Thrill amid Winter Chill 5K

Sika Henry wins 35-39 age group at Menchville

Sika Henry started her 2018 road racing season in top-notch form, dominating the women’s field at the eighth annual Menchville Winter Chill 5K.

Henry, competing in the 35-39-year-old category, not only won her division in age-group record-setting fashion, but she also won the overall women’s race by almost a minute and a half Saturday, with a jaw-dropping time of 18 minutes, 54 seconds.

The Newport News runner also extended her Winter Chill winning streak to six years. She has won the women’s division of the Menchville race in every year since 2014.

Emily Honeycutt, also of Newport News, was second among the women in 20:10, while Megan Schulze of Glen Allen placed third in 20:36.

Collins Ombikhwa, 20, of Hampton won the men’s and overall race in 17:04, followed by Christopher Ware (17:34) and Ryan Doupe (17:58), both of Newport News.

Ten age-group records were set. Along with Henry, Ombikhwa (20-24 men) and Honeycutt (25-29 women), the following runners set new records at Menchville:

In the male 9-and-under division, Braxton Lee, 9, of Gloucester, broke his own record of 31:17 from 2017 with a time of 28:34. Joshua Guthinger, 10, of Yorktown set a male 10-14 record of 22:14.

Craig Hymes, 56, of Yorktown set a record among 55-59 men with his 18:30 performance, toppling the existing mark by more than a minute. In the men’s 60-64 division, Jim Thornton, 64, of Toano, broke the record with a time of 20:13.

A pair of octogenarians got in on the record-breaking fun. For men 80-84, Charles Terrell, 80, of Newport News, set an age-group record of 35:16, while P.J. Mendola of Newport News established a record in the 85-89 men’s division with a time of 48:38.

Patricia Travis, 67, of Williamsburg improved her own record time of 29:07 from two years ago while winning the 65-69 women’s division in 28:52.

The Menchville Winter Chill 5K also serves as the first of 12 races in the 2019 Peninsula Track Club Grand Prix series.

Swimming

Fourteen of the youngest members from the South Eastern Virginia Aquatics Seahawks team took to the pool last Sunday, competing in the Penguin Plunge at the Fort Eustis Aquatic Center.

The Plunge, an 8-andunder meet, was unscored. But it contained an unusual twist, as swimmers who earned a top-three placing received a Charms Blow Pop as an award. To cap the event, an ice-cream social was held after the swimming events.

Eight of the SEVA swimmers earned edible awards for their performances.

Mya Lobach (8-andunder, 25-meter breaststroke) and Madelyn Nance (7-8, 25 freestyle) won among the Seahawks’ 8year-old girls, while Grace Elias, 6, placed first in the 25 freestyle for 6-and-under girls. Lobach also placed third in the 7-8 25 freestyle.

Trevor LaFlamme, 6, won the 6-and-under 25 backstroke, and placed second in the 25 freestyle.

Grace Vandermeyden, 8, was second in the 7-8-yearold 25 freestyle and backstroke, as well as third in the 8-and-under breaststroke. Addison Hobbs placed second in the 8-and-under 50 freestyle, and Lillian Kawecki took third place in the 7-8 25 backstroke.

Hayden Dean, 7, earned third in the 7-8 25 backstroke.