McDonogh School senior Dalton Hengst, ranked No. 10 on the Flo50 national boys rankings, committed to the University of Mississippi on Wednesday after winning his third-straight league championship in Maryland.
Creatively, he announced his decision live on Instagram.
"It was thought out last night by me, my parents and my good friends," said Hengst, whose friends held the phone until he finished the race. "I'm happy to commit. I'm here close to home. It's my last league championships for my school. I felt like I wanted to do it here. But it was a little nerve-wracking."
With over 150 eyes watching the social media app, Hengst turned to the camera, grabbed a navy blue hat, and revealed his pledge to the Rebels, perhaps with a sly wink.
He said his final three schools were Ole Miss, Oregon, and Boise State. He also visited Furman and Syracuse.
"At the end of the day, it was Vanhoy and Waleed (Suliman) and all the guys they have there," Hengst said. "I thought I could be my best there. I can get my best there as a runner. That was important."
The Rebels' recruiting class from 2017 includes middle- and long-distance standouts Suliman, Cade Bethmann, John Rivera, and Everett Smulders.
Hengst joins a program which finished fourth at last year's NCAA men's cross country championships and are currently ranked No. 18 in the FloXC rankings. The Rebels, who finished third in the SEC this past weekend, are coached by Ryan Vanhoy.
"Ever since he got there, me and my dad have talked about this, but every guy seems to get better and do really big things each year," Hengst said. "From freshman to senior year, they get better. And that's good for runner consistency and getting better. At the end of the day, that speaks to a lot to me. They won a DMR national title, which means they have a nice range, too."
The York, Pennsylvania, native, who finished 21st at Foot Locker Nationals in 2016, has been one of the more prolific racers in the country over the fall, winning the Great American Cross Country Festival and the Paul Short Run in back-to-back weeks from September 29 to October 7, producing two sub-15 efforts. Hengst also finished ninth in the Eastern States race of the Manhattan Invitational on October 14, posting a time of 12:44.30 on the 4K course in New York.
Still ahead on his schedule remains championships in Maryland's private school division and the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, where he's won titles in each of the past two seasons. He also will vie for his second-straight qualification for Foot Locker Nationals, where's he's hoping to grab a title.
"Every day it's about being a national champion," Hengst said. "I raced poorly at Manhattan recently, even after those two big weekends. And that happens -- you have a bad day and you're body isn't there. But for me, as weird as it sounds, it's a good thing. Maybe I'm going under the radar now. You have that motivation about that. Now I'm ready. I'm excited to do that."
Hengst, a multiple-time state champion in Maryland over the indoor and outdoor seasons, remains even more hopeful heading into 2018.
Over the indoor season a year ago, Hengst made waves when he ran a U.S. No. 1 time of 8:28.51 in the 3000m at the Yale Track Classic. He also posted a time of 9:21.79 in the 3200m.
He produced an outdoor season PB in the 1600m of 4:08.04 and went 4:09.99 for the full mile at the Penn Relays Carnival in April, winning the boys championship. He also produced a sub-9 effort in the 3200m at the Arcadia Invitational, going 8:56.96.
In June, he finished sixth in the 2-mile at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, running a PB of 9:22.47. He's also split a 800m best of 1:54.75.
Hengst isn't sure what events he'll ultimately run with Ole Miss, but the possibilities are intriguing. When talking to Vanhoy during his visit, Hengst said the coach could see him in the 5K.
"He thinks that could be my event," Hengst said. "Freshman year, I know I'll do some miles and 3Ks. But that's standard when I figure everything out. I'll see where I can go. You can always go up."