Delilah DiCrescenzo
Encyclopedia
Delilah DiCrescenzo 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, IL and a 2005 graduate of Columbia University
, where she majored in sociology. In May 2011, Delilah received her Masters degree in Sports Management, also from Columbia University. She now competes for the NY-NJ Track Club and continues to compete on a world wide level.
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
.
She fared better in cross country running
the following year: at the USA Cross Country Championships
she finished in fourth place, and qualified to compete at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, ending up in 33rd (although this was the second-best performance by a North American athlete after Julie Culley
). 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.
song "Hey There Delilah
". 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 never dated, Delilah did attend the 2008 Grammy Award
show as the guest of Higgenson, where her namesake song was nominated for 2007 Song of the Year
(won by Amy Winehouse
).
Queen of Peace High School (Illinois)
Queen of Peace High School is a Roman Catholic high school for girls located in Burbank, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.Queen of Peace was established in 1962 by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. It used St...
in Burbank, IL and a 2005 graduate of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where she majored in sociology. In May 2011, Delilah received her Masters degree in Sports Management, also from Columbia University. She now competes for the NY-NJ Track Club and continues to compete on a world wide level.
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 CountryCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
Championships in the fall of 2007. She competed at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
where she made the finals, but did not qualify for the Olympic team
United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics
The United States competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. American athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since the 1896 Summer Olympics except the 1980 Summer Olympics, which the U.S. boycotted. The United States entered the Games as the most successful nation in...
.
She fared better in cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
the following year: at the USA Cross Country Championships
USA Cross Country Championships
The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, as well as acting as the selection race for the IAAF...
she finished in fourth place, and qualified to compete at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...
, ending up in 33rd (although this was the second-best performance by a North American athlete after Julie Culley
Julie Culley
Julie Culley is an American athlete, who competes in middle distance track events. Culley represented the United States at the 2009 World Championships in the 5000 m....
). She headed Team USA to the gold with a win at the Americas Cross Country Championships
Americas Cross Country Championships
The NACAC Cross Country Championships is an annual regional cross country running competition for athletes representing member nations of the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association . The event was inaugurated in 2005 and was held in Florida, United States until 2009...
– she won the NACAC-endorsed competition over a 6 km course at the Mt. Irvine Resort in Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
, beating several other Americans who had previously beaten her in qualifying at the USA Cross Country National Championships.
Hey There Delilah
She is the subject of the Plain White T'sPlain White T's
Plain White T's is an American Pop rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1997 by high school friends Tom Higgenson and Ken Fletcher, the group had a mostly underground following in Chicago basements, clubs, and bars in its early years, and underwent numerous personnel changes.The band is best...
song "Hey There Delilah
Hey There Delilah
"Hey There Delilah", written by Tom Higgenson, is the third single released from the band Plain White T's 2005 album All That We Needed. In June 2007, over two years after the song's release, it became the band's first hit in the United States, eventually reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July...
". 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 never dated, Delilah did attend the 2008 Grammy Award
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
show as the guest of Higgenson, where her namesake song was nominated for 2007 Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
(won by Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
).