Hall of Fame induction: 2022

James Walsh is synonymous with running in Delaware. He was a strong runner coming out of Delcastle High School, but became a dominant runner here in his 20’s and 30’s.

He held the 30-39 Division State Record for the 5K for over 18 years. But his bigger accomplishments and impact to running has been as a coach.

He has been the head coach of Saint Elizabeth’s CYM Cross Country and Track teams for the past 28 years. His teams have won the CYM championships 22 times, including a nine-year stretch from 2008-16 where his varsity boys won consecutive Division I titles.

He has served as President of the Delaware Sports Club for the past 11 years and organizes an annual scholarship for a deserving boy and girl runner in the community who exemplify good sportsmanship.

For 38 years, Mr. Walsh has coached adults of all ages and abilities on a completely volunteer basis. In addition, he founded and organizes the Delaware Open Cross-Country Championship now in its 38th year.

This premier event falls on the weekend after Thanksgiving at Brandywine Creek State Park and serves as a homecoming for Delaware runners.

Hall of Fame induction: 2022

As an athlete at St. Thomas More, Christina Hillman was a 3x state champion in the shot put and 3x state champion in the discus, the 2011 New Balance Nationals Indoor shot-put champion, the 2011 Penn Relays shot put champion, and the first Delawarean women to throw the shot put further than 49 feet. She earned second place in the shot put at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor in 2011, was the USA Junior Olympics shot put champion in 2012, and still holds the national record for the 17–18-year-old division and the USA Junior Olympics meet: 53’10”.

Christina Hillman represented the USA internationally on three separate occasions: the 2011 U-18 Junior Pan American Championships, where she placed second; the 2012 World Junior Championships, where she placed fourth; and the 2014 U-23 Pan American Championships, where she placed second. She competed in the 2012 USA Olympic Trials, earning 15th place with a shot-put throw of 53’8”, and the 2016 USA Olympic Trials, earning 9th place with a shot-put throw of 56’4”.

At Iowa State University, Christina was a 2x NCAA Champion, 7x First-Team All-American, and 3x Big 12 Conference Champion. She still holds the indoor and outdoor shot-put records at Iowa State: 59’6” and 58’2”, respectively. In 2014, Christina was named Iowa State University’s Female Athlete of the Year and the Delaware Athlete of the Year. The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) designated Christina as the 2015-2016 Academic All-America Division I Track & Field Athlete of the Year. She was also selected as a top-9 NCAA Woman of the Year finalist in 2016.

Hall of Fame induction: 2022

While attending Glasgow High School she set the 55mh state meet record, 100mh state record & 300mh state record. She also set the county records in the 100mh & 300mh. She earned 14 gold medals at states. She was a 2x Gatorade Athlete of the Year for the state. She was a multiple recipient of the indoor and outdoor All-State MVP Honors.

At Seton Hall University she was an 8x Big East Champion, a 2x NCAA All American & 400mh school record holder.

As a Team USA/Professional athlete she was a 2014 Indoor World Championship Gold Medalist & 2012 Indoor World Championship Silver Medalist. She was a 2016 Olympic qualifier in the 400mh. She ran professionally, sponsored by Brooks, from 2013-2017.

In her coaching career she assisted in coaching 2 CIAA Conference Team Championship Titles (Virginia State University), assisted in coaching 27 NCAA Division ll All Americans (Virginia State University) & assisted in coaching 1 400mh NCAA Division l All American (UNC Chapel Hill).

Hall of Fame induction: 2022

Attended Delcastle High School. Earned All-State honors in the 200m, 400m, 4×400, 4×200 and 4×100 from 2007-2010, was State MVP in 2010 while helping lead her indoor and outdoor tracks teams to the State Championship.

A state record holder in the 4×100 and 4×200 as well as the 400m. While attending the University of Connecticut she was a 4x All-American, Honorable Mention All-American, Big East Conference Champion.

While attending the University of Connecticut she was part of the 4x400m relay team that earned UConn’s first All-American honors at the NCAA Championship. Emerson ran the leadoff leg with a time of 3:34.89 to earn Second Team laurels. She was the lone Husky to compete in multiple events at the Championship, finishing in the 400m (53.10) to earn Honorable Mention All-American.

She became the first UConn outdoor 400m runner to qualify for the NCAA Championship after placing at the NCAA East Regional with a school-record time of 52.79… also part of the UConn 4x400m relay to qualify for the NCAA Championship with a time of 3:34.83. She won the 400m dash at the ECAC Championship with a time of 52.86 and helped the 4x100m relay team to a first-place finish in 45.23. Finished second in the 400m dash at the American Athletic Conference Championship (52.80) and paced the 4x400m relay to a silver medal and school record time of 3:32.83. Ran the second leg of the 4x200m relay team that finished fifth at the Penn Relays and established a new school record time of 3:36.41. Captured the 400m dash at the ECAC Championship (53.39) indoors.

Helped the 4x400m relay team win gold at The American Championship (3:37.92) … also placed in the 400m dash (54.33) & set the school record in the 400m dash at Armory Collegiate (53.38). She was part of 4x400m relay that claimed the bronze at the ECAC Championships with a time of 3:37.61 which is a program record. Crossed the finish line fourth (53.08) in the 400-meter dash at the BIG EAST Championships. Led off the 4×400 meter relay team that finished second at the Penn Relays (3:38.61).

The lead off leg on the 4×400 meter relay team at the Sea Ray Relays that captured the silver medal with a time of (3:39.85). Ran second leg on the first place 4×400 meter relay team in Knoxville, TN.

Competed at the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas as part of the Distance Medley Relay that finished in a time of 11:25.09. Placed in the 4×400 meter relay at the ECAC Championships with a time of 3:39.71 (new school record).

Finished first in the 400-meter dash at the New England Championships with a time of 54.40. Part of the 4×400 meter relay which finished first with a time of 3:42.41 at the New England Championships. Finished 3rd in the 400m (53.32) at the ECAC Championships. Won the 400m (53.17) at the BIG EAST Championships.

Was part of the distance medley relay team at the NCAA Championships (11:10.24) earning a First Team All-American honor. Was part of 4x400m relay that placed 2nd at the BIG EAST Championships (3:40.84) which is a new school record… Finished 3rd at the BIG EAST Championships in the 400m (54.01) which was a season best.

Hall of Fame induction: 2022

A state champion & multi-record distance runner while attending Tatnall High School, at Duke University she was a nine-times NCAA All-American and D1 NCAA champion in the 2011 10k. She was also a multi-time ACC conference champion and set individual school & ACC conference records while attending Duke University.

While attending Tatnall High School she broke the state record in every distance event, from the 800 to 3200 meters, ending with 21 state records, nine in individual events. The state’s top cross-country runner for three seasons, she led Tatnall to four state titles, and anchored Tatnall’s winning team in the Penn Relays Championship of America distance medley relay. As a senior, she was the state’s top athlete in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, and was five times named a high school All-American.

At Duke University, she was an NCAA 10,000-meter champion. She won the 2011 national collegiate championship in the 10,000-meter run in just her third race at the distance. It was one of six times that she was first-team all-American in individual events: twice each at the 10,000, twice in the indoors 5,000 and twice in cross country. In cross country, she was four times All-ACC and All-Southeast Region. In indoor track, she was ACC champion and first-team All-American at 5,000 meters in 2013 and 2014. Outdoors, she was All-East in the 3,000 meters in 2011 and 2012. She set the ACC record in the indoor 5,000 in 2013, ran on a second team all-American indoor distance medley relay in 2011; was ACC cross country freshman of the year (2009).

She was twice Academic All-American in Division I Women’s Track and Cross Country, and twice ACC track or cross-country Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2014). She also competed on the 2010 USA world junior cross-country team at the cross-country world championships in Poland.

As a professional from 2014 through 2016, she finished fifth in the 2014 U.S. 10,000-meter road-racing championships, fourth in the 2015 U.S. 15,000-meter championship and sixth in the 2015 U.S. half-marathon (71:30), with six top-ten finishes overall at USA championship races. Since ending her professional running career and going back to graduate school, she has run a 2:44 marathon at the 2021 Boston Marathon.