Cape track & field is off and running

The sport with the largest participation in Cape Henlopen School District is off and running, jumping and throwing with nearly 300 athletes out for six teams. Kenny Riedel is the head coach at Mariner Middle School with 86 athletes participating. He will be assisted by Jill Cicierski with volunteers Solomon Cox, Hannah Pepper and Andrew Rogan. Michele Gillen will coach the Beacon girls’ team and Adam Kindl will coach the Beacon boys’ team. Beacon has 104 out for both teams.

Matt Lindell will coach the high school boys, assisted by Ellis Gaulden and Jay Maull. I will coach the high school girls, assisted by Gilbert Maull and Rob Perciful. Martin Rodriguez, Jamie Hill and Nick Begley will volunteer for the girls. There are currently 90 athletes out for both high school teams. The Vikings will open up Friday, March 27, at the Cambridge Invitational in Cambridge, Md. Schedules and scores can be found at capevikingssports.com.

Young wins ACC

Senior Sam Young, a Cape graduate at University of Virginia, won the pole vault at the recent ACC Championships. Sam topped the field with a height of 5.38 meters to set a new school mark. He became the first Virginia competitor to win the indoor pole vault since Henry Davenport and Clarence Roberts shared the crown in 1958.

Sam just missed the cutoff for the Division I National Championships, which is 5.48 meters.

Pole vaulters are great at being upside down, and the Young family put together the best finishes in the annual Shields headstand contest competitions that I ran for 15 straight years. It’s only fitting that Sam Young becomes a pole vaulter and wins the ACC title. Congrats to Sam.

Lucky Leprechaun 5K

This Sunday, March 8, will be the eighth annual Lucky Leprechaun 5K in Milton. It begins at 11 a.m. at Irish Eyes. There are more than 300 participants registered, and we are looking to go over 400 total. The race will kick off Milton's St. Patrick’s Day celebration, with the parade set for 2 p.m. Registration opens at 9:30 a.m. at Irish Eyes. The race-day entry fee is $40. The race will benefit the Milton Chamber of Commerce, Milton Fire Department and Gladys Wilkins Seeding the Future Scholarship Fund. Awards will go to the overall male and female runners, plus the top three in 10-year age groups. Pick up your T-shirt and number early, as we will have a Saturday packet pickup from 4 to 7 p.m.