Cape cross country teams improve to 11-1

The Cape boys’ cross country team celebrated Senior Day with dual-meet victories over Indian River and Smyrna to improve its record to 11-1 on the season. A much-improved Indian River team gave Cape a close battle and actually had a slight lead early in the race at the one-mile mark, but the Vikings’ No. 4 runner Tristan Holland moved up to take seventh in the race to seal the deal. Holland used every ounce of energy to run 18:39, and he was attended to in the finish chute after the race.

No. 1 runner John DiStefano was able to get the individual win after trailing Indian River’s Pat Spencer by 10 meters at the two-mile mark. The individual win gave the Vikings a little cushion and a 25-32 victory.

Bryan Ciabattoni ran 18:15 for fifth, while Daniel Adili-Khams ran 18:24 for sixth, and the Vikings put four in the top 10. Cape topped Smyrna 22-33.

In girls’ action, Cape’s top runner Olivia Brozefsky took the lead at 2.5 miles and led the Vikings to victory with an individual win in 20:19.

Cape topped Indian River 15-48 and edged Smyrna 27-30.

“Both teams ran well,” said coach Matt Lindell. “Lindsay Rambo had a big day, almost breaking into the 21s, and Olivia Brozefsky was solid in her return from illness. Our pack of boys continues to run well, and it was awesome to see John DiStefano get the overall win on his Senior Day. We had one of our best practice sessions of the season Monday, so I feel both teams are hitting their stride at the right time. As we begin to taper for the championship phase of the season, I believe we will continue to see improvement in our performances.”

Once again it was the pack running by the Cape girls that sealed the deal, as they put five runners in the top 10. Only 40 seconds separated Cape’s second through fourth runners, which is tough to beat. The Vikings are shaping into a nice big-meet team, where scoring is different from a dual meet and other teams push back runners, which affects the overall team score. Teams that have runners in a tight pack, as the Vikings do, seem to fare well in the championship format scoring, as in the upcoming Sussex County, Henlopen Conference and State Championships.

Sea Witch Fall 5K Classic

The 29th annual Sea Witch Fall 5K Classic will be held Sunday, Oct. 28, beginning at 9 a.m. from Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach. Long-sleeve T-shirts are available for the first 400 runners to register for the event. Parking will be on Henlopen, Columbia and Rehoboth avenues. Awards will be presented to the overall, masters and top 3 in 16 age groups. The top 3 Clydesdale and Filly runners will also be presented with awards. Keep the Sea Witch tradition alive by racing in costume.

Early packet pickup will be Saturday, Oct. 27, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Grove Park. For more information, go to seashorestriders.com.