A local cross country runner will be continuing his athletic competitions at the college level after signing a letter of intent with Milligan University. DCHS Senior Aaron Gottlied was joined last week by family and friends during the signing event.

Gottlied qualified for state championship competitions throughout his high school career. The son of Edward and Carrie Gottlied of Smithville, said he looks forward to competing at the next level.

“It’s definitely a wonderful opportunity to be able to be part of something bigger than just high school and to go on and continue to keep running at a higher level,” said Gottlied. “I plan on studying pre-physical therapy and get my degree in that. Then, I’ll probably go back and work on getting my Master’s degree to become a physical therapist.”

Coach Kristen VanVranken, who has coached Gottlied at the DeKalb Middle School and at DCHS, talked about his accomplishments.

“He started running for the middle school team when he was a sixth grader. Right away he just had something special. He really enjoyed the sport and is super committed. He started out pretty competitively his sixth-grade year. He was running varsity and it snowballed from there,” VanVranken said.

“He is also involved with track for Warren County. We have a co-op with them, so he does that as well. This will be our third year with Warren,” VanVranken continued. “His major accomplishments have been making it to state as a cross country runner his 9th-12 grade year. Unfortunately, his 12th grade year he had the flu so he wasn’t able to compete. He has been wanting this since his sixth grade year. It’s awesome to see that accomplishment fulfilled.”

Assistant DCHS Cross Country Coach Paris Rabidoux (Coach R) also had praise for Gottlied. “In addition, he was key in getting the first DCHS Cross Country team to state. Not only is he an amazing individual runner, but that team aspect, he played a major role in seeing us there as a team which was awesome.”

“We are really proud of the work Aaron has put in and excited to see where he is now. It’s a coach’s dream to be able to be a part of that and we can’t wait to see where it goes for him,” added Coach Rabidoux.

Milligan is a Christ-centered liberal arts university in Johnson City, Tennessee, boasting a close-knit community, 355-acre picturesque campus, and over 100 majors, minors and other degree offerings.

For over 150 years, Milligan has educated men and women to lead and to serve. Our commitment to Christ-centered liberal arts education has led Milligan to become a growing, well-respected liberal arts institution. Because of our emphasis on scholarship, community, and faith, students come from all over the world to experience our distinctively different approach to higher education.

Consistently recognized for quality and value, Milligan is ranked at No. 10 among “Best Regional Universities” in the South by U.S. News and World Report and at No. 2 among “Best Value Schools.”