Seashore Striders run tough on the hills of Brandywine

Allison Ortiz, just a sixth-grader at Mariner Middle School, captured one of the biggest races of her young running career as she won the Ursuline/St. E Invitational in the fifth/sixth division of the meet at Brandywine Creek State Park. Ortiz finished a few steps ahead of her club teammate Shiloh O’Grady, also a sixth-grader, as they ran 6:44 and 6:48, respectively, on the 1.1-mile hilly course, grabbing the 1-2 finish. Erin Noonan, also a sixth-grader, was seventh in 7:11, while Claudia Stazzone ran a great race of 7:20 for 16th. Mia Thompson finished 18th in 7:24. The Striders were second overall, just six points behind St. Ann.

Addie Dean kicked off the racing in the third/fourth division, finishing 22nd in 8:32.

In the third- and fourth-grade boys’ race, the Striders also grabbed the 1-2 finish, as Kai Mundok won the title in 6:56, with Brady Sherman second in 7:02. Nolan Furlong was fourth in 7:14, while Julian Kaufmann was 22nd in 7:56. Cody Kuhlman was 24th in 8:00. The Striders won the team division with 53 points over St. Mary with 56 points.

In the fifth/sixth division, Strider Jack Louden was 10th in 7:03, while Jude Peacock was 17th in 7:25.

Lily Noonan finished fifth in the varsity 7-8 girls’ race, running 15:41 on a 2.1-mile course that is one of the toughest in the area. Riley Stazzone finished third in the 7-8 boys’ race in a tough time of 13:37.

Cape XC

The Vikings topped Dover and Milford Oct. 20 at Schutte Park by an easy margin of 15-46 and 15-47, while the Lady Vikings also got by them both 15-50 and 15-47. Joey DeGregory ran 17:48 for the easy win, while Ryan Baker was second in 17:51. Julian Callaway finished third in 17:52. The Vikings took six of the top 10 spots. 

For the girls, Colleen Flynn won the individual title in 22:28, while Alexa Dougherty was second in 22:34, followed by Katie Kuhlman third in 22:38. Mia Nuebling was fifth in 23:07, while Arianna Adili-Khams rounded out the Vikings’ scoring in seventh in 23:22. The Vikings are gearing up for the big three – Sussex County, Henlopen Conference and DIAA meets – and will need to be at the top of their game to grab the three-peat.

DAAD Middle School Invite

The DAAD Middle School Invitational will be held Wednesday, Oct. 27, at Browns Branch County Park just outside Milford, which is sort of like a Henlopen Conference meet for middle school teams set up like a large invitational. Beacon and Mariner will both attend and have some frontrunners who could battle for individual honors. Beacon’s top runner Lily Noonan will go with whoever is leading the race and has a great support system behind her led by the threesome of Shiloh O’Grady, Erin Noonan and Izzy Daniels. Mariner has a tough 1-2 punch in Allison Ortiz and Chloe DeForrest. Both girls’ teams have not had a close meet yet this season, and if a few of the upstate teams arrive like Springer, MOT and Dickinson, it should be a competitive meet.

On the boys’ side of the action, Beacon’s Riley Stazzone was 25th in 2019, when his team finished second; however, he has been lighting it up on the courses this year and has led his team every meet. Stazzone will certainly be up front when the gun sounds, and another tough sixth-grader, Asher Woods of Mariner, son of sharpshooting Cape coach Pat Woods, will be somewhere in the front mix of the race as well. 

Mariner XC

The Mariner cross country teams defeated host Seaford Monday at Chapel Branch Nature Area, with the girls winning by a 19-41 score and the boys securing an 18-43 victory. The girls were led by sixth-grader Allison Ortiz and eighth-grader Chloe DeForrest, who finished 1-2 in 11:35 and 11:38, respectively, for 1.55 miles. Also scoring for Mariner were eighth-grader Liv Longo (third overall, 13:03), eighth-grader Zoe Miller (sixth, 15:01), and sixth-grader Maren Edwards (seventh, 15:59).

On the boys’ side, sixth-grader Asher Woods took top honors with a 10:09 clocking, earning his first career win by nearly a minute. Also scoring for the Vikings were eighth-grader Brayden Redd (second overall, 11:03), seventh-grader Aidan Wyatt (fourth, 11:51), eighth-grader Andrew Henion (fifth, 12:10), and sixth-grader Quinn Kluchnik (sixth, 12:26). Mariner runners dropped an average of 52 seconds per mile from last week's times. 

Howl-O-Ween 5K Run

The third annual Howl-O-Ween 5K to benefit the Caroline County Humane Society will be held at 9 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 23, in Ridgely, Md. The start, finish and post-race ceremony will be at Martin Sutton Park off Route 480 and West 6th Street. Awards will be presented to the overall and masters male and female champions as well as the top three finishers in eight age groups from 13 & under to 70 & over. A small-town race with a great cause on a fast-and-flat course. For more information, go to seashorestriders.com.

Mariner 7-Miler/5K

Mariner’s Bethel Church will host its annual trail run at 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 24, from Camp Barnes, known for the beautiful course through Assawoman Wildlife Refuge and post-race celebration with homemade food that is top of the line. It includes the featured seven-miler, the 5K run, the three-mile walk, the one-mile walk and the kiddie dash, which means there is something for everyone. New this year is a band called Hit & Run, which has been the talk of the event so far as several are looking forward to hearing them play. Registration is still open at seashorestriders.com.  Join us for a great time, and I promise you won’t go hungry.

Sea Witch Half Marathon

This year the Sea Witch Fall 5K Classic will add a half-marathon Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at 8 a.m. from the main beach parking lot of Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes. The race is designed in the shape of a “T” as it will go to Fort Miles and then toward Lewes on the new trail extension. Runners will turn around just before Freeman Highway and head toward Rehoboth, passing Fort Miles and Herring Point before reaching Gordons Pond. Turning around at Gordons Pond, runners will head back to Fort Miles and then back to the finish. The race is a great tune-up for the Seashore Marathon in December or any other November marathon you are competing in. Go to seashorestriders.com for race information. The regular 5K will be at 9 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 31, at Grove Park.