Part II: Delmonico's grandchildren continue running legacy

NARROWSBURG -- “The most treasured heirlooms are the sweet memories of our families that we pass on to our children,” informs a source of anonymous wisdom.

As the first part of this story of the remarkable coaching legacy of Charlie Delmonico illustrated in the exemplars of his daughter Dee as well as her siblings Kelly and Kevin, that family tradition was not only carried forward in their own lives but it was then passed along to their children who became the next standard-bearers that have been a source of great pride to their parents and grandparents alike.

Twin Peaks at Monticello

Camryn and Sydney Johnson clearly inherited their love and awe of running from the family tree. While their mom Kelly was primarily a swimmer in high school, she did run track and, of course, the girls were aware of the sterling running legacy of their aunt Dee, as well of the legendary coaching career of their grandfather.

Both girls joined the Monticello modified cross-country team as seventh graders and joined the varsity track team that spring. As eighth graders they moved up to varsity cross-country and qualified for states. In spring they continued their distance running progress in track. From grades 9-12 they became three season runners adding indoor track to their X-C and spring track involvement competing in events from the 400 to the 3000.

They competed in Section 9 state qualifiers for all those seasons, the Sullivan County championships and were consistently named scholar athletes. Camryn was the Mayor's Cup recipient in 2016 and a Sunday Times-Herald Record All-Star. In November of their senior year (2015) they committed to Siena College to run on scholarships for the Division I Cross-Country and track teams. They were three-season runners all throughout college. They shared many honors during their iconic careers which will be denoted by an (*) in the listing of their accomplishments.

Referencing the influence of their family on their running careers elicited this from Sydney: “My grandpa is a main reason I fell in love with running after finding a sport through a 5K road race. He was always there to support me and offered so much valuable advice throughout my career. I love running because of the team and individual aspects of the sport. It requires you to push yourself both physically and mentally and there's nothing greater than having all of your hard work pay off in a race.”

Camryn framed it this way: “Not only did my grandpa introduce me to a sport that would change my life in ways I could never imagine, his support along the way was above and beyond anything I could ever ask for. No matter the outcome, good or bad, my sister and I were lucky enough to be surrounded by a family who was encouraging, supportive and loving. And for that I will be forever grateful.”

Dee's devoted disciples: Bryce and Reece Maopolski

With the example set by Dee Maopolski and her husband Paul, it was only natural that their sons Bryce and Reece would acquire the love of running. As Dee noted in the prior story, that would begin early for the boys and as they grew quickly they became fervid participants in the family trail runs and hikes.

For Bryce who started out playing soccer in high school, the transition to running was a chance to really find his niche. His success at Sullivan West and in Section 9 was impressive and now he intends to carry that on at SUNY Oneonta once the pandemic restrictions are lifted.

For Reece, running with his brother last year inspired him to dig deep and marshal better and better performances. Hearkening from a strong family running tradition and augmented by having their mom as a coach, the boys blossomed into truly competent competitors.

When asked about his family's influence on his running career, Bryce replied, “Running has taught me that hard work always pays off and going through the pain is always worth it in every aspect of life. Without my parents' example and my grandfather whose cheers are louder than the crowd of thousands, I wouldn't have learned that. “

Reece had this to say: “I remember trail running with my family out west every summer when I was younger. Moments like that always inspired me to find the joy in running.”

Their accomplishments

Camryn's competitive conquests

at Siena

2016-17 Freshman year: MAAC Academic Honor Roll*, finished 60th at the MAAC Cross-Country Championships, took 5th in the 5000m at the Rider Invitational (outdoor) and seventh at the UAlbany spring classic.

2017-18 Sophomore year: MAAC All-Academic Team* and MAAC Academic Honor Roll member* Placed 2nd in the 4K at the Siena Short Course Twilight Meet and participated in the NCAA Division I Northeast Region Cross-Country Championships. Took 16th in the 5000m at the MAAC outdoor Track and Field Championships (18:21.18).

2018-19 Junior Year: MAAC All-Academic Team* and MAAC Honor Roll Member*

10th in the R.K. Munsey/UAlbany XC Invitational with a PR of 18:32.2. Ran in the 6K at the NCAA DI Northeast Region X-C Championships. 3rd in the 5000m at Great Dane Classic. PR of 17:26.47 in the 5000 at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic. PR of 10:24.66 in the 3000 at the Utica College Blue and Orange Invitational. 7th in the 5000 at the MAAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. 25th at the IC4A/ECAC Indoor Track Championships. PR of 36:45.13 in the 5000 meter at the Bison Outdoor Championships. 5th in the 10,000 Meter at the MAAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. 13th in the 10,000 meter at the IC4A/ECA. Outdoor Championships.

2019-20 Senior Year: MAAC All-Academic Team Member for all three seasons*. MAAC Academic Honor Roll Member* Competed in four cross-country and four indoor track events. PR of 21:58.2 in the 6K at the Paul Short Run. 23rd in the MAAC X-C Championships, Participated in the NCAA DI Northeast Region X-C Championships. PR of 10:14.75 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. 9th in the 5000m at the MAAC Indoor Track Championships.

Sydney's signature moments

at Siena

Freshman Year 2016-17 17th in the 5000m at the MAAC Indoor Championships

Sophomore Year 2017-18 Competed in five cross-country events, five indoor track events and five outdoor track meets. Participated in the 5K at the IC4E/ECAC X-C Championships. 7th in the 10,000 meter at the MAAC Outdoor T&F Championships scoring five points for the team.

Junior Year 2018-19 competed in six cross-country events, six indoor track meets and six outdoor track meets.

4th in the 5K at the Marist Season Opener. PR of 18:18.6 and placed 6th in the 5K at the R.K.Munsey/UAlbany Invitational. 29th in the 6K at the MAAC X-C Championships. Participated in the 6K at the NCAA DI Northeast Region X-C Championships. PR of 17:26.12 in the 5000 m at the John Thomas Terrier Classic. PR of 10:06 in the 3000 at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational. Competed in the IC4E/ECAC Indoor T&F Championships. PR of 36:36.38 in the 10,000m at the Boston Outdoor Classic.

Senior Year 2019-2020: 2019 Siena Female Athlete of the Year. Named the Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month October 2019. Given the Female Cross-Country Most Improvement Award. Served as team captain. Competed in six cross-country and four indoor track events. Set the program record for the 6K (21:17.3) at the Paul Short Run. 19th at the MAAC X-C Championships. Participated in the NCAA D1 Regional X-C Championships. 7th in the 5000 m at the MAAC Indoor Track Championships. Spring season canceled due to the Corona Virus.

Bryce's Milestones

X-C 2018 5th at Sections and qualified for states. 2019 4th at Sections and qualified for states. Team MVP both years. 2019 won Sportsmanship Award for Section 9 boys. 2018 NYS Most Positive Athlete Award for boys X-C and asked to be a contributing writer for their book. Indoor Track 2019 and 2020 2nd place Section 9 Championships. 3200 MVP. Outdoor Track 2018 Section 9 Class C/D 3200 Champ and 2nd place Steeplechase. 2019 Section 9 Class C/D Steeplechase Champion and State Qualifier. 2020 Scholar Athlete at Sullivan West. Currently a freshman at SUNY Oneota but with his credits he is technically a 2nd semester sophomore double majoring in Music Industry and Media Studies. Plans to run all three seasons when they start up again.

Reece's Milestones

X-C 17th Section 9 was hoping to qualify for states this year working hard training with his brother. 2019 NYS Most Positive Athlete Award for boys X-C as a sophomore. 2018 Most Consistent Award. 2019 Team Award. Indoor Track 2020 8th in Section 9 Class B 3200 as a sophomore. Outdoor 2019 6th Section 9 Class C/D Steeplechase as a sophomore. Finished 8th as a freshman.