Cape travels to Smyrna to close out emotional week

The much-anticipated Cape Henlopen versus Smyrna track & field meet, expected to be one of the best of the season on both the boys’ and girls’ sides of the action, was moved from April 13 to Friday, April 16, due to the tragic death of track runner Maggie Brown. Maggie was laid to rest Wednesday in Rehoboth Beach, and the Vikings went back to work at practice later that day, as Maggie would have wanted us to do.   

The Vikings will face some of the best athletes all season at Smyrna, as the Eagles have been a force in the sport of track & field over the past eight to 10 years under the leadership of Maura Schafer.

“We have a lot of respect for coach Schafer, and she always produces top athletes and they are always prepared and ready to compete,” said coach Gilbert Maull. “Our girls know what is on the line, and we just want to compete hard and put a great effort in.”

The Eagles have beat the Vikings on the girls’ side for the past seven years. The Vikings will move girls around and try to get the most out of each athlete with a goal of reaching the magic 74 points over the 18 events. 

The boys of Cape Henlopen will face a tough Smyrna team as well, led by one of the fastest sprinters in the state in Demitri Carter and a top distance runner in Liam Meginniss, who has turned in a time of 4:34.1 in the 1,600 meters and a 1:57.56 automatic time in the 800 meters. Carter has run 11.07 automatic in the 100 meters, 49.26 in the 400 meters and 22.05 in the 200 meters to lead the Henlopen Conference in all three sprint events. Cape will spread out its sprinters, jumpers and distance runners, and hope they can stay close to the Eagles on the track and in the field. 

A boys’ highlight race could shape up between Cape’s Ryan Baker and Liam Meginniss in the 1,600 meters, which has the potential to dip under the 4:30 barrier. The relays should be exciting to watch as well, since the Vikings are coming off a season best of 45 seconds in the 400-meter relay at the Caravel Invitational.

Track & Field Clinic II                                                                                                                                       

The Cape Henlopen Track & Field girls’ team will host their second clinic this Sunday at Cape Henlopen’s Legends Stadium in Lewes. The Future of Track & Field is Upon Us is the motto. The girls will aim to show upcoming athletes what the great sport of track & field can do for them. The next clinics will be Sunday, April 18, and Sunday, May 2, with athletes up to grade five attending from 9 to 11 a.m., and athletes in sixth grade and up from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. As of Wednesday, the clinic had 76 athletes registered. All athletes will receive a custom-printed string backpack bag for participating in the camp. Registration info is online at seashorestriders.com or by contacting coach Tim Bamforth at timothy.bamforth@cape.k12.de.us.

DQ Dash set for April 25

The annual DQ Dash 5K & 1-Mile Walk will be held Sunday, April 25, beginning and ending at the Lewes Beach Dairy Queen. This event will support the Go Fourth! Lewes Fireworks fundraiser. The race will begin at 9 a.m. in waves of 30 based on a runner’s pace per mile. To register for the event, go to seashorestriders.com.

During summer 2017, a public-private collaboration of business owners, Lewes citizens and City of Lewes representatives decided to form an organization to bring official fireworks back to Lewes. They believe that safe and legal fireworks along the beach provide the perfect ending to Lewes' Old Fashioned Fourth of July festivities, which include games on Second Street, a boat parade on the canal and the Lewes Doo-Dah Parade. 

Seashore Half Marathon set for May 8

The 12th annual Seashore Half Marathon is coming back with a 13.1-mile course leading into Cape Henlopen State Park, turning around at Gordons Pond and racing back to Irish Eyes in Lewes. The event will also offer a two-person relay and a 5K run, and will begin at 8 a.m. Information will be updated next week regarding a drive-by packet pickup, which will likely be at the Lewes library off Freeman Highway. More race information can be found at www.seashorestriders.com.