DelBene is the New York State Class C Cross Country Champion

Jelinek placed 68th at State Finals in her first year of cross country

Jon Nash placed 61st to finish his great career at Pawling

By John M. Benson
November 10, 2007

Colby DelBene won New York State Class C Cross Country Championship on Saturday, November 10, on the course at St. Lawrence University, cruising by himself down the stretch to win by an incredible margin of nearly eight seconds over second place runner Jamie Vavra of Warwick Valley.

DelBene capped his brilliant career for Pawling High School when he finished in a blazing time of 15:54.8, with Vavra well behind DelBene in a still respectable 16:01.5. Class B Champion Alex Deir ran the course in a time of 16:05.5.

Colby DelBene placed second at the State Finals in 2006, losing only after a dramatic stretch run battle with Tom Reuben of Wilson High School. He led the Pawling boys’ cross country team to a phenomenal second place finish at the State Finals at Warwick Valley that year, despite running with a leg injury nearly the full season.

Sophomore Caitlin Jelinek finished in 68th  place in 21:22.8. This is Jelinek’s first year of running cross-country, so qualifying with her ninth place finish at the Section One Championships on November 2 was a remarkable accomplishment. She has gained invaluable experience at both the Section One Championships and the New York State Championships. She will be challenging for at least a State Medal next year with a finish in the top 20 at the State Finals, and perhaps challenging for a top finish in her senior year at Pawling High School.

Jon Nash placed a very respectable 61st in 17:56.2, finishing his amazing cross-country career at Pawling that has included scoring in the Tigers’ three Section One Championships in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and qualifying for the State Finals this year with a fifth place finish at the Section One Championships.

DelBene's Brilliant Career

Coach Jack Power’s Pawling High School boys won the Section One Championships in 2004, 2005 and 2006, with Colby DelBene scoring for Pawling in 2004 and 2005, but missing the Section Championships with an injury in 2006. With the team's Section One Title in 2006, DelBene was able to race at the State Finals where he placed an individual second and led Pawling to the incredible second place finish as a team.

DelBene has raced in the State Finals for four years, working his way with extreme training and dedication to his first place this year at St. Lawrence University.

With this 2007 State Championship, Colby DelBene has finished his outstanding career at Pawling with a fittingly dominating performance at the State Finals.

Training with Spartan dedication for the past four years, DelBene has worked his endurance, speed and racing skills to the supreme level of a championship runner, experiencing the dreadful disappointment of injuries at inopportune times to himself and his teammates, and living a series of exhilarating victories running with those equally dedicated teammates.

DelBene and his teammates, from Brian Fulton to Jon Nash, Reid McGrath, Tom Brogan, Rafael Stabe, Dan Piazza and many others, have been seen over the past four years running 12 months a year through the streets of Pawling and heading up onto the Appalachian Trail next the train stop on Route 22.

DelBene fought through leg injuries in 2006. It was a team that included teammate Jon Nash that won the Section One Championship in 2006 when DelBene was unable to run, providing DelBene the opportunity to run at the State Finals.

In 2005, DelBene led his Pawling teammates to the school’s second Section One Team Championship, and but for an injury to Brian Fulton, that team could have won the State Team Championship. Del Bene led the Pawling boys in a complete domination of the team competition at the Section One Finals on the course at Bear Mountain State Park that year. As a team, the incredible Tiger boys earned their second sectional title and second journey to the state meet in two years. The team of DelBene, Rafael Stabe, Reid McGrath, Jon Nash, Jeff Ross, Tom Brogan, and Dan Piazza ran a remarkable third place at the State Finals at Queensbury High School, even without the running of the injured top runner Brian Fulton.

In 2004, DelBene and his teammates won Pawling’s first Section One Championship under coach Jack Power. Brian Fulton was the top runner on that team, followed by DelBene, and including Tiger cross-country stars Jon Nash, Steve McCaffrey, Rafael Stabe, Jeff Ross and Reid McGrath.

Pawling worked its way up in the State Finals year by year, finishing fifth in 2004, third in 2005, and second in 2006.

But for the injury to Tom Brogan this year, 2007, that kept him out of the Section One Championships, Pawling would easily have won the fourth straight Section One Title, and would have challenged for the State Team Championship to go along with DelBene’s State Individual Championship.