Daniel Gonzales will head west to run in college.
Gonzales is a 2026 Gilmer High School graduate, and he will make his way to Forest City, Iowa, to run track at Waldorf University.
“Their coaches helped me make my choice,” said Gonzales, who was discovered by Waldorf’s staff on the NCSA recruiting website. “When they first started recruiting me, they were pretty consistent, and I knew that would be a team I’d like to work with. It is far from Ellijay and I know I’ll miss it, but I’m looking forward to getting to discover new places.”
Gonzales made the 955-mile drive to Waldorf last month to check out the campus and all the athletic facilities.
“It’s a smaller town, but there’s still plenty of stuff to do. The school is in the middle of the town and about 30 miles from a big city (Mason City). It’s pretty fun out there and a little chilly,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales was a four-year member of the track and cross-country teams at GHS. He will only run track at Waldorf, which features both indoor and outdoor seasons. The indoor season will be his first taste of collegiate competition during the winter months. It will also serve as a new experience for Gonzales, who has never run on an indoor track.
He noted he will likely run sprinting events during both seasons and possibly longer events during the outdoor season.
“For indoor I will most likely run the 60 meters. I’m definitely looking forward to the outdoor season where I’ll be running the 100 and 200 meters. I might be getting put in the 400 meters, and also both of those relays (4x100 and 4x400),” Gonzales said.
His current personal best times include a 12.45 in the 100 and 24.73 for the 200.
Gonzales has spent the summer training and following a strict diet. He will report to Waldorf Aug. 8.
“I’m looking forward to improving my times and being a positive addition to the team at Waldorf," he said. "I’m hoping for an architecture major, as well as a business minor. I feel like architecture is a great job where you can use your mind and creativity. It's something where, if you need to work from home, you can. Because I'm looking into the design aspect, I believe there's some flexibility with that in the future.”
Waldorf competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference.