WILMINGTON – On the track, Middletown’s sprinters appeared to perform with relative ease.
The relays were won by wide margins. Handoffs were clean. Form remained intact through the finish. When they are at their best, the Cavaliers barely touch the ground, coach Yvenel Sainsume said.
But the aftermath of Middletown’s boys 4×200 relay at the New Castle County championships at Abessinio Stadium May 9 revealed the toll of another state-record run.
Leadoff man Zamir Miller bent over with his mouth ajar, hands on his knees. Freshman phenom Riley Robinson laid on his stomach, spread like a starfish on the infield turf. There were gasps for air between high fives and hugs.
The Cavaliers team of Miller, Amir Jones-Branch, Robinson and Brandon Jervey ran 1:25.62 to break the 4×200 state record of 1:25.98 set by Salesianum at the 2023 county meet.
About an hour later, the same team ran 41.60 to win the 4×100. It was a meet record and No. 3 on the state all-time performance list.
Middletown for a second straight year won the boys team championship, accumulating 127 points to best second-place Salesianum (94 points) and third-place Appoquinimink (56 points). Next week, the Cavaliers will defend their Division I title, entering as the favorites in several sprint events.
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Dealing with cumulative fatigue and a few nagging injuries, Middletown has picked its spots throughout the spring.
At the county meet, the team prioritized a chase of the sprint relay state records over maximizing team point output across the lineup. They were chasing their own standards – last year, Middletown set the 4×100 state record (41.34) and was Delaware’s fastest in the 4×200 (1:25.84).
So far this spring, the holdovers from last year’s squad – seniors Miller and Jones-Branch – have shown they are even better than they were a year ago. But it was Robinson’s third leg in the 4×200 that created much of the separation between Middletown and runner-up Appoquinimink (1:28.07).
“Riley is a dog,” Jones-Branch said. “You would think as a freshman you would be scared to come in and hang out with the big dogs, but he never gets scared. He never backs down from a challenge. He always steps up. He’s always talking. He steps up and competes.”
Robinson has the fifth-fastest 100 time and the 12th best 200 in the state this season. He credited the team’s embrace of him for his performance.
“I want to be like Zamir and Amir,” Robinson said. “They’re very helpful. They help all of the young guys. If you feel left out, they’ll joke with you. Me personally, I think that’s what really helped me out.”
Jervey, the anchor, is Middletown’s queen chess piece. The junior won the individual 100 in 11.04, joining 400 champion Jayden Feaster, 300 hurdles winner Ethan Earle and pole vault leader Jessie Standard as Middletown’s individual-event winners.
Jervey is also among the state’s best hurdlers and ran on Middletown’s winning 4×400 with Logan Elmore, Sharvell Corbin and Feaster.
“It didn’t even feel like I was going as fast as I did,” Jervey said. “We felt like we were going a little slow. So, when that [4×200] time came out we were a little shocked. But it felt good.”
Meet records fall in distance events
When Tatnall’s Dylan McCarthy led the 1,600 through 400 meters in 63 seconds, it became obvious this group of Delaware’s top milers were intent on pushing the pace.
After that first lap, Saint Mark’s Alec Jurgaitis took the lead and stayed on the gas pedal through the middle laps with McCarthy, Tatnall senior Gavin Leffler and Salesianum junior James Dempsey attached.
At the bell, Jurgaitis surged and only Dempsey could hold on. At the start of the final turn, Dempsey let loose a big kick that Jurgaitis couldn’t match.
Dempsey won in 4:11.24, taking down the meet record set by Charter of Wilmington’s Kieran Tuntivate in 2015 by a half-second. Jurgaitis finished second in 4:13.93 and McCarthy placed third in 4:15.51.
“For Alec to take it, that was really gutsy,” Dempsey said. “I just wanted to go with him. I was like, ‘I have a lot left in me so I’m going to push here.’”
Dempsey ran the final 400 in 57.59. It was his first win at a major championship meet. He now ranks third on the state all-time performance list.
“In indoor, I didn’t want it bad enough,” Dempsey said. “I kind of realized that if I want to run in college and run at the next level, I have to push myself even harder this year.”
Dempsey has prodigious talent.
As an eighth grader at Dickinson in his second year in the sport, he ran a 4:42 mile on the Abessinio track. He lowered his time to 4:29.51 as a freshman and 4:16.75 as a sophomore.
“We have been trying to get him to be patient,” Salesianum distance coach Scott Davis said. “He’s been coming along, dropping a ton of time. We knew it was there. It was just a matter of being patient and sitting.”
In the boys 800, Charter of Wilmington’s Brandon Williams and Jurgaitis separated early from the field. Running from the lead, Williams summoned a faster second lap than his first to hold off Jurgaitis.
Williams ran 1:52.59 to break the meet record of 1:52.89 set by Mount Pleasant’s Johnelle Joe in 2017. Jurgaitis finished second in 1:53.46.
“I could feel Alec on me with about 200 to go, so I just full sprinted from that point to the line, basically,” Williams said. “I was scared like the whole time.”
Charter of Wilmington coach Rick Schuder said Williams has a laid-back personality, but is an aggressive runner, often taking charge from the front as he did at the county meet and when he set the indoor 800 state record in February’s indoor state meet.
“I think he’s ok with pressure,” Schuder said. “He’s always run his best at the big meets. I think he’s ok with it. He just rises to the occasion.”
Williams will hunt for the Charter of Wilmington school record of 1:51.91 set by Chris Brown in 2019 at the upcoming state championship and Meet of Champions. Williams now ranks tenth on the state all-time performance list.
Alec Jurgaitis leads Saint Mark’s to 4×800 victory
In most years, the New Castle County meet is split between consecutive days. This year, the first day of competition, including the preliminary straightaway races and multiple novice sections, unfolded on Thursday, May 7 before the bulk of the action on Saturday, May 9.
On the first day of the meet, Jurgaitis took the baton for the final leg of the 4×800 just a few strides behind race leader Middletown. Watching from the infield, his Saint Mark’s teammates felt good about their chances.
Jurgaitis, a senior, owns the fastest personal best of anyone in the race and unlike at the indoor state championship won by Middletown when he risked a fast first 400 meters to close a large gap, Jurgaitis was positioned to run under control and unleash a fast kick.
“I saw him sitting on them with a lap to go and I was like, ‘I know Alec. I know he’s ready to go now,’” said second leg Connor Wrinn. “And he did. He ran some ridiculous time.”
Saint Mark’s wins boys 4×800 at New Castle County meet
The Spartans ran 7:52.30, which is No. 12 on the state all-time performance list.
Jurgaitis’ 1:52.26 split gave Saint Mark’s the victory in 7:52.30. That time ranks 12th on the state all-time performance list. Middletown finished second, breaking its school record with a time of 7:55.82.
Evan Paskevicius (2:00.35) and Wrinn (1:58.43) ran well but Saint Mark’s still trailed midway through the race. Sophomore Ryan Brooks ran the critical third leg that set up Jurgaitis well.
Brooks lingered behind Middletown through the first 600 meters then made up two seconds with an all-out sprint in the final 200. His split of 2:01.26 was a personal best.
“He had such a great workout Monday,” Jurgaitis said. “He was beating me in the last few reps… He’s just pushing that last 200 as hard as he can. I knew he had it in him and he was going to race to put me in the best position.”
“[My coach] told me just give Alec a chance,” Brooks said.
Notes from around the track
- With a 61.31-second last lap, Tatnall’s Michael Simmons won the 3,200 in 9:39.33 over Delaware Military Academy’s Ryan Organek (9:44.67). Simmons is the first freshman to win the boys 3,200 at the New Castle County meet. “I’m just glad to be part of a moment,” Simmons said.
- Appoquinimink’s Wayne Roberts won the 200 with a personal best of 21.93. He also finished second in the 400 in 48.47.
- Wilmington Friends’ Chukwuma Chukwuocha won the triple jump with a jump of 44-6.5. “It’s definitely more mental for me,” the Friends junior said. “I know I can do it. I’ve done it before. It’s all about trusting the process and understanding that it’s not all going to happen at once.”
- Odessa’s Rodney Coker won the 110 hurdles by two thousandths of a second over Salesianum’s Austin Thomas (14.653 to 14.655).
- Howard’s Zi’Yon Henderson-Conkey and Korey Manley took first and second in the high jump, both clearing 6-2. Manley also finished second in the triple jump. The county meet was only his second ever track and field competition.
- Tatnall’s Max Martire won the county discus title for a third straight year with a throw of 176-4.
- Howard’s Suhayl Benson won the long jump by one inch over Delaware Military Academy’s Chris Keller. Benson could not complete his final three jumps after suffering an injury while racing the 400.
- Salesianum’s Roan Samuels won the county shot put title for a second straight year with a throw of 57-3.
Brandon Holveck reports on high school sports for The News Journal. Contact him at bholveck@delawareonline.com.
