Cape cross country girls win Varsity A title at Lake Forest Invitational
The Cape Henlopen cross country team opened the season Sept. 8 at the 61st running of the Lake Forest Invitational at Killens Pond State Park. Trail puddles and wet socks saturated the shoes of all runners. Four Cape teams, including boys and girls across varsity and junior varsity, competed in the Varsity A division, which included 14 teams.
The Cape girls finished first in the division with a total of 36 points, a point ahead of Caesar Rodney. Smyrna placed third with 60 points.
Cape junior Olivia Brozefsky placed first with a time of 20:48.
“Training throughout the summer has definitely helped build my endurance and get me mentally and physically prepared for the race today,” Brozefsky said.
She hopes to be one of the top runners in the state as the season progresses.
Cape’s top 7 also included Aya Daisey (22:50), Lindsay Rambo (22:51), Mia Newbling (23:02), Elizabeth Melson (23:23), Hadley Rhue (23:26) and Caroline Maull (24:21).
The Cape boys took second in their division with a score of 47 points, behind Caesar Rodney’s 25 points. Senior Kolbe O’Donnell finished third in the division with a time of 18:06. Junior Sam Epstein finished close behind in 18:18, followed by Owen Allen in 19:01, Brian Ciabattoni in 19:17, Daniel Adili-Khams in 20:02 and Lance Kauffman in 20:33.
After this rain-drenched season opener, Cape looks to improve its times as the year progresses. Coach Matt Lindell commented on the long season ahead, “I hope both teams continue to build on their solid performances today. We need to continue to work hard in practice and we need to stay healthy. If we continue to do both, the championship phase of our season will be an exciting one for both squads.”
Cape’s next meet will be the White Clay Creek Classic Friday, Sept. 14, in Newark. The Cape cross country schedule can be found at www.capevikingsports.com.
Notes - There was an Open Division of 2.1 miles that featured many youth runners, including several athletes from the Seashore Striders. St. Andrew’s won the Varsity B boys’ race, led by former Seashore Striders runner Blake Hundley, who ran 16:54, good for third place overall.
