CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK AND FIELD

Thompson, Class of 1976 was one of the most prolific runners in school history and earned eight varsity letters. During his senior year in cross country he won the individual state title and led his team to the state title. He was a track and field state champion in the mile and runner up in the two-mile.In his junior year, Thompson finished second in the state championship in cross country. He was track and field state champion in the mile and runner-up in the two-mile. Thompson also was productive as a sophomore, contributing to the cross country and track programs, both winning the state titles. In track, he was second in state in the mile and second in the two-mile.He set school records in the mile and two-mile. The mile record still stands at 4 minutes and 12 seconds. The two-mile record (9:10) lasted almost 25 years. As a senior, he was selected to go to the AAU Nationals.He continued to run at the University of North Carolina and was a three-year letterman before transferring to Georgia State and focusing on his education, graduating with honors in mathematics.Today, Thompson has amassed over 30 years at Delta as a computer programmer. Outside of cross country, he has also taken to skydiving and helped achieve the FAI world record for largest formation built (246 people) in 1998, and the FAI world record for a 3-point 117-way formation in 2017. He has almost 3,600 jumps.

Dipaola, Class of 1974, ran cross country for the Vikings for five years. As an eighth grader, he won the County Cross Country meet, and competed in his first State Championship his freshman season, finishing fourth overall. He finished second at the state championship his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, and helped the Vikings take home the Cross Country State Title in 1970, 1972 and 1973.He also found success through track and field, winning the Class AAA State Championship in the mile run and two-mile run as a senior, leading the Vikings to the 1974 Track and Field State Title.Dipaola attended the University of Georgia on a scholarship, winning the NCAA Championship as a freshman in 1974. He was voted onto the All Southeastern Conference Cross Country team as a freshman and a junior, and briefly held the outdoor track 3-mile and the indoor mile record at Georgia.He has been a business analyst for the last 15 years at Emory University and recently became married to Joy Huang in July of 2019.

Ott, Class of 1973, played varsity basketball and ran track and field for the Vikings. He played forward on the 1972 Region Championship team, and was an All DeKalb County choice for the 1973 State runner-up team. In track and field, Ott won back-to-back state high jump titles, and received the Viking Award during his senior season when he was voted team captain.With an athletic scholarship to the University of Florida, Ott continued his track and field career as a Gator. He became nationally ranked inside the top-10 of all U.S. high jumpers, and won the Southeastern Conference High Jump championship in 1977, jumping seven feet and 1 1/4 inches.Ott’s athletic achievements weren’t the only distinguished honors he received. He graduated first in his class in 1977, and received special recognition from the university president with the Academic High Honors Award.Today, Ott lives in Alpharetta with his wife Cindy, with whom he has five children. He sold his benefits consulting company, Ott & Company, which he ran for 30 years to BB&T in 2008. He is now the leading national Benefits Consultant for BB&T/Truist and Senior Vice-President.

Elder, Class of 1970, ran hurdles for four years on the varsity track and field team. He won a combined six state championship events over the course of his career in the hurdles and relay races, while finishing first in several dual meets and 100-yard dash events. Elder was also an All-State football player from 1968-1969, and was voted DeKalb County Runner of the Year in both 1969 and 1970. Following his graduation from Lakeside, Elder attended college at Vanderbilt University where he played on the football team for two years. He would later transfer to Memphis State University where he began the pursuit of a degree in marketing.Elder went on to become a sales manager and venture capitalist, and also spent some years owning a construction company.He is now happily retired and spends his time with his two sons. His oldest son, Rick, was a first-round draft pick for the Baltimore Orioles, and spent several years playing first base and outfield in Major League Baseball.