Dylan McClain knew he would run cross country and track at a Division One school, he just wasn’t sure where.

When the 2003 Lawrence High graduate settled on Drake University, he did so with little fanfare and a matter-of-fact attitude. Maybe that’s because it was late May and the Kansas state track and field meet was approaching.

Nah. That’s just McClain’s nature.

“When I talked to him, I asked him if I would read about it in the paper, but he just shrugged,” former LHS cross country coach Dick Reamon said. “I think that’s just the way he is.”

McClain, state runner-up as a junior and sixth last fall, chose Drake over Wisconsin so he could run varsity as a freshman.

“I liked the size of the school and the program,” McClain said. “It’s a team I can fit pretty well on. I can come in and compete for a varsity spot right away.”

Drake nearly qualified for the NCAA championships last year, but it was far behind the Badgers, one of the country’s top programs.

“They have such a good team — they were second at nationals — it’d be my junior year before I could earn a spot on varsity. I didn’t want to sit on the sideline, I love the sport too much for that.”

McClain also considered Kansas University, Colorado, Columbia and UNC Charlotte, but picked the Missouri Valley Conference school in Des Moines, Iowa.

Lawrence High graduate Dylan McClain recently signed a letter of intent to run track and cross country for Drake University. McClain chose the Des Moines, Iowa, school over programs like Kansas University and Wisconsin.

Drake — home to the Drake Relays, one of college track and field’s biggest events — is smaller than his other choices, but that doesn’t bother McClain. After all, going from high school to any college is a challenge.

“It’s going to be a lot different,” McClain said. “It’s a huge jump. The distances significantly increase and the people around you are all good. It isn’t like the Big 10 or the Big 12, but it’s still a D-I conference.

“In college, you can be good, but there’s so many quality teams it just comes down to it’s another level.”

Reamon thinks McClain will shine.

“I think he will do very well,” said Reamon, who retired after McClain’s senior year. “I think the college distance, the fact that Dylan is pretty much driven within — I’m talking about within his own persona — and I think the challenge of the environment and competition will be something he’ll excel in.”

McClain, who will receive athletic and academic scholarships, is the fourth LHS athlete and 10th from Lawrence to sign with a D-I school this year. He hasn’t declared a major.

Right now, McClain’s just focused on working part-time and readying himself for school — especially practice. His coach, Dan Hostager, already has worked out what McClain needs to do.

“He told me what he wanted me to do by the end of summer,” McClain said. “My job is to get prepared for that, whether it’s running 80 miles a week or what.”