Meet The Coaches
Dan Dziubski
FOUNDER & HEAD COACH
Walter Payton Co-Head Boys Cross Country Coach
Walter Payton Head Boys Track & Field Coach
Chicago Firefighter / EMT
Coach Dziubski ran high school Cross Country and Track at York High School in Elmhurst and was part of 3 state championship teams in xc and track. Continued to run middle distance at the University of Iowa where he earned his BA in Health Promotion. Earned a Masters in Physical Education from North Park in 2020. 20 years experience coaching high school cross country, including 4 years at York High school as part of multiple state championship teams and one national championship team. He enters his 6th year as head coach at Payton following a string of record setting years. Coached the 2024 2A Team Cross Country State Champions, and 3 consecutive 4x800 State championships. The 2024 4x800 team broke the State Record (7:42.68) and earned Outdoor All-American status finishing 5th in the nation. In 2025 the indoor 4x800 earned All-American Status placing 5th (7:43.52). Outdoors the 4x800 team broke their own state record in route to a third straight state title (7:38.95). Earned 2025 All-American status at Nike Outdoor Nationals finishing 2nd (7:35.61). In 2025 coached the boys 2A 800m state champion and the boys 2A 1600m state champion. Coached 17x All-State Performances in track and XC, 12x City Champion performances, 2x track Sectional Team Championships, 2x XC Regional Team Championships, a Cross Country Sectional Championship, and a City XC Team Championship in 2024 for the first time in school history. Named 2024 ITCCCA 2A Cross Country Coach of the Year along side Coach Adam Palumbo.
Adam Palumbo
HEAD COACH
Walter Payton Co-Head Boys Cross Country Coach
Walter Payton Assistant Boys Track & Field Coach
Network Process Manager AT&T
Coach Palumbo ran high school Cross Country and Track at York High School, was a multiple time all-state athlete in xc and track. He was part of the 1999 York team which is ranked the #1 high school cross country team in Illinois history and ranked the #2 team in US history. He ran 14:34 at Detweiller and owns a mile PR 4:05. Adam went on to run at The University of Illinois were he was team captain. Adam coached cross country at Whitney Young for 3 seasons. He holds a marathon PR of 2:38. He enters his 5th season at Walter Payton and was an instrumental part of Payton's record breaking cross country seasons in from 2021-2025. Coached the 2024 2A Team Cross Country State Champions, and three consecutive 4x800 State championships. The 2024 and 2025 4x800 teams both broke the State Record and earned Outdoor All-American status finishing 5th in the nation. Named 2024 ITCCCA 2A Cross Country Coach of the Year along side Coach Dan Dziubski. Coached the boys cross country team to 5 consecutive state qualifications. Coach Palumbo took the Payton Girl’s Cross Country position in 2025. Led the Payton girls to their highest ever CPL finish (2nd) in just one season. The 2025 team ranks #1 in Payton school history by combined times. In 2025 coached the boys 2A 800m state champion and the boys 2A 1600m state champion. Coached Kate Murray to back to back 800m All-State Performances(2024, 2025).