Seashore Striders XC competes at Holy Cross Invitational

The Seashore Striders youth cross country team competed at the Holy Cross Invitational Sept. 14 in Camden at Brecknock Park, home of the Caesar Rodney High School cross country team. The Invitational attracted 11 teams, all from the CYM Wilmington Organization, along with the Seashore Striders. There were seven races in the meet.

The Striders came away with one champion in seventh-grader Justin Friscia, who pulled away in the final 400 meters and showed his 800-meter track speed in the final stretch. Friscia ran 13:43 for the 2.4-mile course, winning by 13 seconds over Luke Kain of St. Mary Magdalen. Alexander Arnold was 10th in 14:54, while Steven Hart was 21st in 15:50. Brayden Trout finished 32nd in 17:18.

In the third- and fourth-grade girls’ race, fourth-grader Shiloh O’Grady finished second overall for the 1.2-mile distance, running 8:36 to average a 7:10 pace. Riley Hersey from St. Ann won the race in 8:28. Teammate Erin Noonan was 10th in 9:24, while Gretchen Maughan was 18th in 9:40. Allison Ortiz-Rivera was 20th in 9:46, followed by Emmi Swope in 26th with a time of 9:59. Claire Denham was 31st in 10:30, while Addison Manley was 58th in 12:49.

In the third- and fourth-grade boys’ race, the Striders were led by Chris Friscia in fourth place with a time of 8:25. He was followed by first-year runner Jack Louden in ninth in 8:43. Joel Denham was 29th in 9:29, while Jude Peacock was 52nd in 10:48.

In the fifth- and sixth-grade girls’ race, Lily Noonan was second overall with a time of 8:13 for the 1.2-mile course, while Lily Buck from Holy Angels won the race in 7:54. Keira Fletcher finished 44th in a time of 10:41.  

In the fifth- and sixth-grade boys’ race, Blake Fitzgerald finished second overall in a time of 7:19 coming through the opening mile in 6:06, while Ronan Haggerty of St. Edmond’s won the race in 7:12. Bennett Brumbley finished fourth overall in 7:49, while Theo Hart was 34th in 9:50. Eli Oliver was 37th in 10:10, while Landon Alauz was 40th in 10:31.

Let’s Crush Cancer

Saturday, Sept. 21, will be the fifth annual Paradise Crushin’ Cancer 5K taking off from beautiful Paradise Grill restaurant, 27344 Bay Road in Long Neck. The event will begin at noon, with registration scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Race-day registration is $30, which includes a custom T-shirt and a post-race brunch, always one of the best of the year. This event raises funds for the Tunnell Cancer Center. 

This event is unique, with two courses to choose from. I do not know of any other events in the state with this format. At the 1/10-mile mark, runners will can take a right to run the scenic water course, which has many switchbacks and hugs the waterline all through the development. Those who elect to stay straight will run the cart path out and back. It’s beautiful as well. It’s a little faster and through the woods so it has more shade. Both courses are great choices, and both courses come back together at 2.53 miles for the half-mile finish together. The choice is yours as you race through “Paradise.”

The Mooo Run 5K

The third annual Udderly Fun Mooo Run 5K will be held Sunday, Sept. 22, at Hopkins Farm Creamery in Lewes beginning at 9 a.m. The event is nicknamed the The Ultimate Farm 5K. Awards will be presented to the following: Overall Male Bull Award, Overall Female Cow Award, Masters Male & Female, and Top Mooo-ers in the following age groups: 9 & U, 10-13, 14-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+.

Early-registration pickup will be Saturday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m., with race-day pickup and late registration from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m., Sunday.

Participants are greeted with a fully functioning farm-friendly atmosphere at Hopkins Farm and post-race refreshments from Surf Bagel, Giant and Hopkins Creamery. Tech T-shirts are available for this third annual event! Dress up, have fun, and have a cow of a time at the Udderly Fun Mooo-Run at Hopkins Farm. Parking will be on the grounds of Hopkins Farm Creamery. There will also be a canned food drive, so bring a canned good to donate to the Food Bank of Delaware.

High Point University 

Austen Cave, a Delmar alumnus, is one of 11 freshmen on the High Point University cross country team this fall. Austin finished 24th in his first college meet, an 8K, in 26:34, good for fourth on his team. Austin was the fifth freshman in the race that had 84 athletes. Florida State won the meet with 28 points, while High Point was fourth with 96 points. The top time was a quick 24:58, averaging under five minutes a mile.

Austen competed last weekend in Nashville, Tenn., at the Commodore Classic hosted by Vanderbilt University at Percy Warner Park. Austen was 83rd in the field of 160 and the No. 4 finisher for his High Point team. Improving his time to 26:19, the freshman averaged 5:17 per mile, helping his team finish 11th overall in the team standings. The top time was turned in by Kigen Chemadi of Middle Tennessee State with a performance of 24:21. Next up for High Point is the Virginia Panorama Farms Invitational in Earlysville, Va., Sept. 27.

Dogfish Dashing

The annual Dogfish Dash is set for Sunday, Sept. 29. Registration is closed and the Milton streets will be at full capacity, so all those runners who blew off the Register Now notifications all spring can stop asking me to get them in. Come out anyway and support a great event with 3,250 runners and a great cause, as it benefits the Delaware Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. The event has raised more than $795,000 to date. Cool T-shirts and awards to the overall champion, overall masters champion and the top 3 in each age group. 

Line the streets to cheer on the runners, with many in very unique costumes. The best cheering spot is downtown at Irish Eyes, where you can see the field at the 1.4-mile mark and then again at the 3.9-mile mark. Don’t forget to pick up your race packet from 2 to 8 p.m., Wednesday in Rehoboth, or from 2 to 7 p.m., Friday, or 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday in Milton. There will not be packet pickup on race morning. Say it with me: “There is no race-day packet pickup. There is no race-day packet pickup.”  See you at the Dash!