Dan Greeno has combined hard work, a desire to excel and a passion for running to become one of the premier male distance runners in Bethel University history. His training regimen includes running as many as 120 miles in a week, helping Dan become one of the top runners in Division III, a three-time All-American as well as United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Central Region Athlete of the Year.
“His early years [at Bethel], Dan brought a strong will and determination to be the best,” stated Jim Timp, the Royals’ track and cross country coach. “He certainly showed others how to work hard! This meant that he would work extremely hard, but not always smart. Dan has evolved into a very quality young man who still has the passion and drive to be the best, listens to me as his coach and is concerned about his teammates as well.”
That hard work has paid off, as Dan holds virtually every school record a distance runner could own. He has the fastest time in the 8K cross country. In indoor track, Dan’s time in the mile, 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter are Bethel school records and he owns the records in the outdoor 5,000- and 10,000-meters as well. Dan also is part of the quartet that set the school mark in the indoor distance medley relay.
Dan grew up in St. Michael, a community of 9,000 located 30 miles northwest of Minneapolis. He grew up in an athletic environment. “My dad played four sports - football, wrestling, cross country and track – at Jamestown College,” Dan said. “He has been coaching wrestling at St. Michael-Albertville for 30 years. My brother, Sam, is a sophomore at Drake. He went to Bethel for a year, before transferring. Hannah, the youngest, is six.
At St. Michael-Albertville High, Dan ran cross country and track. He also wrestled. “I played baseball as a ninth-grader, splitting time between that and track,” he said. “I would miss track practice for baseball games. After a year of that, I decided to focus on track in the spring and gave up baseball.”
STMA has a deep and successful wrestling program, and by the time he graduated, Dan had left his mark on it. Dan was active in the STMA wrestling program from an early age, starting in the youth program. He wrestled on the JV his freshman and sophomore years. As a junior, Dan wrestled at 112 pounds and finished third in the state. That season, the Knights captured the State Class 2A championship. In Dan’s senior year, he won the individual title at 119 pounds, and the team finished first. “We were ranked No. 8 in the nation,” said Dan, proudly.
He was invited to wrestle in the national high school championships after his senior year, but declined due to track season.
Dan was on the varsity cross country team for five seasons. He earned All-Conference honors his sophomore, junior and senior years. Dan won the conference meet his senior year, after finishing eighth as a sophomore and third the following year. He qualified for the State Meet each of those three seasons. He garnered All-State honors as a senior by placing eighth.
He ran in the Foot Locker Midwest Regional after his junior and senior years. “I placed 108th or so the first time and 58th my senior year,” Dan recalled.
On the cinder, Dan ran the mile and two-mile events. He earned All-Conference honors as a junior by winning the two-mile and finishing second in the mile at the conference meet. As a senior, he won both events at the conference meet and made the field at the State Meet in both. Dan placed 11th in the two-mile and received All-State recognition by placing ninth in the mile.
Away from sports, Dan was active in his church. “I was involved in youth group and helped in tech support at services,” he said.
Dan was recruited as a wrestler by many Division II and III schools in the area, and had some Division I programs show interest. “I decided against wrestling in college,” he said. “I didn’t like cutting weight and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to compete at the top level for four years.”
As a runner, he was recruited by many Division II and III schools. “None of them really stuck out to me,” he said. “Then in the winter, I decided on Bethel. It was like God steered me here. I liked the people I had met there.”
Dan was a key part of the Bethel cross country team for four seasons, qualifying for the NCAA Division III championships each year. He earned All-MIAC honors each year. He placed seventh in the conference as a freshman, improved to third as a sophomore, slipped to fourth his junior year and won the MIAC championship this fall.
At the MIAC Championship this year, Dan had one of every runner’s nightmares come to life, as a dog chased him. “A little past the two-mile mark, I looked to the left and saw a dog running toward me,” he recounted. “I couldn't believe it. I thought, ‘oh crap, I'm going to have to kick it.’ Luckily, someone grabbed it, but it probably chased me for a good 50 meters or so and it even weaved in between my legs. I'm pretty sure I hate dogs more than anyone else, so I just couldn't believe that out of everyone in the race that I was the only one getting chased!”
Dan received All-Region accolades three times. He placed 17th his first season, and improved to fourth, then second and finally winning the Region his senior year.
As a freshman, Dan placed 96th at the NCAA Championships. He brought home All-American honors each of the next three years by placing 22nd as a sophomore, 33rd as a junior and 10th this year.
Following the season this fall, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association honored Dan as its Central Region Athlete of the Year.
“I have a lot of special memories of Dan,” stated Timp. “One that comes to mind is his freshman year at the national meet. It was just Dan and I at the meet. It was a special time for me with Dan. The race itself was a swamp fest! Dan did not have the best race but it was great experience for him. Little did I know at the time just how good this kid was going to be.”
Dan ran indoor track for four seasons as well. While he did not qualify for the NCAA Championships, he did win the MIAC championship in the mile and 3,000-meters his senior year. The BU distance medley relay team placed second this year, as well. Dan had finished seventh in the 3,000 and 5,000 as a freshman. He moved up to fifth in both events as a sophomore and took third in each his junior year.
In the outdoor season, Dan runs the 5,000- and 10,000-meters. His freshman year, he placed seventh at the MIAC Meet in the 10,000 and fifth in the 5,000. He took sixth in the 1,500-meter as a sophomore and helped the BU 4 x 800-relay team finish sixth. Last spring, he took home All-MIAC honors with a third place finish in the 10,000 and honorable mention with a fourth place showing in the 5,000.
This year, Dan has run an automatic qualifying time in the 10,000, as he ran a 30:17.52 at the Meet of Champions in April. He has provisionally qualified for the national in the 1,500 and 5,000 as well. At the MIAC Championships, he took first in the 1,500 and fourth in the 5,000.
Away from running, Dan has been involved in a Bible studies group with other distance runners at Bethel. “We’ve been meeting regularly for two years now,” he said. Dan spent J-term of his junior year in Honolulu, where he participated in a class on Global Leadership.
He works as an intern in the sports information office on campus. “I write track articles and also do the game day programs for basketball and hockey,” he said. “I also help out with the website.”
That internship fits nicely with Dan’s major and career aspirations. He is a Media Communications major and will graduate this month. “I want to work in sports media,” he said. “Whether that is print journalism, TV or radio. I’d like to work for a professional sports team.”
He does not plan to stop running after he graduates. He plans to run marathons and half-marathons and will train with a long-range goal. “I hope to qualify for the 2012 Olympic trials,” he said.
Dan is grateful for the experiences he has had in athletics at Bethel but college has been much more than running, as he recently discussed with Coach Timp. “Dan expressed satisfaction in his choice to come to Bethel to run because of how many close friendships he has developed not about the running itself,” said Timp. “Dan does not hold his talent above that of his teammates, he views them as equals.”
For Dan, his time at Bethel has been special. “I’ve made the best friends in my life here,” he said. “I love the atmosphere on campus and the people here are friendly. I’ve not only become a better athlete and student at Bethel, but I have also become a stronger Christian.”