Bowers 5K
More than 200 compete in seventh annual Matthew Bowers 5K
8:25 a.m., April 14, 2014--University of Delaware Detachment 128th Cadet Wing Air Force ROTC hosted the seventh annual Matthew Bowers 5-kilometer run and walk on Saturday, April 12, in remembrance of a fallen cadet who graduated from UD.
More than 200 participants signed up to support the cause of the event, which is dedicated to the memory of 2nd Lt. Matthew Bowers, a 1987 civil engineering graduate and a UD ROTC cadet. Nearly five weeks after being commissioned, Bowers collapsed after a lightning strike.
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UD detachment cadets Dennis Wilcutts III and Alissa Elliott were in charge of organizing and recruiting for the event, and an Air Force ROTC representative said their “dedication and motivation … made it a huge success and the biggest Matthew Bowers 5K race” to date.
The course ran along White Clay Creek and cadets from the detachment helped direct the runners in the right direction. At the conclusion of the race, awards were handed out to the first and second place finishers for each age group and gender.
The Bowers family handed out the awards to the runners and a member of the family said, “This was a fantastic event,” and thanked all who participated “for their love and support for this great cause.”.
The first and second place female walkers, Courtney Clegg and Marisa Hedrick, said, “We absolutely loved walking and can’t wait for next year’s 5K.”
Present at the race in addition to the participants were U.S. Army, National Guard and the U.S. Navy recruiting tables. The event ran smoothly, thanks to the event staff, Races2Run, cadets from the detachment, Newark and UD Police, and the participants.