Bishop Hendricken cross country runner and track athlete Dylan Manning recently committed to running for Division I Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut next fall.

“It’s great to be done with it. It was a process that started early my sophomore year. I’m happy to have it done, I’ve still got some work to do both on the track and at school, but I’m glad it’s over,” said Manning, who chose Quinnipiac for its physical therapy program as well as his familiarity with some of the current runners on the team. “I have a couple of friends that are on the team already that helped introduce me (to the school). They also have a great physical therapy program which is what I want to do. I liked the team a lot though, there is a great team atmosphere there.”

Manning was not sure how much success he would have early on during his high school career, and admitted that he never would have guessed that he would be running for a Division I program in college.

“Definitely not, I didn’t even think that I would run for Hendricken. I thought maybe (I would compete in) another sport, but this has been a dream. I have grown a ton as a runner,” said Manning, who credited the Hendricken coaching staff and his teammates for his development as a runner. “What (Hendricken) Coach (Jim) Doyle (and his staff)has taught us, and the other guys around us, they have built us into machines. It’s just a great program with a great group of guys and coaches. It’s great to train with them and even better to win with them. Winning a title my senior year and possibly a couple more on the track, it would be a great way to end my career at Hendricken.”

Manning will miss his teammates, as well as the rest of the Hendricken community once he graduates.

“I’ll miss these guys that I’m with right now. There may be a couple that are at Quinnipiac or will be going to Quinnipiac, but I’m definitely going to miss training with these guys every day,” said Manning.

Although he will miss Hendricken, Manning looks forward to the challenges ahead as he prepares to go head to head with some of the best runners in the country.

“I’m looking forward to getting my times down even more and being able to compete with people that are at another level,” said Manning. “Being back at square one, kind of like freshman year of high school, it will be a challenge but I’m looking forward to competing against some of the best next year.”