By BUDDY HURLOCK
Staff reporter
10/07/2001

CENTREVILLE -- Judging by the way Delaware's boys cross country teams performed at Saturday's 28th annual Salesianum Invitational, this is going to be an interesting year.

No local schools won a team title on the 3.1-mile course at Brandywine Creek State Park, though Delaware's teams are already jockeying for position for next month's state meet.

Upper Moreland (Pa.) won the B race for mid-size schools. It had four runners in the top 17, including winner Mark Mullolly (17 minutes, 1 second).

Middletown was a Delaware-best fifth (149 team points), edging St. Mark's (156) and Cape Henlopen (162).

From eighth to 11th it was A.I. du Pont, Dover, Brandywine and Caesar Rodney.

The Cavs were topped by senior Matt Ayers, eighth at 18:01.

"Things are going well and we're getting guys back," Ayers said. "Everybody's been running at expectations. Early this season I had some of my best times, then I [reached a] plateau. This meet got me back up to my faster times again."

St. Mark's Chad Darlington was fourth (17:43) and Cape's Matt Jackson seventh (17:57).

Holy Ghost Prep (Pa.) won the small-schools C race, but Archmere was second to win its local battle with Wilmington Christian. Ben Stern of Georgetown Day (Md.) was first at 17:03.

The Auks' top five finished 5-11-13-16-39, with the Warriors 6-12-18-34-41.

Archmere's Peter McBride was fifth (18:03) with Wilmington Christian's Luke Holbrook sixth (18:11). Milford's Chad Carpenter was eighth (18:15).

La Salle (Pa.) won the A race. Salesianum, the only Delaware team in the field, was fourth.

Mark Alizzi of Syosset (N.Y.) won (16:39). Sallies' P.J. Meany was sixth (17:31).