Sea Isle City repeats as Beschen-Callahan Memorial lifeguard champions in North Wildwood

That’s not the case anymore.

Fry won the women’s paddleboard race and women’s can run to lead the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol to the championship of the 55th annual Beschen-Callahan Memorial Lifeguard Races at the 22nd Avenue beach.

Sea Isle, which also took the team title last summer on a tiebreaker with Avalon, won five events and finished third in three others for 30 team points. Avalon won three races and placed second overall with 24. Wildwood Crest was third with 16.

“It’s incredible,” said Fry, 24, of Reading, Pennsylvania. “I love seeing how happy my whole team gets. It’s just amazing being a part of Sea Isle Beach Patrol.”

The event honors the memory of Jim Beschen and Mike Callahan,  North Wildwood lifeguards who were killed in the Vietnam War. North Wildwood Beach Patrol Chief Bill Ciavarelli, along with relatives of Beschen and Callahan, presented post-event awards.

The event started with the doubles row in the rain. Stone Harbor’s Tom Lake and Kurt Kirchereon won. Wildwood Crest’s Jake Klecko and James Yarussi placed second. Avalon’s Gary Nagle and Dave Giulian were third. The rain lightened up afterward, but it remained cloudy and windy, not ideal conditions for most competitors.

Fry won the paddleboard race in 6 minutes, 6 seconds. Wildwood Crest’s Maddie Priest placed second (6:13). North Wildwood’s Brianna McFerran was third (6:16). Fry said she felt great, but it was tough going out with the conditions.

“It was awesome,” Fry said. “My team has been working hard all winter and the beginning of summer. It was really cool to see. … The second I turned that buoy, it felt really, really good. I just had to trust my paddling strengths.”

Fry won the women’s can run, the second-to-last event, and Stone Harbor’s Keira Leisinger finished second. Wildwood’s Margo Fox placed third. After winning, Fry received a lot of hugs from her patrolmates.

“To do it green (bathing suit) for Sea Isle, I am very happy,” Fry said of her two victories..

Sea Isle’s Dustin Laricks won the men’s paddleboard race in 5:10. Wildwood Crest’s Wyatt McDevitt was second (5:15). Avalon’s Brandon Hontz was third (5:20). Laricks is a recent graduate of Ocean City High School.  

“It feels great,” the 18-year-old said. “(The water) was a little cold and some big surf on the way out, but the current and the wind definitely helped. It was a little choppy, but not too bad.”

Sea Isle’s Andrew Taylor won the men’s swim in 7:34. Avalon’s Alex Zoldan placed second (7:37). Wildwood’s Brendan Lewis was third (7:42). Taylor’s first race of the summer would have been the Cape May County Championships, but that event was postponed twice due to the weather and is now set for Monday.

“I am pretty excited,” the 22-year-old from Medford, Burlington County said. “It has been weird with the scheduling, but I was excited to get back in the water. Glad to start the season with a win. Good for myself. Good for our team. I am excited for where Sea Isle is going to go this year.”

Avalon’s Becca Cubbler won the women’s swim in 8:17. Sea Isle’s Mary Kate Leonard placed second (8:26). North Wildwood’s Callie Walker was third (9:19). Cubbler won the swim in 2022 but did not compete here last summer.

“I was really excited,” said Cubbler, adding “the ocean was cold and choppy. It was a really rough race, for sure. But it was good overall. I went into it hoping I could do a repeat of two years ago. I was glad I was able to pull it off.”

Avalon’s Molly McDonnell, Sarah Powell, Maddy Hippensteal and Mackenna Finnegan won the women’s surf dash. Upper Township’s Grace Steele, Grace Malcarney, Emily Culmone and Lindsay Robbins were second. North Wildwood’s Abby Melle, Dottie O’Brien, Brianna McFerran and Scarlett Henry were third.

“It was awesome,” Hippensteal said. “Honestly, we just came into this race wanting to have fun with the weather. It was a great ending to end up on top. It was long, but we like the longer runs.”

Avalon’s Ryan Finnegan won the singles row. Sea Isle’s Danny Rogers, who won the event last summer, placed second. Wildwood Crest’s Klecko was third.

“It’s always a fight with Sea Isle and some of those guys,” Finnegan said. “It felt good to win. There were a little bit of waves. A little bit of current pulling south to north, but nothing too crazy.”

One of the more thrilling races was the men’s surf dash. North Wildwood’s Logan Westerfer, Seamus McCain, Chase McCray and Hunter Bostwick won. McCray was the third leg and, when McCain tagged him, the patrol was in second place.

McCray just gave it his all and gave North Wildwood a big lead, and Bostwick finished it.  

“I saw that we were behind and I knew I had to catch up for us to win,” said McCray, who last summer was on the surf dash relay that placed second in their home race. “That’s all I wanted to do — win. Just wanted to try our best.”

Upper Township’s Ryan Manning won the men’s can run. Sea Isle’s Corbin King placed second. McCray was third. Manning said he was in third or fourth place at the buoy.

“It’s super exciting,” he said. “I turned (at the buoy) and took a deep inhale and prayed for the best. I rode that wave all the way in. I pooped up and looked around, and I was in first place.”