By Tyler Sheedy
For a guy who wasn’t even planning on going to college, Dillon Labonte sure has made the most of his time at Southern New Hampshire University. From excellent performances on the cross country course to top-tier grades in two different majors, Dillon embodies what it means to embrace the opportunity of college, and find time for many different passions along the way.
Graduating in 2022 from Oyster River, Dillon was a strong distance runner with a wide range of events, finding the most success during cross country in the fall. When he was an underclassman, Oyster River was one of the best teams in New Hampshire, and a perennial powerhouse in Division 2. Most notably, the team finished second at the 2018 Meet of Champions, when Dillon was a freshman. While he wasn’t on varsity during that first year, Dillon noted how valuable it was to have such talented athletes as leaders. “The upperclassmen served as a great role model to me,” he said, “and I was fortunate to have two great coaches, Scott McGrath and Drew Thibault. I wouldn’t be the runner that I am today without the influence these people had on my running, and my life in general.”
By his senior year, the role of team leader had been passed on to Dillon. Like the upperclassmen before him, he had a great race at the cross country Meet of Champions, finishing 25th and grabbing the final qualifying spot to New Englands. He also competed well on the track, where he anchored Oyster River’s DMR at New Balance Indoor Nationals. So, when he began approaching the end of his time as a Bobcat, it might seem like a no-brainer that he’d take his talents to the NCAA and compete in college… but not quite.
“I originally did not plan on going to college and wanted to pursue a career in the trades,” he said. A respectable move – getting a career straight out of high school and getting a head start on life after graduation. But knowing that he wouldn’t need to worry about his grades allowed Dillon to take his foot off the gas in the classroom. “I did not focus on my schoolwork much in my last two years. COVID also put a damper on my motivation and productivity.” It seemed like he would close out high school doing the bare minimum to get by – but everything changed when a friend of Dillon’s joined the squad at SNHU.
“A personal trainer I knew since being a kid, DJ Ayotte, was hired as an assistant coach at SNHU during my senior year of high school. He called me and said that the opportunity was there if I wanted it.” Suddenly, a whole new path was opened up for the Oyster River senior. “I took that opportunity and I’m so glad I did.” Instead of finding a trade job, in the fall of 2022 Dillon moved an hour to the west and began school at SNHU in Manchester.
Straight away, Dillon reinvented himself and got serious about both school and running. Knowing how important college was for his future (and how much it cost), Dillon was more motivated than ever. “I wanted to be the best version of myself that I could,” he said. That mindset was evident as he began majoring in Electrical Engineering, and fell in love with the complex math involved in his calculus courses. Somehow, the brutality of Calc II didn’t get to him, and he made the bold choice to pursue a double major – a decision which has certainly paid off, as his newfound passion for learning translated into academic success.
As for what he specifically enjoyed about these two difficult majors? “The classes that I take are extremely technical and require great imagination,” he remarked. “The fundamental building blocks of my program are electrons, subatomic particles that you can not see or feel. I have been able to understand complex topics at an intuitive level and have grown an absolute love for what I do.” The word ‘understand’ might be an understatement – Dillon has maintained a perfect GPA of 4.0 for his three years of college thus far. Incredible!
Surely though, anyone who can be so successful in the classroom would be forced to let athletics take a back seat, right? Not Dillon. Unlike high school, he was a scoring member on the Cross Country team as a freshman, breaking 26 minutes and taking down some former Granite State rivals (including the author of this article!). However, as a junior this past fall, his performances were cranked to another level – and it all came down to the most important tool a cross country runner can have: a great summer of training.
One of Dillon’s biggest regrets from high school was his lack of volume during the summer, a mistake he advises current high schoolers to avoid making themselves. “Even if it is a few miles a day, it is better than nothing,” he said. “I will always question how things would have turned out had I been honest with my training in the summer; a question that I will now never be able to answer.” Luckily, he got the answer this year, because he took a trip out to Colorado Springs and got in some quality altitude training around the base of Pikes Peak. Building his mileage and even climbing a couple 14000-foot mountains, Dillon was ready to attack the cross country season.
He kicked off the season with his first ever collegiate win, establishing a course record of 15:49 over the 5K distance at the first annual Hartford Invitational. Then, he ran a giant 8K PR in the pouring rain at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, running 25:16 (4.97 miles). The next step was the NE10 Conference Championship, where Dillon placed third overall in yet another PR – 25:03. It seemed like nothing could stop him, and he carried that momentum to the most important race of the year: the Division II East Regional, where a shot at DII Nationals was on the line. Once again, Dillon rose to the occasion, running a ridiculous 31:30 in the 10K to finish fourth and punch his ticket to the championships, held in Sacramento, California.
At the big meet, Dillon fell back to earth, running near the back for the duration of the race. “While nationals may not have gone my way,” he noted, “It was still such an honor to represent my school and myself at the national level.” It seemed like he might walk away from nationals with just a bad race and a fun experience… but at the awards ceremony, the season had one more surprise for him. In a full-circle moment, where he was rewarded for both his athletic drive and academic passion, Dillon was awarded the Elite90 – an honor given to the athlete with the best GPA at the championships. It is an award meant to recognize a competitor who is performing at the highest level both in school and in their sport. For the motivated student-athlete, there is no greater achievement.
After winning the Elite90, Dillon took advantage of the fact that SNHU does not have a men’s track team, and took a well-deserved break from running to keep working towards his perfect grades in both majors. Now, he’s back at it and is fully intending to win the award for a second year in a row. Outside of running and school, Dillon has many other interests. He enjoys competing in intramural sports during the offseason, and often plays basketball, soccer, and baseball with friends. He also doesn’t limit himself to studying electrical engineering and mathematics, saying “I like to learn new topics on my own and recently have been interested in quantum and astrophysics. These do not have any correlation with my major, but they are certainly interesting to learn about.”
After he is done with collegiate athletics, Dillon has no plans of stopping. He loves going into the wilderness, and does a lot of hiking, running, and camping in the mountains during the summer. This love for the outdoors has manifested itself into a dream to compete in ultramarathons (something you might know if you’ve ever read his bio on Strava). Ideally, he would like to race at the 100 mile distance, with hopes of one day competing at the most prestigious ultramarathon in the country, the Western States 100, which takes place in the mountains and canyons of California every June. Just getting into the race requires incredible dedication to running ultramarathons to have a shot at getting picked, so Dillon should have no problem.
Reflecting back on his choice three years ago, Dillon is certainly proud of the path he decided to take. “College has given me a chance to be independent, make new friends, and figure out life. I am extremely fortunate to have met lifelong friends and will cherish these years for the rest of my life.” Still, while he is making the most of his time at SNHU and loving every second of it, he also recognizes how great things were when he was running at Oyster River, and the journey it’s been to reach where he is today. When asked for any tips to give current high schoolers, he said, “Enjoy your time! You are only in high school once and you will remember your experiences for the rest of your life. Find any reason you can to see your friends, do your hobbies, and have a good time.” Seems like a pretty good guy to take advice from.
If you are a former New Hampshire athlete who would like to be featured in this new series “Granite Alumni” please reach out to Tyler Sheedy via email at sheedynhxctf@gmail.com! It doesn’t matter if you are winning NCAA Championships these days, just running for fun, or have taken a totally different path away from cross country and track after high school – everyone has an interesting story, so please reach out! I’d love to showcase you, and see where life has taken our former athletes!
