Cape track teams win first indoor meet of the winter

The Cape Henlopen indoor track & field teams traveled south to Snow Hill, Md., Dec. 5, to compete in the first of six weekly invitationals with 20 teams from the Delmarva area. The Snow Hill oval is 160 meters in length with four lanes for the running events with pole vault and high jump in the infield and shot put on the outer circle.

In the girls’ team standings, Cape Henlopen was on top with 95 points. Kent Island was second with 87 points, North Caroline was third with 82 points, Lake Forest was fourth with 55 points and Cambridge rounded out the top five teams with 50 points.

In the boys’ team standings, Cape Henlopen was on top with 107 points, while second went to Lake Forest with 61 points. Kent Island and JM Bennett tied for third with 50 points and Sussex Tech rounded out the top five teams with 44 points. 

Many describe a track meet as organized chaos or similar to a circus with multiple events happening at once, and sometimes it is an eye opener for the first-time athletes. Noelle Sabbagh is a Cape freshman who competed in her first high school track meet. “It was very nerve-wracking,” said Noelle. “Our coaches had tried preparing us for the organized chaos going on around us, but none of us were truly prepared for everything that was happening. We collected ourselves and mentally prepared for everything, and we were excited to come out with a win.“

Alia Marshall competed in her first track meet since dominating the circuit as an eighth-grader at Beacon Middle. She won both jump events with a 17-foot-2-inch long jump and a 34-foot-2-inch triple jump. Marshall also finished second in the 55 meters in 7.92 seconds and anchored the winning 4-by-200 relay team with Tia Jarvis, Ariyanna Dabney and Sabbagh in a time of 1:55.8.

Cape distance freshman dynamic duo of Mia Nuebling and Elizabeth Melson opened up some eyes running against mostly upper classmen, as Nuebling was second in the 3,200 meters in 13:00.0 and Melson was third in the 1,600 meters in a time of 6:03.8.

Sabbagh finished fifth in the 55-meter hurdles in 10.18, while Jarvis was sixth in the 55 meters in 8.12. The 4-by-800 relay of Taylor Johnson, Melson, Fallon Moore and Nuebling finished fourth in 11:16.7, while the 4-by-400 relay of Dabney, Sloane Buckaloo, Johnson and Jarvis finished fourth in a time of 4:45.3.

Mackenzie Parker finished second in the shot put in a toss of 33-feet-1½-inches. Sawyer Walker was fifth in the high jump in 4-feet-6-inches, while Dabney was sixth in 4-feet even. Jarvis grabbed third in the long jump at 15-feet-2-inches, while Sabbagh was fourth in the triple jump in 31-feet-3-inches.

In boys’ action, senior Dane Palmer won the long jump in a new personal best of 20-feet-8-inches, while Cody Workman was fifth in 17-feet-2½-inches and Dajour Bailey sixth in 15-feet-9¼-inches. Palmer was also second with a 40-foot-11-inch distance in the triple jump. John Small was third in the triple with a 34-foot-5-inch jump, while Quinn McCullough was fourth in 32-feet-11-inches.

In shot put, it was Josiah Miller grabbing second with a toss of 41-feet-1-inch, while Pat Tkach was fourth in 39-feet-5-inches.

Isaiah Fillyau was second in the 55 hurdles in 8.53 seconds, while Carson Jeney was fourth in 9.38. The 4-by-400 relay team of Giovanni Bendfeldt, Carson Jeney, Christian Partlow and Cody Workman finished second in 3:57.2. Bendfeldt was also fourth in the pole vault in 10-feet-6-inches.

Kolbe O’Donnell was third in the 1,600 meters in 5:03.9, while John DiStefano was also third in the 3,200 meters in 10:50.3.

Partlow was fifth in the 300 meters in 39.1, while Owen Allen fifth in 800 meters in 2:19.0. Curtis Purnell was sixth in the 55-meter dash in 6.98

Seashore Marathon

The 11th Seashore Marathon will take off from the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand at 7 a.m. with 3,000 runners competing in the half and full marathon. There are 17 water stops along the way that will use about 32,000 cups of water and Gatorade. More than 40 states will be represented in the race and more than 200 volunteers will take part manning water stops, passing out medals and preparing the post-race party hosted by the Cultured Pearl. Six great viewing spots include: Gordons Pond, Grove Park, Junction & Breakwater Trail at Wolfe Neck Road, Herring Point, Fort Miles and Lewes Beach. Please do not park along the road at any point during the course. Good luck to all athletes competing in the race.