Ryan Baker among the best 5K runners in state history

Senior Ryan Baker put together a race in the rain March 22 that etched his name among the top all-time high school runners in the State of Delaware. Baker ran away with the 5,000-meter championship at the Seahawk Invitational outside Annapolis, Md., in a time of 15:09.90.

The top performance for a Delaware athlete in the outdoor 5,000-meter run, rarely run in the state, is Alex Giacco of Tatnall, who raced to a time of 15:08.54 at the New Balance Nationals in 2012, while Stephen Garrett of Tatnall ran 15:10.33 at the New Balance Nationals in 2013. Professional runner Sam Parsons, now living in Colorado, ran 15:17.82 at the New Balance Nationals in 2011, which ranked third in the all-time Delaware 5,000-meter rankings. Baker’s performance ranks him second on the all-time outdoor list, putting him in some of the best company that has ever circled the oval. I also found a blazing fast time of 14:54.30 by Declan McDonnell at the 2021 Indoor Nationals as well. Results are tough to come by when performance lists do not stay updated.

Equally impressive on another level is Ryan’s younger brother Jason, who went 16:39.95 in the same race for a double PR for the Baker family.

Other notable performances for the Cape boys and girls include Zoe Miller running 21:17 for a personal best in the 5K for 10th place; Alexa Dougherty with a third-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles in 47.33; and the 400-meter relay in fifth with a 54.38 clocking. Dougherty was also fourth in the triple in 29-feet-11-inches. Konner Knarr was third in the 100-meter dash in 11.84, while Trey Leggins was fourth in the 400 in 52.96. Machi Savage jumped 5-10 to tie for second place in the high jump.

Sussex Academy

Also on Saturday was the A.I. DuPont Invitational in Greenville, where Sussex Academy competed. Highlights include the boys’ 1,600-meter relay that placed fifth in 3:43.87, the 3,200-meter relay that placed second in 8:45.93, and a second-place pole vault by Riley Lapinsky with a 7-6 clearance. Lily Bowe ran 2:35.03 for fifth in the 800 meter, Katya Geyer ran 5:40.98 in the 1,600 for sixth and the 1,600 relay ran 4:45.42 for fourth place. The 3,200 relay also placed fourth with a time of 10:48.90, while Geyer jumped 4-4 in the high jump for fifth.

Middle school track

At the end of last week, Milford beat the Beacon boys 58-41, while the Beacon girls topped Milford 52-47. On March 29, Mariner hosted Seaford at Cape Henlopen, with the boys winning 65-44, while the girls winning 63-46.

Seventh-grader Asher Woods of Mariner scored 11.25 points to be the meet’s high scorer, as he went 5:29.4 in the 1,600, won the 800 in 2:37.2 and ran on the winning 800-meter relay.

On the girls’ side, Kaylyn Clews of Mariner scored 11.25 points to be the meet’s high scorer, as she won the 55-meter hurdles in 11.12, the high jump in 4-2 and ran on the winning 400-meter relay. Allison Ortiz-Rivera won her first 400-meter dash in 1:10.4 and also won the triple jump in 27-8. A New Mariner school record in shot put was set by Elena Booth with a toss of 31-0.

The Jim Blades Middle School Invitational will be held Friday, March 31 at Lake Forest High School. Beacon Middle has the most team championships in the history of the meet.  

Run for Coach Nic 5K

The second annual Run for Coach Nic 5K will be held at 10 a.m., Sunday, April 2, at Sussex Tech. The race begins across the street at the cross country course. Awards will be presented to the overall male and female champions and the top three finishers in 10-year age groups. To register, go to www.seashorestriders.com.