 or email tim@seashorestrider.com.