Who: Delilah DiCrescenzo
High School: Queen of Peace High School, Burbank, Ill. Class of 2001
HS Personal Bests:
800m: “I don’t remember, but I’m certain it wasn’t faster than 2:20”
1600m: 5:04
4,000m XC: 14:06
Current Personal Bests:
Mile: 4:32.11
3,000m: 8:52.43
3,000m steeplechase: 9:40.63
5,000m: 15:36.45
After getting cut from the varsity basketball team his freshman year, Michael Jordan went on to become the greatest basketball player ever. After being cut from the cheerleading squad entering her freshman year of high school Delilah DiCrescenzo, a Chicago native and Michael Jordan fan in her own right, didn’t go on to become the greatest cheerleader ever.
Instead, cheerleading’s loss was cross country’s gain. “Had I made the cheerleading squad, I would have never been a runner,” says DiCrescenzo, a two-time U.S. world cross country team member. “I was devastated. They told me that I was the first one out on the 14-girl roster, so I had to figure out what was next. And cross country reared its head.”
It ended up being a great fit. After a successful high school career, DiCrescenzo went on to Columbia University before starting a professional career with Puma. Now living in New York City and running for the New York Athletic Club and the New Jersey-New York Track Club, she is racing the roads this fall. She took a trip down memory lane with Running Times to remember her high school stories—even the sad ones about cheerleading.
Most Memorable Race: DiCrescenzo couldn’t run 1.5 miles without walking her first day of high school cross country practice. But only 2 weeks into her freshman year, she ran her first race for the freshman JV squad. “I got tenth place and was the last one to nab a ribbon,” she says. “I was pretty pleased with myself even though my face doesn’t show it. [See above picture.] It was the first time that I was like, ‘Holy cow, I could be good at this.’” She was thrilled, even though it was just a ribbon. “Over the moon actually,” she says now.
Favorite Workout: “On a Friday, instead of doing a workout, we would do games,” says DiCrescenzo. Her favorite game was called Spud. (They later changed the name to Dron, after the last name of a buddy she still runs with when she’s back home in Chicago.) In the game, one person throws a ball up in the air and everyone runs as far away as they could while it flew through the air. When the person caught it, “they would try to nail you with the ball,” she says. “It was a lot of fun, the not real workouts like that that we did.”
Other Activities: After DiCrescenzo didn’t make the high school cheerleading squad, she participated in only a few clubs other than running. She helped with the yearbook her junior year and was in the National Honor Society her junior and senior year. Running was her biggest passion.
Favorite High School TV Show: “I don’t know if Boy Meets World was even on when I was in high school,” say DiCrescenzo. But it’s most certainly her favorite high school-related TV show. Heck, it may even be her favorite show. She’s thrilled Corey and Topanga will be back on screen for the new spinoff/sequel, Girl Meets World, airing in 2014.
Favorite Song: Her junior year, DiCrescenzo’s team theme song was an inappropriately named Juvenile song. The censored version is called “Back That Thang Up.”
Senior Prom: Nope, DiCrescenzo missed her prom for the state meet. At an all-girls school, her dances were “few and far between.”
Advice To High School Runners: “When I started, I never envisioned having the chance to run for a college team or anything like that. I did it because it was fun, because I had friends on the team, and it was a way to stay out of trouble. Ultimately, you’re trying to get something out of this sport, whether it's running fast or being part of a team. So as long as it’s still fun, keep at it.”
You can follow DiCrescenzo on Twitter (@DelilahDiCre). Thanks to her and her father for the pictures. Make sure to follow us for Throwback Thursday and more on Twitter (@RunningTimesHS) and Instagram (@RunningTimes)
