The Seashore Striders hosted the annual Strider Youth Cross Country Invite Oct. 19, at the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment on four courses of 1K, 2K, 3K and 4K with medals to the top 10 in each race. Qualifying times are nationally set with a ticket to the Nationals for performances under the standard. The Striders are prepping for the Regional Championships set for Sunday, Nov. 3, in Newtown, Pa.
Brady Sherman, 8, led the Striders with an individual win in the 2K boys’ race in a time of 8:20, while 9-year-old Allison Ortiz won her very first individual cross country race in a time of 13:27 on the 3K course. Chris Friscia, 9, ran 12:18 to win the 3K boys race in 12:18. All three Striders champions also qualified by time for the National Championships in November. Also qualifying for the November Nationals was sixth-grader Lily Noonan, with a time of 12:28 in the 11-12 3K race. Other runners qualifying are: Ainsley Fitzgerald, 2K girls, 10:07; Addie Dean, 2K girls, 10:38; Kai Murdock, 2K boys, 8:55; Finley Sherman, 2K boys, 9:17; Nolan Furlong, 2K boys, 9:33; Isaac Willey, 2K boys, 9:36; Cody Kuhlman, 2K boys, 10:05; Jude Peacock, 2K boys, 10:09; Shiloh O’Grady, 3K girls, 13:30; Emmi Swope, 3K girls, 13:38; Triston Willey, 3K boys, 13:01; Theo Hart, 3K boys, 13:27; Blake Fitzgerald, 3K boys, 11:27; Riley Stassen, 3K boys, 12:09; Bennett Brumley, 3K boys, 12:31; Alexander Arnold, 4K boys, 15:34.
Middle school XC wrap
The Beacon boys and girls easily got past Seaford Oct. 21, with the boys winning 20-34 and the girls winning 15-50 on the 3K course at the UD College of Earth, Ocean and Environment in Lewes. Lindsay Fernandez took the overall title in 13:09, while Darcy Crotty was second in 14:10. Anna Bender ran 14:11 for third, while Ellie Loran was fourth in 14:35. Maya Yonge rounded out the top five scorers in 14:40, while Kara Herbert was sixth, also in 14:40. Janie Barkley was seventh in 14:51, while Sophia Massaro was eighth in 14:54. Ninth place went to Cayden Willis, while Cami Nouhra rounded out the top 10 in the girls’ race in 14:55. All the top 10 girls were from Beacon.
On the boys’ side, Seaford’s Carl Stump won in 11:16, while Beacon’s Eddie Houck was second in 11:24. Kaden Cherico was third in 11:57; Mason Morrone was fourth in 11:59, and Riley Stassen rounded out the scorers in fifth place in 12:06. Stephen Hard finished sixth in 12:19; seventh went to Jacob Goodsell in 12:31; Max Gillen finished eighth in 12:56, and Brady Cunnane was ninth in 13:04. Rounding out the top 10 finishers was Curt Loukides in 13:08. Nine of the top 10 finishers were from Beacon.
Mariner’s cross country teams enjoyed some breakthrough performances to defeat Providence Creek Academy and Saint Anne’s at PCA’s two-mile course in Clayton Oct. 22. The boys downed Providence Creek 15-47 and outpaced Saint Anne’s 20-43, while the girls scored a 17-44 win over PCA and a 21-36 victory over Saint Anne’s. The highlight of the day came in the girls’ race, where Mariner’s Ali Stevenson outleaned teammate Brooke Terhune at the finish to win in 14:14. Terhune, a sixth-grader, was credited with the same time. Olivia Burkentine crossed fifth overall in 15:29, while sixth-grader Liv Longo improved by more than two minutes to take seventh in 15:42. Also scoring for Mariner were Sara Dawson (eighth, 15:42), Lillian Fisher (12th, 16:57), and Adele Schumaier-Harris (13th, 17:07).
The Mariner boys dominated from the gun, as they took six of the first seven spots overall and 10 of the top 15. Jia Han Xie continued an impressive season by placing second in 13:41; Jackson Isaacs finished third in 14:01, and Jay’Lier Long took nearly 40 seconds from his season best to place fourth in 14:14. Other Mariner scorers were Merric Mumford (fifth, 14:23), Jeremiah Hayes (sixth, 14:57), Connor Pencek (seventh, 15:09), and Brayden Redd (11th, 15:18). The Vikings girls improved to 7-0 on the season, while the boys moved to 5-2. Mariner will travel to Fifer Monday, Oct. 28, before testing their fitness at the DAAD Invitational two days later.
Patapsco Valley 50K
This weekend, five local members of CrossFit Unlocked in Georgetown will be running the 6th annual Patapsco Valley 50K Ultra marathon in Patapsco Valley State Park, Baltimore, Md. The athletes will complete a 31.6-mile trail run throughout the Avalon area. Jason Langley, Meghan Catts, Kathy Kay, Terra Eby, and Magda Barbosa will have 10 hours to complete their race through challenging hills, creek crossings, and muddy terrain. This will be each of the runners’ first Ultra marathon! For the past four months, they have put in hundreds of miles of training to prepare for their race, even completing a full marathon two weeks ago in Valley Forge, Pa. To date, only 957 runners have successfully completed this race. Wish them luck!
Sea Witch celebrates 30 years
Sunday morning, Oct. 27, will see the 30th Sea Witch Fall 5K Classic beginning at Grove Park at 9 a.m. There will be runners and walkers of all shapes, sizes, and ability levels, with many dressed in Halloween attire. This year we will dedicate the race to longtime Sea Witch runner Bob Porter, who recently passed away. He is remembered for winning several Sea Witch costume awards by dressing as a tree. Speaking of awards, custom awards by “Half” Stockley will be presented to 16 age groups from 9U to 80+ along with overall, masters, clydesdale and filly, and costume awards. Registration is open through Saturday at noon and will reopen on race day at 7:30 a.m. The Striders Youth Cross Country team will also have their annual bake sale during the race where participants can donate to the program supporting the young runners. Parking will be on Rehoboth Avenue.
There will be an early packet pickup from 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Rehoboth Chamber Visitor Center at Grove Park, when runners can pick up their bib and T-shirt, and just show up to the start on Sunday morning.
