Herring Point Five and Dime set this weekend

The sixth annual Herring Point 5K & 10K Classic will be held at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes this Sunday morning beginning at 9 a.m. Both races will go off at the same time with runners heading north past the Biden Center for the opening half-mile before turning around and heading onto the Gordons Pond Trail toward Rehoboth Beach. The finely crushed gravel pathway winds through coastal maritime forest, grassy marshes and sandy dunes. There are also two historic World War II observation towers on the beach to explore. The trail’s northern end includes a half-mile elevated boardwalk over wetlands with observation areas to enjoy the surroundings. The trail ends at an intersection with the Walking Dunes Trail, which allows travelers to continue two more miles through the park’s beautiful natural landscape, especially scenic in the spring when dotted with wildflowers. 

Pre-registration – $25 for 5K and $35 for 10K – runs through Oct. 11. Race-day registration is $30 for the 5K and $40 for the 10K. Short-sleeved Tech T-shirts are available to all pre-registered participants. Awards will be awarded to the overall and masters finishers in both events as well as the top three age group finishers. For more race information, go to www.seashorestrider.com.

Middle School XC

The Mariner cross country teams squared off with Sussex Academy and Laurel Oct. 7 at the University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean and Environment. The Viking girls took down previously unbeaten Sussex Academy 23-33 and put a perfect 15-50 number on Laurel, which is in its first year as a program. The boys dropped a gut-wrenching 27-28 decision to Sussex Academy but outpaced Laurel 26-33. 

Katya Geyer took individual honors for Sussex Academy, running 12:58 for 1.86 miles. Mariner runners swept the next four spots across the line, as newcomer Brooke Terhune clocked a quick 13:00 for second, Ali Stevenson went 13:14 for third, Olivia Burkentine crossed fourth in 14:17, and Sara Dawson ran a breakthrough race to grab fifth in 14:19. Also scoring points for Mariner were Mollie Skipper (ninth, 15:28), Lillian Fisher (10th, 15:37), and Mac Cryne (12th, 15:49).

Sussex Academy’s Hunter Megonigal kicked hard to win the boys’ race in 12:07, just a few seconds ahead of Laurel’s Kenyen Littleton. Mariner was led by Jia Han Xie, who placed third in a personal best of 12:25. Also scoring for Mariner were Merric Mumford (sixth, 12:47), Jackson Isaacs (seventh, 12:54), Jeremiah Hayes (11th, 13:53), Connor Pencek (12th, 14:04), Garrett Vansant (16th, 14:50) and Brayden Redd (17th, 14:53).

Mariner returns to action Monday, Oct. 14, when the Vikings host Seaford.

The Beacon boys raised their record to 3-0 with a 17-46 win over Woodbridge, while the Beacon girls moved to 2-1. Beacon travels to Sussex Academy Monday, Oct. 14, while Mariner hosts Seaford at home in Lewes.

Brandywine Hills

The Seashore Striders youth cross country team will travel north to take on the hills of Brandywine Creek State Park Sunday, Oct. 13, beginning at 1 p.m. The third- through fifth-graders will take on the 1.05-mile course, while the seventh- and eighth-graders will tackle the longer and tougher 2.25-mile course.   Brandywine Creek is the home to the Salesianum Invitational and the Delaware State Championship meet. Medals will be handed out at the finish line for the top 15 in each race, while trophies are presented for the top finisher in each race. The races are divided into three divisions. “The middle school 2.25-mile course is one of the toughest in the east, as it basically keeps all the hills and eliminates the flats of the 5,000-meter course,” said coach Derek Shockro.