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ORR PICKS IOWA STATE

HUMBOLDT — Plenty of things about the Iowa State cross country and track programs felt right to Humboldt’s Quinton Orr.

And in the end, that made the decision to continue his running career with the Cyclones an easy one.

Orr officially signed with Iowa State this week, joining fellow Class of 2021 standout Nate Mueller of Adel-ADM. The two finished first and second at the recent Class 3A state cross country meet.

“I’m just super blessed to be able to continue my athletic career at ISU and can’t wait to see what my future holds,” Orr said. “I’ve always been thankful and overwhelmed by the support the Humboldt community has shown me all of my years and I’m excited to be able to be close enough where lots of my family and friends can still watch me compete.

“The Humboldt community has given me so much and I’m excited to continue to represent Humboldt at Iowa State.”

Orr received interest from several schools, including Wisconsin, Nebraska and Northern Iowa. In the end, it was between the Cyclones and Drake.

“They both just had a team-first feel, I really enjoyed and great coaches. Iowa State was just right to me,” Orr said. “It’s so rewarding to be able to run there. As soon as I could walk I was running. Running is something that has been a big part of my life and my family, too. My dad got me started when I was young, and I just fell in love with it.

“I’ve always wanted to compete at the next level and ISU has always been a spot I’d love to go to so being able to run there is a real dream come true. At first I thought ISU might just want me to walk on, but after a phone call with the coach, I learned that was far from the truth. They really invest in people, and that was what really made me love ISU.”

During his cross country career, Orr set a new school record for time and was the North Central Conference champion twice. He also became just the second athlete ever to score three runner-up finishes at state.

Orr will compete again this spring for Humboldt in track before embarking on what will be a free-eligibility year at Iowa State, where he will do both track and cross country.

“I’ll most likely redshirt but still race unattached,” Orr said. “They said they expect me to make an impact after my redshirt year. It’s definitely a process getting to be a successful Div. I athlete, because everyone is super talented there. I’m excited for the challenge, though, and look forward to being able to challenge myself everyday.

“Iowa State is the best at making midwest high schoolers into competitive Div. I athletes. It’ll be different from what I’m in now, but I’m excited for that change.”

Orr plans to complete his biology degree in three years before attending veterinary school.

“The academics at ISU are a great fit,” he said. “The coaches were awesome about me having high academic goals and working with me to achieve those.

“Iowa State just felt like home to me.”

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