Cape girls’ track takes fifth at states; Masser 5 Miler this Sunday

The Cape High girls’ track & field team finished fifth at the state championships tied with Polytech at 48 points. Highlighting the Vikings’ performance was a second-place finish in the 4-by-800-meter relay in 9:59.83 by the team of Hannah Maney, Alexa Dougherty, Emma Duffield and Tia Jarvis. Maney led off in 2:27 and has been the solid leader who always puts the Vikings in the mix with her tough running. Freshman Lainey Shockro finished third in the pole vault with a season best of 9-feet-6-inches.

The 4-by-400m relay team finished fourth in 4:13.16 with Maney, Taylor Johnson, Tia Jarvis and Reagan Ciabattoni, while Johnson was also fourth in the 300m hurdles in 48.74. Teammate Dougherty was sixth in the 300m hurdles with her personal best of 49.97. Jarvis was sixth in the 800m run in 2:27.29, while Ciabattoni was seventh in the 400m dash in 1:02.54 and sixth in the triple jump at 33-5.5. Throwers Cailyn Bledsoe and Haley Archambault finished fifth and sixth in the discus with throws of 91-7 and 83-3, while Mehkia Applewhite was fifth in the shot put at 32-8.5. The 4-by-200m relay of Mehkia Applewhite, Amaya Daisey, Lainey Shockro and Maney finished eighth in 1:52.70.

Cape Unified athlete Brooke Kochinsky had a great meet, finishing second in the 400m dash in 1:29.22, second in the long jump at 7-2 and second in the shot put at 18-8. Elle Nauman was fourth in the 400 meters in 1:47.36 and fifth in the 100 meters in 21.37. Peyton Lamson-Reich was fifth in the long jump at 3-6 and seventh in the 400m dash in 2:32.76.

The Vikings boys’ team finished ninth in the Division I Championships with 44 points, led by second-place finishes in both the shot put (46-8) and discus (134-5) events by senior Josiah Miller. Distance runner Ryan Baker, a sophomore, finished fourth in the 3,200 meters in 9:49.73, while the 4-by-800m relay team also finished fourth in 8:22.63. The 4-by-100m and 4-by-200m relays were both fifth, with times of 45.11 and 1:34.29, respectively. William Cerf was fifth in the high jump at 5-8, while Jordan Baines was sixth in 16.82 for the 110m hurdles. Lance Kauffman was seventh in the 3,200m run in 10:15.51, while Nate Loucks was eighth in the triple jump at 38-10.

Cape Unified athlete Rodney Palmer grabbed two third-place finishes, in the 400m dash in 1:00.54 and the long jump at 13-7. Palmer was fifth in the 100m dash in 13.67 and sixth in the shot put in 28-7. Evan Zinzi finished eighth in the 100m dash in 14.94, while Alejandro Alvarez-Roman was also eighth in the 400m dash in 1:14.51.

Masser 5 Miler

The 28th Masser 5 Miler will kick off the Seashore Striders Racing Series on Sunday, May 30, at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes. The Masser 5 is one of the longest running events at the beach, named for the late Doc Lee Masser, who passed away in September 2020. Masser was instrumental in starting the Seashore Striders Racing Series back in 1990 and continued to promote the beach races he loved so much right up to his passing.

The flat and fast course will begin at Cape Henlopen High School and pick up the trails along Gills Neck Road and Freeman Highway before returning to the high school by way of Kings Highway for the track finish. To register, go to seashorestriders.com. Registration will close following packet pickup from 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday, May 29, at the high school. There will be no race-day registration.

Cape Track Camp III

The final session of the third Cape Track & Field Camp was held May 23 at Cape Henlopen’s Legends Stadium with 84 elementary and middle school athletes combined for a three-hour session of track & field learning. Long- and short- sleeve shirts and bags will be presented to the young athletes for their participation, and six different areas of track & field were covered. The three clinics were hosted by the girls’ track & field team and coaches. A long jump competition followed by a 50-yard dash championship ended the camp along with certificates and a trip to the Kona Shaved Ice truck for a cool treat.

Meet of Champs

The Cape boys finished second in the 4-by-800m relay in a season best of 8:19 with the team of Brian Sponagule, Liam O’Donnell, Ben Clifton and Julian Callaway. Callaway outkicked the Polytech anchor for a season-best 1:59 split. The Smyrna boys won the race. The girls’ 4-by-800m relay team also finished second in a new personal-best time of 9:56 with the team of freshman Hannah Maney, sophomore Alexa Dougherty, and juniors Emma Duffield and Tia Jarvis. The Concord girls won the race in 9:49. Josiah Miller had a big meet with a 152-foot discus toss, while Cailyn Bledsoe set a season best in the discus at 93 feet. The meet was shut down after the second rain and lighting delay, and finished up on Thursday at St. Mark’s.

Hoyte Decker Memorial Day Tri

After taking a year off, the Hoyte Decker Memorial Day Tri will return to Lewes Beach at 6:15 a.m., Monday, May 31. This event is not a race, but a workout. There are no clocks, no DQs, no trophies, no fees and T-shirts … no stress or fuss. The event includes an approximate quarter- to half-mile swim in the Delaware Bay off Lewes (wetsuit recommended this time of year), a 15-mile bike loop and a 5K. It is followed by a great breakfast get-together outside at Surf Bagel.

Organizer Margaret Colvin offered this event history: “The Memorial Day Tri was begun years ago at the suggestion of Hoyte Decker. At that time, the Y was open on Memorial Day. but no classes were being held. While I was looking forward to a day to sleep in, Hoyte had a completely different idea of how to celebrate the holiday. For love of Hoyte and his irrepressible enthusiasm, the Y Navy SEALs showed up in force. We all had a blast doing the event and enjoyed the follow-up guilt-free breakfast and time to socialize without the simultaneous push-ups. During this first breakfast, Hoyte proposed weekly triathlon events every Wednesday from Lewes Beach at 8 a.m. Once again, I thought, ‘This man is crazy,’ but here we are years later continuing to do our 6 a.m. Y workout followed by the Wednesday morning tri. Hoyte capped off the summer like he had initiated it, by getting us all to do another tri/breakfast event on Labor Day. All of these activities have now continued for more years than I can remember. We have gathered many new friends along the way, and others have moved away or regained their senses and stay in bed at 6 a.m. Some years we just have a few participants and other years close to 20. What we always have is a very good time, and so many memories and stories to share. So, for the love of Hoyte, get out there and get moving.”

To register, simply email Bob and Margaret at rabbitsrun@verizon.net.