Hall of Fame induction: 2018

A standout sprinter for Christiana High School and key member of the record-breaking relay teams. Lynn started out as a sprinter and took up jumping as a junior and soon became the best in state history. In 1999, as a senior, she jumped 19’5-1/2 at the Penn Relays Championship of America smashing the state record by 10 inches, a record that would stand for 19 years. Her 19-10 ¾ jump during the 1999 indoor season was the 2nd best in the nation, due to being contested outdoors, it is not considered an indoor state record but remains the N5TCA meet record. She was the first and only female long jumper in the state to surpass the 19-foot mark until Kayla Woods in 2018, an athlete whom she coached.

She was named an All-American in the long jump and 4×100 relay, and was the 1999 Delaware Athlete of the Year. She ran leadoff on Christiana’s 4×100 and 4×200 teams that set state records of 48.01 and 1:40.44. She was state champion in the 55, 100, and LJ her senior year.

Lynn continued her career at the University of Maryland where she was named ACC All-Conference, tied the school long jump record and qualified for the NCAA Championships by her sophomore year. In 2004, she broke the school’s long jump record. Lynn became a collegiate Division I All-American in the long jump her senior year and earned All-ACC Academic. Her long jump and 200-meter times remain 2nd on the All-time list in Maryland Track and Field History.

Lynn began volunteering as a sprint & jump coach for Delaware Elite Track Club in 2015 and is now the jump coach for Tatnall.

Hall of Fame induction: 2018

In a span of 43 years coaching, officiating, and working to help build running sport programs in four states, Coach Kelly helped develop elite performers at the high school and D1, D2, and D3 college levels.

Upon Graduation from Mount Saint Mary’s College in 1973, he coached at Immaculate Heart of Mary School (1973-74), North East (MD) High School (1974-1979), St Thomas Aquinas High School (FL);(1979-1984) assisted as academic advisor and coach at The University of Kentucky while gaining a Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology (1984-1986); and assisted coaching sprinters and hurdlers at The University of Florida (1986-1988)In the following year, he worked with the Governor’s Council in sports and as a manager for the TAC National Championships of Track & Field in Tampa Florida ( 1988).

He returned to Delaware and coached Cross Country and Track and field at William Penn High School (1989-98), and assisted at the University of Delaware coaching sprinters, hurdlers and pole vaulters for the men’s and women’s teams (1997-1999).and at Wilmington Charter (2001—2009)

Upon retirement, he then took a position at Penn State Brandywine establishing a College Cross Country program for men and women and creating a XC course ON CAMPUS. He continued to voluntarily coach pole vaulters at the Charter School and men and women hurdlers at The University of Delaware (2009-2011).

From June 2006 to June 2016, Kevin Kelly had been the Chair of the DIAA State Track & Field Committee. As an official and student of the Pole Vault event, he has put on clinics for coaches and athletes around the state in conjunction with DIAA and officiated at championship events over the past 12 years to help keep the event alive.

Hall of Fame induction: 2018

Over 30 years as track and cross-country coach at the University of Delaware, he has guided over 100 athletes to individual championships, helped countless others to superior college achievement, and broadened access to the sport throughout Delaware and elsewhere. Becoming the Blue Hens coach in 1982, he was named America East Conference Coach of the Year five times, winning the award for indoor track in 1993 and 1999 and for outdoor track in 1993, 1994, and 2000. His indoor teams went 121-36-1 in dual meets and went undefeated from 1987 to 1991. Five of his teams won conference titles; another 12 finished second. Many of those champions were not high school stars but blossomed under his mentoring. 119 of his athletes won individual conference championships.

He was president of the NCAA Division I Cross Country Coaches Association and coached the East team at the 1991 Olympic Festival. He has been a goodwill ambassador and clinician in Honduras, North Yemen, Egypt and China. In 1988, he delivered a research paper to the Seoul Olympic Scientific Congress prior to the Games. He has been a board member of USA Track & Field’s High-Performance Division and Mid Atlantic Association. As an assistant professor of physical education, he has instructed and coached many of the state’s track coaches and was a USATF national coaching certification instructor.

On his own time, he has trained hundreds of Delaware adults in a Tuesday Night Group that he founded and operated for the community for many years. He was active with the B+ Foundation, has served on the board of directors for Girls on the Run and advised the Leukemia Society and Special Olympics Delaware. Now the coach at Ursuline Academy, he has also coached at Sanford School and Delaware Technical College, where he served as the Athletic Director for a short period. Jim founded the Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1994 and served as its president until 2015.

Hall of Fame induction: 2017

Pam discovered her love for running on the white sand playground of her elementary school in Wilmington, North Carolina. Her family moved to Delaware in the early 1970’s at the time Title IX was beginning to allow for greater opportunities for girls to participate in organized sports. In 1976, she and a few friends rallied support to begin a girls’ track and field team at Glasgow High School where she was a sprinter, hurdler and anchor of the sprint relays. She was also privileged to serve as team co-captain and to be chosen by her teammates as MVP each year until graduation in 1979.

Timing allowed Pam to be a part of the first Varsity Women’s Track and Field teams beginning her freshman year at the University of Delaware. She continued as a sprinter, hurdler and sprint relay anchor both indoors and outdoors and still holds a few sprint records. Pam was honored to serve as indoor and outdoor team co-captain from 1981-1983 and was awarded 6 varsity letters.

Pam received CoSIDA District II Academic All-American and CoSIDA Academic All-American awards for indoor and outdoor track and field and was named East Coast Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1983. She was selected as the UD Alumni Association Team MVP in 1981, 1982, and 1983 and was selected as the University of Delaware Outstanding Female Senior Athlete of the Year for 1982-83. Pam continues to run for fun!

Hall of Fame induction: 2017

Melissa Grubb was one of Concord’s finest runners in its golden years of track and field. She was the “team leader” for three years when Concord went 25-0 winning three Blue Hen Conference titles, a New Castle County Championship and a State Championship in 1982, all under the coaching of Don Wood. She lost only one individual race in three years of competition. That race was the New Castle County Championship 800. She came back the following week at the State Meet to win the 800 in a state record time of 2:14.8. Thirty-five years ago was an era of no indoor track, and cross country for high school women was in its infancy.

Melissa played field hockey in the fall but would come to spring track with a solid training base having run with Joe McNichol in the winter months. Melissa garnered 5 individual New Castle County Championships as well as 6 Individual Outdoor State Championships – one in the 1500 meters; two in the 800 meters; two in the 1600 meters, and one in the 3200 meters. She also ran a leg on two first place 1600 relay teams. Up until 1988 competitors were limited to 3 events. In her junior year she ran the open 1500 meters at the Penn Relays, placing 6th. She came back moments later helping her teammates finish first in their heat in the 3200-meter relay. The following season, Concord’s 1600-meter relay team of Vicki Huber, Lisa Goehringer, Melissa Grubb and Terri Dendy qualified for the Penn Relays High School Championship of America final where they finished 5th in a then state record time, and achieved a national ranking in Track and Field News.

Melissa received a partial scholarship to run at Villanova University. There she competed in cross country and indoor track for the first time. She was consistently one of Villanova’s top 4 runners in cross country. In her sophomore year the Villanova cross country team had an undefeated season winning, the Big East Conference Championship, ECAC’s and the Paul Short Memorial, with Melissa finishing 7th, 16th and 12th overall respectively. Villanova also had its best finish as a team at the Division I National Championships (at that point in time), finishing 9th. Melissa credits years of playing tag at Brandywine State Creek Park with her success in cross country. On the track at Villanova, she moved up to the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, finishing 2nd in the 10K at the Big East Championships. While she loved to run, after her sophomore year, Melissa traded in her spikes for turf shoes and became a starter on the Villanova field hockey team in her junior and senior years. For 20 years, she ranked in the top 5 in the 800 and 1600 meters in the N5CTA all-time performer’s archives. Melissa still continues to run with her former Concord High School teammate Vicki Rudawsky, which she jokingly says may be in itself her biggest accomplishment!