As senior track and cross country star Dawson Welch crosses the finish line to achieve a sub 4:10 mile, he thinks back to the hard work that helped him get to this point.  On Sept. 29, Welch announced his commitment to the University of Tennessee via his Instagram. He decided Tennessee was the school for him after a visit to the university and a visit with the cross country coach.

“I decided to pick Tennessee because I really thought the university was nice,” Welch said.  “Additionally, the coach is a really good guy, has a lot of good coaching history, and I think he’s gonna build a good program.”

Welch first knew running was his passion after displaying his speed on his elementary school baseball team.  He would consistently dust all of his teammates in every drill.

“I became a part of a club called Arkansas Track,” Welch said.  “I realized that I could become pretty good at it, so I dropped all my other sports and decided to focus directly on running.”

In order to stay in competitive track and cross country shape, Welch undergoes a rigorous running routine, which involves him running 8-10 miles every day.  

Going into the recruitment process, Welch wasn’t sure quite what to expect.  However, the procedure ended up easier than expected.

“I first had to get signed up for NCAA eligibility and started talking with coaches,” Welch said.  “They actually send direct messages through instagram mostly, then after that I started to go on official visits and got shown around the campus.”

Some of Dawson’s favorite accomplishments while running for Har-Ber are achieving a sub 2 minute 800 meter and almost running a 4 minute mile.  However, he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish his athletic feats without certain people who helped along the way.

“I’d say that my family and my coach definitely helped push me,” Welch said.  “My coach really inspired me and helped me to do better.  However, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my competition pushing me to improve everyday.”