Beacon girls win sixth straight Jim Blades Championship

The annual Jim Blades Middle School Track & Field Invitational was held April 13 under the lights at Jim Blades Stadium and on the newly resurfaced 400-meter oval. After four hours of running, jumping and throwing, the young Beacon girls had only crowned two individual champions and finished second in both relays. But when the scores were announced, it was the Beacon girls jumping in celebration, scoring 118 points for the 50-point win. Beacon was the only team in the meet to score in all 13 events. Their two champions were eighth-grade sprinter Mehkia Applewhite, who won the 200 meters in 28.5, and sixth-grade middle distance runner Lainey Shockro, who won the 800 meters in only her second time running it, in a time of 2:47.1.

“We have not had a sixth-grade middle distance runner with a combination of speed and endurance and who is such a smart racer as Lainey,” said coach Gilbert Maull. “She can run a sub-1:10 quarter and break six minutes in the mile, so the 800 meters is a great race for her. We think she will be breaking 2:40 as a sixth-grader very soon.”

Beacon grabbed second in the 4-by-100 and 4-by-200-meter relays, while Haley Archambault was second in the discus.  Tia Jarvis jumped over 33 feet for second in the triple jump, while Noelle Sabbagh jumped 31-feet-9-inches for third. Applewhite was also third in the 100 meters and led off the second-place sprint relay team.  Alyssa Swann placed in both the 1,600 meters and 800 meters, while Maggie Browne was third in the high jump. Beacon put two in the final of the 55-meter hurdles as Maren Buckaloo and Kacie Gibbons both scored in the event.

“The meet did not start out as well as we had hoped as our No. 1 hurdler missed the final, our No. 1 distance runner dropped out of the mile, and we did not score in the long jump,” said Maull. “But as the meet continued, the girls got it together and turned in some nice performances to win another championship.”

Jackson leads Beacon boys

Jeremiah Jackson became the first sixth-grader ever to win the boys’ long jump with a leap of 17-feet-7-inches at the Jim Blades Invite.

The Beacon school record was set in 2015 by then-eighth-grader Dane Palmer with a performance of 19-feet-6-inches. Jeremiah is the younger brother of sprinter/jumper Timesha Cannon, currently a sophomore at Cape. Jackson also led off the 400-meter relay team and ran the 100 meters. The Beacon boys finished fifth, and personal best performances were turned in by Toni Minni, John Evans, Evan Sydnor, Justin Friscia, Jordan Baines and Ethan Edery.

Mariner track takes down Selbyville

The Mariner track & field teams scored a pair of wins at Selbyville April 18, as the boys booked a 63-41 victory and the girls triumphed by a 68-41 tally. Eighth-grade star Reagan Ciabattoni placed first in the 400 meters (1:08.0), triple jump (30-feet-10-inches), and long jump (13-feet-7.5-inches) for the girls, who won eight of 13 events. Eighth-grader Mia Nuebling doubled up for runaway wins in the 1,600 meters (6:11.4, personal best) and 800 meters (2:53.3), while eighth-grader Kyla Corbin crossed the line first in the 55-meter hurdles (10.6) and cleared 4-feet-2-inches to take the high jump. Fast-improving seventh-grader Tatum Friend added a win in the 200 meters (30.3) for Mariner, which improved to 4-2 on the year.

The boys captured 10 of 13 events and were paced by eighth-grader Dawson Clifton, who won the 100 meters (12.1, personal best), 200 meters (26.0), and teamed with eighth-grader Angelo Ballard-Rose, eighth-grader Mekhi Smith and seventh-grader Trey Leggins to take the 4-by-200 relay (1:52.9, season best). Eighth-grader John Small out-leaned Smith in the 55-meter hurdles (9.2, personal best) and came back to win the long jump (15-feet-3-inches), while eighth-grader Elliott Bastian cruised to victory in the 1,600 meters (5:43.4). Leggins battled to the line for a win in the 400 meters (1:03.3), while Ballard-Rose used a quick final burst to triumph in the 800 meters (2:34.2, personal best). Smith tied for the win in the high jump (4-feet-6-inches), and eighth-grader Steve Ramirez notched a three-foot personal best to take home the shot put (34-feet-5-inches). The Mariner boys moved to 3-3 for the season.

Ciabattoni shines at Blades Invite

Eighth-grade sensation Reagan Ciabattoni scored a meet-high 28 points to lead the Mariner girls’ track and field team to a fourth-place finish at the 12-team Jim Blades Invitational April 13 at Lake Forest High School. Ciabattoni recorded three personal bests on the day, as she won gold medals in the triple jump (33-feet-6-inches) and long jump (15-feet-7-inches) and added a silver in the 400 meters (1:04.9). Eighth-grader Mia Nuebling continued her stellar spring with silver medals over 1600 meters (6:13.8) and 800 meters (2:50.5), setting a pair of personal bests. Eighth-grader Kyla Corbin placed in the top eight in the 55-meter hurdles, 200 meters, and high jump. On the boys’ side, eighth-grader John Small earned a silver medal and set a Mariner school record with a 37-foot-1-inch leap in the triple jump, while eighth-grader Elliott Bastian set a 16-second personal best to grab bronze in the 1,600 meters (5:28).

DQ Dash 5K

It won’t be long before the skies off Lewes Beach will be lit up in colors for the inaugural “legal” Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration of Lewes. What better way to get ready for the celebration than the DQ Dash 5K, which will raise funds to support the cause. The race will be held at 9 a.m., Sunday, April 29, from the Dairy Queen on Lewes Beach.

During the summer of 2017 a public-private collaboration of business owners, Lewes citizens and representatives of the City of Lewes decided to form an organization, Go Fourth! to bring official fireworks to Lewes. They believe that safe and legal fireworks along the beach provide the perfect ending to the Lewes Old-Fashioned Fourth of July festivities, which include games on Second Street, a boat parade on the canal and the Doo Dah Parade. Go Fourth! is jointly managed by a committee of volunteers, the Lewes Chamber of Commerce and the City of Lewes. The Go Fourth! donations are managed in cooperation with the committee by the Greater Lewes Foundation 501(c)3, and donations are tax-deductible. 

Local builder Russ Palmer is serving as the first Go Fourth! honorary chair, helping raise the $45,000 needed for the 2018 event. Members of the fundraising committee include Terri Colegrove, Paul Evalds and Rich Garrett.

Registration for the DQ Dash 5K will be from 7:30 to 8:50 a.m., Sunday, April 29, at Dairy Queen. Parking will be in the Lewes Beach public lot at the end of Savannah Road. Runners and walkers can still preregister for the event at www.seashorestriders.com.

Marathoners

The annual running of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon was held April 16 under some of the worst conditions in race history. Pouring rain and blowing wind made the 26.2-mile journey a race runners will never forget. The top Delaware performance was by James Tracy of Newark in a time of 2:48:48, while Martin Rodriguez of Selbyville/Mexico turned in the top local performance in a time of 3:00:53. Multiple-time Dave Reynolds Biathlon champion Joanna Baird of Newark ran 3:11:33, while Enos Benbow of Georgetown/Jamaica ran 3:12:40. Lance Skinner of Milford ran 3:18:38, and Susan Dunn of Laurel turned in her first Boston in 3:40:29. Griffin Lipman of Rehoboth ran 3:43:52, while Kathy Millner of Millsboro finished in 3:57:16. Victor Espitia of Lewes just dipped under the magic four-hour barrier with a 3:59:28, while Jacqueline Cooper of Lewes ran 4:01:57.  David Miller of Lewes ran 4:14:23 to wrap up the Delaware runners.  Congratulations to all runners who crossed the line in downtown Boston.