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Dillman signs with Grace College
Northview senior Douglas Dillman knew he wanted to run at the collegiate level at a young age. Dillman also knew there were only a few schools he would seriously consider to make that happen for himself.
Among them included Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.
The reason? Dillman’s older brother graduated from Grace College. It was the way that he described the perfect college experience that made the senior standout want to live it out on his own.
“My oldest brother went to Grace. His experience really set in stone the college experience I want,” said Dillman. “Also, the team there is fantastic and great. The whole experience that Grace can offer was something I was really excited about.”
All Dillman needed was Grace College’s cross country and track and field programs to be interested in him. And when the university hired Brian Dewey in December as the team’s head coach, he got in touch with Dillman and informed him that they, in fact, wanted to bring him aboard.
It was the perfect message to receive, said Dillman, who pointed out that he and Dewey will be going through their first years in Winona Lake alongside each other, making the bond they’ve formed over the last three-plus months even closer.
“It’s been a really good experience because we’re both going to be starting on a fresh foot,” said Dillman of Dewey recruiting him to run at Grace. “I trust that he knows what he’s doing. It’s the same as when I came up to high school. I just trusted [Northview head coach James Grounds]. They both have had experience and success, so I’m excited to see what we can do as a team.”
And on Tuesday afternoon inside Northview’s Senior Café, with his family, friends, coaches and teammates surrounding him, Dillman signed his letter of intent to officially become a member of the Lancers, and in doing so, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of running collegiately.
“This feels good. I’ve waited several months to do this,” said Dillman. “I didn’t look at many schools, but this was one that I really wanted, so I’m stoked to actually get to run for Grace.”
While Dillman is excited to make the three-hour trek north at the end of the summer to begin his freshman year, he also is looking forward to his final track season with the Knights, which gets underway in a couple of weeks.
Dillman is eager to bring some more hardware back to Brazil on the team side of things while also shaving time off a few of his events before turning in his maroon and black for red and white.
“I’m looking to drive down my mile time a lot. I want to do the same with my 800,” Dillman said. “I’m hoping to be one of the few high school students that breaks two minutes in the 800. It’s been a long-time goal. I know I can do it and James knows I can do it. I’m excited to show everyone that I really can do it.”