By Dan Hardenbrook
A top senior athlete has announced his future plans: Engadine’s Dakota Taylor, a standout performer in cross country and track, will run for North Central Michigan College (NCMC) this fall.
Engadine hosted a signing ceremony for Taylor on Friday, which was attended by family, close friends, and teammates.
After bursting onto the scene as a freshman, Taylor finished his Engadine running career by leading his team to second place in the state. He steadily improved in his four years with the Eagles. Under the guidance of Coach Tracy Germain, Taylor often finished with times in the low 17-minute range. His ability and work ethic landed him on the radar of college coaches this season.
It’s been quite the journey for Taylor, who is not related to the Taylor sisters who dominate the Newberry cross country team.
“I never really expected to be able to run in college,” he said. “I knew what I wanted my times to be this season, and my first goal was to break 18 minutes, but even I was surprised to be in the low 17s,” he said.
He caught the attention of NCMC at one of his fastest races – an Eastern Upper Peninsula meet in Rudyard. “That was one of the best races that I have ever had,” Taylor said. “It just lined up perfectly.”
For a small town kid who just loves to run, NCMC is an excellent fit.
“I stressed a lot about the team performance last season. So I just wanted to get back to my roots about why I love running,” Taylor said. “I love the coaches there, love the environment with the college, and Petoskey in general. It will be a nice stepping stone from Engadine to college life, and since it’s a community college I can then move on to a bigger university.”
Taylor gives credit to the people who helped him become an elite runner.
“Obviously it starts at the top,” he said. “Tracy [Germain] is an amazing coach. Just the way she develops everybody—it’s great. It’s been an incredible journey.
Taylor also credits fellow runner Conrad Spieles for pushing him.
“He was a great example for me to follow and model myself after,” Taylor said. “We finished runner up in 2022. Seeing those seniors and how that played out, you want that for your senior year. With the group we had this year it was stressful but fun. I learned to set goals and how to accomplish them and then hopefully I can pass those onto others like he did for me.”
Taylor is already eagerly looking forward to the new experience. His biggest goals are adjusting to running five-mile races instead of three miles, the high school distance. He has set an ambitious goal: to qualify for Nationals next year.
No matter where he goes or how fast and far he runs, he will always credit home with shaping his journey.
“It feels amazing,” he said. “It’s very humbling especially to see all of the support I’ve gotten from everyone here.”
