NDA alumni Dylan Lange has returned to his roots and is coaching the current long- distance runners of the NDA track team.

While he attended NDA, Lange was a very active student, participating in basketball, baseball, cross country, track, the musical, various intramural athletics, and the Model UN club.

“I primarily focused on the 3200m relay, 800m run, and 1600m run. I was fortunate enough to run alongside some extremely talented athletes and developed an amazing group of lifelong friends,” Lange said.

After graduating in 2013, he attended college at UW-Eau Claire and graduated in 2016 with a double major in Business Administration and Political Science.

The next step in his life was moving to Washington D.C. to be a policy adviser for Congressman Mike Gallagher. The work he did with the federal government showed him the hardships that many people go through in our own community and inspired him to take action and find real solutions.

“Having the opportunity to help represent my home state and home district in the United States Congress was a true honor and privilege, said Lange in explaining his time working in Washington.

His decision to come back was aided by the bonds that he formed with his Cross Country and Track coaches while he was here. Lange mentioned that Coach John Gard and Coach Molly French have been two of the biggest influences in his life.

The way that they helped and inspired him made him want to come back, get involved with coaching and hopefully create the same bond with students that he was able to have with his coaches.

Another reason for his return was that he missed the competition and hardworking atmosphere experienced in a program such as track.

In Lange’s eyes this has been a wonderful fit: “I have enjoyed every moment working with this team and have every intention of returning next season.”