DELAWARE- Delaware lifeguards aren’t just keeping swimmers safe, they’re also proving they’re some of the best in the country.
The Delaware State Beach Patrol helped bring home a U.S. Lifesaving Association national championship for the Sussex County Lifesaving Association for the second year in a row.
The competition, held this month in Huntington Beach, California, wasn’t easy. Waves reached up to 10 feet, but Sussex County still topped 56 teams and 800 competitors from across the country, including two California teams that had never lost a national meet on their home turf.
Coleman Woodard, last year’s top scorer, again took first place, Landon Sengphachanch placed third and Isiah Brittingham placed fourth for men. For women, Elizabeth Fry placed first, with Amy Venables earning fourth and Jessica Tyndall earning fifth.
“This was the biggest surf I’ve ever raced in,” said Captain Bailey Noel, who also scored big in the masters’ division. “Everyone did a great job navigating paddleboards and surf skis through the waves.”
The Delaware State Beach Patrol, which staffs state park beaches like Cape Henlopen and Fenwick Island, had 19 members competing as part of the 87-member Sussex County team.
The win comes after a busy summer on Delaware beaches, where lifeguards handled 251 rescues, 64 medical emergencies, 47 lost beachgoers and more than 400 jellyfish stings.
DNREC Parks and Recreation Director Matthew Ritter called the patrol “an amazing, professional and caring group of athletes,” adding, “They are simply the best.”