Hall of Fame induction: 2007

A native of Wilmington, DE, Mary was Northern Regional and Individual State Champion in the 1500m in 1977 before graduating from Concord H.S. At U of D from where Mary graduated in 1981, she twice competed at the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) outdoor nationals for the Blue Hens in the mile run in 1979 and 1980, placed fifth in the 1500m at the 1980 EAIAW outdoor regionals, and established school records in the indoor 880yd (2:17.9) and mile (4:51.6) runs and in the outdoor 880yd run (2:21.0) and 1500m (4:23.0).

Following her career at Delaware, Mary enjoyed outstanding success as one of the world’s top distance runners. She competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials three times, gold medalist in the 3000 meters at the 1987 Pan Am Games, silver medalist in the World Cup 10,000m, member of the 1985 and 1987 gold medal World Championship U.S. Cross Country teams, IAAF Grand Prix placer (1986-3rd in 3K and 1987-2nd in 5K), national champion in the 3000m at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in 1986 and 1987, and the U.S. Masters Marathon National Champion in 2001.

Her P.R.’s include 4:05(1500m), 8:41(3000m), 15:12(5000m), 32:19(10,000m), and 2:35:11(marathon).

Hall of Fame induction: 2007

Kim started her running career at John Dickinson High School. On the track team at Dickinson, Kim was the Individual State Champion in the 3000m event in 1981. She ran with the boys on their cross country team because there were no girls’ XC teams at the time.

She continued to run while attending the University of Delaware. Kim won five East Coast Conference individual titles during her career and had (3) top three finishes at the ECC Cross Country Championships, winning the ECC Cross Country title in 1982. She is one of only two UD runners to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships (placed 78th in 1984). Kim was the 1983 ECC outdoor championship Most Outstanding Performer when she won the 5,000m and 10,000m races. She won the ECC indoor three-mile run and distance medley relay in 1985 and was the 1985 ECC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for cross country.

During her career, she led Delaware to four ECC track and field titles and set the UD record in the indoor 3-mile run and 5,000m run.

Kim died on September 11, 2007 as the result of a fall.

Hall of Fame induction: 2007

Dante only participated in cross country and track & field for one year at Salesianum High School. But, those experiences catapulted him into an outstanding distance running career.

By the time he had finished at the University of Delaware, he had set two course records in cross country, leading the University cross country team to undefeated seasons in 1954 and 1955. He was a multiple school record holder in both cross country and track & field. Dante was an outstanding leader and captained both sports at the University in 1955 and 1956. He also proved himself further by winning the inaugural and the second State Open Cross Country titles.

He continues to give to his sport and stays involved in track & field as an assistant high school coach to this day.

Hall of Fame induction: 2007

Shannon ran for Wilmington High School and in 1984, he was Division II State Champion in both the 100m (:10.7) & the 200m (:21.6) events. He was also 1984 New Castle County Champion in the 200m dash and tied the State Record in the trials of that meet with a time of :21.2.

Shannon went on to run for Jackson State (1984-85) and Grambling (1985-86). He came back to Delaware and began coaching at his old alma mater, Wilmington High School. He was the sprint coach at Wilmington H. S., which became the Charter School of Wilmington/Cab Calloway School of Performing Arts in 1999. During his coaching career, Shannon’s 4 x 200m team won the1999 indoor championships at the University of Delaware.

Shannon was one of the co-creators of the 400 Elite Track Club, which took local athletes to National meets around the country. Shannon is tied for 1st on the Delaware H. S. All-Time Performance List (Outdoor) in the 200m with a converted time of :21.40.

Sadly, Shannon died in February, 2004.

Hall of Fame induction: 2007

Bill was a Newark High School graduate and went on to be an outstanding middle distance runner at the University of Delaware in the 50’s. He set two course records in Cross Country at Delaware and finished 11th as a junior and 4th as a senior at the MAC Championships.

He set Delaware Track & Field records in both the 880yd run in 1:53.9 and the mile run in 4:18.6. In 1954, he ran his 1:53.9 in his heat of the NCAA Championships, faster than either of the other two heat winners, but fourth in his heat behind Olympian Tom Courtney, failing to qualify for the final. In the MAC, Bill won the mile title in his senior year, adding a second place in the 880yd run.

He captained both the Cross Country and Track & Field teams at Delaware. He was acclaimed the Outstanding Senior Athlete at UD in 1954. In the summer of 1954, he was on a team that won the medley relay at the National AAU Outdoor Championships.