Senior Duke Dawson has been an exceptional track and field athlete during his years in high school, and his talent has been rewarded by his commitment to run D1 track at Furman University. The prestigious program offered Dawson an athletic scholarship to compete at multiple events throughout the season.
“I chose [Furman University] because it’s a very good school, has a very good business program, I like the coaches, and people, and the weather is really nice in South Carolina,” Dawson said.
Dawson’s sprinting is what scored him this scholarship, and this is reflected through the events he will compete in. He is currently
planning on partaking in the 100m, 200m, and 4×100 relay races.
A scholarship of this magnitude isn’t achieved on a whim. Luckily, Dawson knew he wanted to compete at a higher level very early on in his high school career.
“I decided that I wanted to run track in college during my sophomore year, when I made states and had a very good year overall,” Dawson said.
Dawson is very happy with Furman as his choice, but getting recruited took more effort than just running track at a high level.
“The recruiting process for me looked like a lot of texting coaches and trying to get my name out,” Dawson said. “The school really fits my goals of obviously becoming D1 and competing at a high level, and since it’s a pretty small school, the teaching is very focused, and I think that’s also very helpful for me as a student.”
Dawson was quick to credit the people closest to him for helping him on his journey to recruitment.
“The person who has supported me most throughout my track journey has been my mom. She texted a lot of the coaches that I was talking to, helped me come up with emails to write, took me to every event, signed me up for clinics, and went to every single track meet,” Dawson reflected.
While the excitement is still fresh, Dawson knows the challenges to come will be difficult. However, Dawson has the talent and discipline to become a successful athlete, and his career will certainly be one to watch.
