Triple Crown Racing Series set this weekend

The Seashore Striders will host the annual Triple Crown Racing Series this weekend, consisting of three races over three days in three towns. The challenge includes completing three 5K races totaling 9.3 miles in a 36-hour period.

Runners of all ages, shapes and sizes have completed the series in the past, including 11-year-old Bennett Brumbley of Laurel and 83-year-old Dr. Lee Masser of Crofton, Md. – a 72-year age span!

When I think of challenges like this weekend, I think of the quote I used for my Beacon track & field team this past spring: “Your body achieves what your mind believes.” By Sunday morning at the Fathers Day 5K, it will be evident for several Triple Crowners that their pace will slow down, their body will be tired, and they will just try to get to the finish line. Life is about challenges, and the Striders hope to see you on the starting line. For more information, go to www.seashorestriders.com.

New Balance Nationals

Two members of the Cape Henlopen boys’ track & field team will compete this weekend in the New Balance Outdoor Nationals at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. The meet, in its 29th year, will be held at Aggie Stadium and will host more than 5,000 athletes from almost every state in the U.S.

Freshman distance runner Ethan Edery will compete Friday evening in the freshmen mile championships, where he is in the first of three qualifying heats. He ran 4:31 at the Delaware Meet of Champions. Edery was fourth in the conference meet, sixth in the state championships, and fourth in the Meet of Champions.

Freshman jumper John Small will compete Thursday morning in the freshmen long jump in the first flight of two against 30 athletes. Small has a personal best of 20-feet-2-inches, which he set at the conference meet, where he just missed the final and finished 10th overall. Small did not compete in the state championships, but did qualify for nationals.

Sussex Central’s state champion 4-by-100 relay team of senior Andre Teagle, junior Domonique Smith, junior Dominic Saragino and senior anchor Mahki Herring will compete Saturday morning in the Emerging Elite Division. The Knights will be in lane four in the first section. The top eight teams will advance to the afternoon final.

Shockro wins Coach of the Year

Sussex Central coach Derek Shockro was awarded the highest coaching honor in the state this past week, as he won the state Coach of the Year honor. Shockro led his team to a second-place finish in the Division I State Track & Field Championships, losing to powerhouse Salesianum by less than 10 points. Sussex Central was the surprise in the state with a team loaded with sprinters and hurdlers. Shockro, a national and world championship soft sand beach sprinter back in the day, also coaches the Seashore Striders Youth Cross Country team, where he and the coaching staff have qualified runners for the National Championships the last 29 years.

Maull wins New Castle Coach of the Year

Cape Henlopen graduate Kai Maull was also highlighted at the all-state track & field banquet as the winner of the New Castle County Boys’ Track Coach of the Year honor. Maull, a multi-award-winning state champion in jumping events, competed for Clemson University, where he was an All-American in the long jump his freshman year. He is also a Track & Field Hall of Fame member, had a successful tenure at St. George’s Tech getting that program off the ground, and currently is leading his William Penn team to greater heights.

Mariner track team celebrates season

The Mariner boys’ and girls’ track & field teams celebrated successful 2019 seasons with a banquet at Mariner Middle School June 6. Award winners are:

MVPs: Ali Stevenson and Trey Leggins

Rising Stars: Sara Dawson, Anna Kucharik and Angel Speaks for girls, and Benjamin Clifton, Connor Kugelmann and Cole Tori for boys

All Effort: Mackinzie Brown, Molly Greeley, Christian Fuscellaro and Jia Qi Xie

Unsung Heroes: Shaniya Miller, Makayla Pierce, Tiaisa Savage, Ryan Baker, Billy Cerf and Bryan Ramirez-Montano

Top Distance Runner: Jakob Hayes

Top Sprinter: Kennedy Johnson

Top Jumper: Evelyn Turman and Matthew Hughes

Top Thrower: Cailyn Bledsoe and Darrell Trotter.