Cape boys’ track takes second at state meet
The Cape Henlopen boys’ track and field team scratched and clawed its way to the second-place trophy in Division I at the DIAA Track & Field Championships held May 17-18 at Dover High, tallying 86 points and avenging a conference meet loss to Caesar Rodney in the process.
Coach Ellis Gaulden's charges nipped the third-place Riders by a single point a week after CR triumphed in a hotly contested Henlopen Conference meet. The Vikings finished second behind powerhouse private school Salesianum (111 points).
Cape scored in 14 of 18 events, highlighted by a gold medal from pole vaulter Bailey Fletcher. The senior soared over 14-feet-9-inches to finish well clear of the field, while fellow senior Eddie Houck (13-6) and sophomore Will DiPaolo (12-0) took second and fifth, respectively, to pile up huge points.
Sophomore Jason Baker led the Vikings’ distance crew by placing second over 3,200 meters (9:28.24) and third in the 1,600 (4:27.23). His performance in the former event was particularly impressive, as he blasted a 63-second final lap to make up ground on 4:10 Sallies miler Ethan Walther and notch a five-second personal best. His time ranks fifth all-time among Delaware 10th-graders.
Cardin Benjamin collected a team-high 15.25 points and continued his recent rise to the upper echelon of Delaware distance running. The versatile junior took second at 1,600 meters (4:26.67) and fourth at 800 (1:57.60), and ran quick legs in both the 4-by-800-meter relay (third, 8:09.47) and 4-by-400-meter relay (sixth, 3:29.76).
Cape also got major contributions from sophomore sprinter Trey Johnson, who scored in the 100 (fifth, 11.29), 200 (sixth, 22.47), 4-by-100 (fourth, 43.13) and 4-by-200 (eighth, 1:32.85). Senior Benjamin Clifton scored in the 800 (fifth, 1:58.18), 4-by-800 and 4-by-400, while sophomore Elijah Shockley-Taylor earned points in the 110-meter hurdles (sixth, 16.21), 4-by-100 and 4-by-200. Junior Stephen Hart placed fifth in the high jump (6-2) and seventh in the triple jump (41-7.75).
The Cape girls finished ninth in Division I with 34 points. Freshman Harper Mamele captured second place in the high jump with a 5-2 clearance, while junior Addison Bowman placed second in the pole vault (9-6). The Vikings’ 4-by-800-meter relay finished fourth (10:11.93), while sophomore Anejah Grace took fifth in the triple jump (33-4.75) and junior Jade Warrington placed fifth in the discus (91-11).
Top finishers from the DIAA meet will square off in the Meet of Champions Wednesday, May 22, in Wilmington.
Geyer wins title
Sussex Academy’s Katya Geyer won the Division II girls’ high jump with a clearance of 5-feet-even.
Max Rial earned a runner-up finish in the shot put with a throw of 46-8.25. The boys’ 4-by-800 team took the bronze with a combined time of 8:13.67.
Also earning top-10 finishes were Emmanuel Charles Aine with a fifth-place showing in the triple jump with a distance of 42-2, the 4-by-800 girls’ relay with a sixth-place finish in a time of 10:22.83, the 4-by-200 boys’ relay with an eight-place clocking in 1:35.98, the boys’ 4-by-100 relay in ninth with a time of 44.93 and Rial with a 10th-place finish in discus with a distance of 110-4.
