Successful Harvest Hustle supports Village Volunteers

Dylan Branch, 23, of Dagsboro easily ran away with the overall male title at the inaugural Harvest Hustle 5K and 1K Walk held Sept. 21 at Cape Henlopen State Park. His time of 16:25 was well ahead of runner-up Erik Gibbs, 32, of Felton in 19:51. Steven Eshelman, 31, of Lewes was third in 20:01. Paul Montini of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., 56, won the male masters title in a time of 20:08, while Dustin Venables, 30, of Lewes rounded out the top five in 21:05. Henry Neufeld, 12, of Lewes, was the first finisher under age 20, placing 10th in a time of 23:35.  

Kelly Kravchenko, 30, of Frankford won the female title and placed 12th overall in a time of 24:39. Lewes athlete Anna Stancofski, 22, finished second and 17th overall in a time of 25:36, while Jamie Rosevear of Seaford finished third and won the female masters in a time of 26:18.

The race attracted just under 100 participants, with several taking part in the 1K walk as well.  

“We are deeply grateful for the way our community comes together to support Village Volunteers and the seniors we serve,” said Executive Director Anna Moshier. “This event was not only a success in raising much-needed funds, but also highlighted the strong network of support we have from our neighbors.” 

Middle school XC wrap

The first-year Fred Thomas Middle cross country team started its season with a win against Mariner in a 28-29 squeaker Sept. 23 on the campus of Cape Henlopen High School. The team was led by eighth-grader Jude Peacock with a winning time of 10:53, just a few ticks off the course record. Devin Silva finished fourth in 11:35, while Jack Hudson was sixth and Brady Sherman was seventh overall. Fred Thomas topped Beacon 21-36 and Selbyville 15-49 to go 3-0 on the day on the boys’ side.

Mariner’s Dylan Harp ran 11:25 to finish second, while teammate Caleb Olmsted turned in a time of 11:29 for third.

Brandt Kuklish led Beacon with a fourth-place finish, while Silva rounded out the top five for Fred Thomas in 11:35.  

Mariner topped Beacon 18-45 and swept Selbyville 15-50 to go 2-1, while Beacon topped Selbyville 17-41 to go 1-2 on the day.

On the girls’ side, Mariner went 3-0 on the day, topping Fred Thomas 23-32, Beacon 21-38 and Selbyville 23-32. Mariner was led by standout Bree Terhune, who ran 12:08 for the 3K. Emily Hilton of Beacon was second in 12:28, while Selbyville’s Athena Fleming-Lloyd was third in 13:13. Mariner’s Fiona Fisher was fourth in 13:17, and rounding out the top five was Stella Hastings of Mariner in 13:30.

Fred Thomas topped Beacon 24-34 and Selbyville 25-30 to finish 2-1 on the day, while Beacon fell to 0-3.

High school XC wrap

Cape easily topped Dover Sept. 25 at Sandhill Fields, with the girls taking the top 16 positions to win the meet 15-50. Hailey Hassell was first across the line in a time of 20:46, while Natalie Schneider was second in 21:55. Lindsay Hassell finished third in 22:25, with Allison Ortiz-Rivera fourth in 22:26.  Shiloh O’Grady rounded out the top five in a time of 22:31.  

On the boys’ side, the Vikings took the top four positions to win the meet 17-44. Jason Baker won the individual title in a time of 16:29, while Andrew Radka was second in 17:49.  Brayden Redd was third in 17:51, and Nicholas Petito was fourth in 17:53. Dover runner Rashon Banks rounded out the top five in a time of 18:02.

Next up for the Vikings is a trip north to the Carlisle Invite Saturday, Sept. 28, in central Pennsylvania.

The Sussex Central boys topped Sussex Tech 23-32 in Smyrna, but no individual results were posted. The Central girls beat Sussex Tech 15-48.

Baker mixup

Jason Baker, a standout cross country runner from Cape Henlopen, became brother Ryan last week in my column, which was an honest mistake on my part just past the midnight hour on consecutive column No. 1,768. Before I could post an apology, I was contacted first thing Friday morning by dad Mark highlighting the mistake. It’s not too bad, I guess, to be mistaken for an older brother who can run five consecutive miles averaging under five minutes each. Jason is enjoying his finest season to date for the Vikings, as he recently ran 12:10 for 2.5 miles and 15:48 for the 5K. Good luck to Jason this season, and I will try my best to not blend the two elite running Baker boys together anymore.