Coyote cross country and track and field standout Gus Rohde signed his Letter of Intent Thursday afternoon, choosing Michigan State University as his next running destination.

The senior said the decision came down to three schools across different competition levels, but the Spartans offered the most potential and allowed him to stay closer to home.

“(It was) the combination of a coach that was excited about my future and who was enthusiastic about having me on his team,” Rohde said. “It’s also a top academic program. I'm gonna be surrounded by elite athletes every day, so I can be pushed to be become better athlete.”

Rohde boasts a 14:58 personal best in cross country for 5,000 meters, including state runner-up finishes in the 2023 and 2024 Division 3 state finals. On the track, he holds Reed City school records with personal bests of 1:53 in the 800 meters, 4:15 in the 1600 meters, and 9:16 in the 3200 meters. All three marks were achieved during his breakout junior season last year.

When asked about the moment he believed college running was a possibility, Rohde said it was before breaking those records.

“(It was) the summer right after my sophomore year,” Rohde said. “I came off a breakout track season and people were telling me that my times were legit, so I started reaching out last year and that's when it really became an evident goal of mine to run at the next level.”

Rohde was joined by several teammates, friends, and family at his signing ceremony, which was held at Reed City High School on Thursday. 

“It's always nice to have a supporting cast around you,” Rohde said. “Not just a team or classmates, but the whole community. Their support of me and the rest of my teammates has been amazing.”

Rohde plans to study kinesiology while competing at Michigan State.

The Spartan men's cross country team finished fourth at the Big Ten Conference Championships.

_{Image courtesy to Gus Rohde and Reed City Athletics.}