Blake DeLong '14
• Health and wellness major from Hillsboro,
Illinois
• Distance runner
• McKendree University Bearcats’ first NCAA
All-American athlete
• GLVC All Conference in Cross Country,
2012-2013
• Dean’s List
By Erick Requadt '14
Blake DeLong '14 has established himself as not only one of the McKendree Bearcats’ top runners this
season, but also one of the university’s top athletes of all time. He is the first
student-athlete from McKendree to receive All-American honors in NCAA Division II.
Blake blazed across the finish line at the Cross Country Nationals finishing 17th
overall, in one of the best seasons of his collegiate running career. On the indoor
track this season, he made great strides by making it into nationals in the 5,000-meter
run, where he placed 11th overall.
How does Blake manage his time with the academic and athletic side, all the while
achieving success? “You get used to it,” he said. “From freshman year it can be shocking,
because you have a new team you’re on, new classes you’re taking, new people you’re
trying to meet and everything. But as you get further along, it gets easier to make
time for studies and practice. With anything, it’s with practice. As you go from freshman
to senior year, you find the right balance. Really with age comes experience.”
With his Blake’s next ambition is the professional running circuit, with the hope
of making it to the 2016 Olympic Trials for the 3,000-meter steeplechase, his favorite
event. “When you go to the trials, crazy things happen,” he said.
Learn more about McKendree University and the Bearcat Athletics program.
