Delilah DiCrescenzo

Delilah DiCrescenzo (/ˌdɪkrəˈʃɛnzoʊ/; born February 9, 1983) is an American distance runner. She competes in the women's 3000 meters steeplechase. She is a 2001 graduate of Queen of Peace High School in Burbank, Illinois and a 2005 graduate of Columbia University, where she majored in sociology. In May 2011, DiCrescenzo received her master's degree in Sports Management, also from Columbia University. She now competes for the New York Athletic Club and trains with the NJ-NY Track Club under the guidance of Coach Frank Gagliano. As of 2013 she was sponsored by Puma and continued to compete on a worldwide level.[2]

Delilah DiCrescenzo
Delilah DiCrescenzo at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1983-02-09) February 9, 1983
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight105 lb (48 kg)
Sport
SportTrack, Long-distance running
Event(s)1500 meters, 3000 meters, 5000 meters, Marathon
College teamColumbia
ClubNYAC
Turned pro2003
Coached byFrank Gagliano (NJ-NY TC)
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 meters: 2:08.01[1]
1500 meters: 4:11.70[1]
Mile: 4:32.11[1]
3000 meters: 8:52.43[1]
5000 meters: 15:36.45[1]
Marathon: 2:53:40[1]

She is also well known as the subject of the Plain White T's platinum hit "Hey There Delilah".[3]

Running career

She finished 3rd in the steeple chase at the 2006 US Nationals, and won the 6K title at the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships in the fall of 2007. She competed at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials where she made the finals, but did not qualify for the Olympic team.[4]

She fared better in cross country running the following year: at the USA Cross Country Championships she finished in fourth place,[5] and qualified to compete at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, finishing in 33rd (which was the second-best performance by a North American athlete after Julie Culley).[6] She headed Team USA to the gold with a win at the Americas Cross Country Championships – she won the NACAC-endorsed competition over a 6 km course at the Mt. Irvine Resort in Tobago, beating several other Americans who had previously beaten her in qualifying at the USA Cross Country National Championships.[7][8]

DiCrescenzo qualified for the 2011 IAAF World Track and Field Championships in the 3000m steeple chase by finishing third at the US Championships in a time of 9:46.31.[9] However, she did not compete due to injury.[10]

DiCrescenzo failed to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, finishing 13th at USA 10 km Championships (33:36) and 7th in steeplechase at Olympic Trials (9:46.30).

On February 2, 2013, she again qualified for the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championship with a 6th place finish in a time of 26:57.2 at the USA Cross Country Championships in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri.[11] At the world championships, she finished 47th.

On May 7, 2017, DiCrescenzo won the women's division of Southwest Half Marathon held in Palos Heights with a time of 1:21:31, which was nearly seven minutes ahead of the second-place finisher.[12]

"Hey There Delilah"
Main article: Hey There Delilah

She is the subject of the Plain White T's 2006 song "Hey There Delilah",[3] which reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007. She had met Plain White T's singer Tom Higgenson through a mutual friend. Higgenson was inspired to write the song after meeting her. Though the two were never in a relationship, Delilah did attend the 2008 Grammy Award show as the guest of Higgenson, where her namesake song was nominated for 2008 Song of the Year (won by Amy Winehouse for "Rehab").[13]

References
  1. All-Athletics. "Profile of Delilah Dicrescenzo".
  2. Boylan-Pett, Liam (August 29, 2013). "Throwback Thursday: Delilah DiCrescenzo". Runner's World. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  3. Celizic, Mike (January 23, 2008). "Muse shares story behind 'He There Delilah'". Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  4. "USATF - Events - 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field". usatf.org. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  5. 2009 US Cross Country Championships Results - Open Women. USATF (February 9, 2009). Retrieved on February 20, 2010.
  6. Senior Race - W Final Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (March 28, 2009). Retrieved on February 20, 2010.
  7. "DiCrescenzo and King lead USA sweep at NACAC XC Champs". IAAF/USATF. March 7, 2010. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  8. "2010 USA Cross Country National Championships". Archived from the original on March 3, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  9. "Women's 3000 Meter Steeplechase Senior - Final". Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  10. "Delilah Out At Worlds". Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  11. "2013 USA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS". Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  12. "2017 Southwest Half Marathon & 10k results". theracershub.com. May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  13. "Delilah DiCrescenzo Finally Gives Tom Higgenson a Date". celebpeeps.net. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
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