We sat down with Eastern track and field athlete and recent graduate Dan Strackeljahn who discussed his accomplishments in athletics during his college career at Eastern.

How does it feel to be named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American?

“Pretty good. I mean it’s good to have this because it not only recognizes athletic achievements, but success in academics as well. I actually found out about it in the Daily Eastern News.”

What’s it like holding the school record in the 1500 Meter?”

“It feels good to have a school record. It’s something I’ll have until someone breaks it, but it’s good to be in the school records.”

How were you able to balance the commitments of athletics and academics?

“A lot of planning. I had to budget my time correctly so that I could get my schoolwork done and practice. The most important part was just keeping up in class and not falling behind, a big part of that was simply attending class and staying with it. I was able to keep a schedule and manage my time wisely.”

What are your plans now as you are a college graduate?

“I’m living here for now. This fall I’ll be starting as a high school teacher. I’ll be teaching at Minooka High School. In the meantime I’ll also be training and running cross country races and focus on that. I plan on participating in Olympic trials.”

Since you’ll be a high school teacher, do you plan on coaching track and field or cross-country?

“Not just yet. As a first year teacher, I’ll have enough to deal with at first simply adjusting to that with training and experience. Within the next five years or so, I do plan on getting into coaching. So yeah, it’s something I definitely want to do in the future.

How has your recognition and your athletic participation overall influenced your life?

“It’s a positive influence overall. I’m glad that my hard work and commitment has affected my life positively and has brought me somewhere. My participation has taught me about setting and reaching goals and looking towards the future.”

What other involvements did you have while at Eastern?

“I was involved with the Trade Association of Graphic Arts as well as a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.”

How long have you been involved with track, field, and cross-country?

“Since Junior high. In high school, we qualified for state my junior and senior year in cross-country. We also qualified in track and field my sophomore, junior, and senior year.”

How influential were your coaches in both academics and athletics?

“They were a positive influence. They stressed academics over athletics and that we were at Eastern for education. They were lenient for times I had to miss practice for schoolwork and they were very supportive in my athletic career giving me insight and knowledge from their experience.”

ESPN the Magazine’s Academic All-American is Eastern Track & Field member Dan Strackeljahn. Photo submitted from Panther Athletics website

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