Blake DeLong - McKendree's First NCAA All-American

History was made this Saturday as Blake DeLong became McKendree's first NCAA All-American! DeLong crossed the finish line of the 10-kilometer Plante Ferry Sports Complex course with a new school record and life-time best time of 30:57.80. He was fourth among the individual qualifiers in the final standings, and second among other competitors from the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
 
"This is just amazing," said DeLong following Saturday's race. "I'll admit I was a little emotional when I crossed the finish line, but this whole trip has been a great experience. We hoped going in that if things broke right, there was a chance to finish in the top 40 (to earn All-America honors). The pace worked in my favor and was able to stay up near the lead packs. I'm just so proud to wear this McKendree uniform one more time and bring back a little piece of history."
 
DeLong came through the first mile in around 90th place before he began to work his way up. At the halfway point he sat in 38^th place, just inside the top 40 which it would take to become an All-American. He didn't waste any time as he moved up in to 28th by the 4 mile and 21st by the 5 mile mark. "He put himself in great position to crack the top 20 with a mile to go," said Head Coach Michael Mendez. His split from each half of the race was nearly identical with a time of 15:18.9 in the first five kilometers, followed by a time of 15:38.9 over the last half of the event.
 
"It was great to see Blake pick his way up the standings late in the race," said McKendree cross country coach Michael Mendez. "He was confident heading into the race, but he really positioned himself well on the course today. I'm so happy for him because he's trained for this the entire season. This has been an incredible senior year for Blake, and for him to cap it off by making history for our program just tops it all."
 
DeLong was the model of consistency for the McKendree cross country team throughout the 2013 season. He placed in the top five in each of his regular-season events, including a victory at the Maryville University Cross Country Open in late September. After finishing fourth at the GLVC Championships, DeLong earned his trip to the national meet by virtue of a sixth place finish at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional held Nov. 9 in Kenosha, Wis.