STILLWATER, Okla. – Coming off an NCAA Division I national title in the 1,500 meters at last weekend's track and field championships, Greene graduate and Oklahoma State junior Chad Noelle is taking a little break – for a day.

Noelle is still basking in the glow of what is believed the first NCAA Division I track and field title for a Chenango County athlete, and he'll test his wares this coming weekend in the USA Track and Field Championships.

"It just felt like I was in an incredible new stratosphere," Noelle said Monday night in describing the feeling of winning.

Noelle, a 2011 Greene High School graduate, was recruited by track and field power Oregon, and spent his first two seasons with the Ducks before transferring to Oklahoma State his junior year.

Some bad luck worked against Noelle last year, and he didn't qualify for nationals a year ago after tripping and falling in a national qualifying race.

Still, Noelle entered the 2015 outdoor season with high hopes and high expectations, and he didn't lose a race in the 1,500 meters all season.

"Everything went so well this year, and I had the confidence that I could win it," Noelle said of the 1,500 meters. "I had great training and no excuses this year, but having the confidence that I could do it and actually doing it are two different things."

During his high school years, Noelle's performances were accelerated during the indoor track and field season under the tutelage of then B-G/Afton coach, Robb Munro. Munro is now the head track and field coach at SUNY Delhi, and has coached the his teams to two to division III junior college national titles in his three seasons as head coach.

Munro saw Noelle's promise early on, but even he wasn't completely sure if Noelle could pull off a national title.

"There have been a lot of Olympic champions who never won NCAA titles," Munro said. "I certainly thought Chad had the potential, but sometimes it's about being in the right place at the right time."