Newton’s Jeremiah White made his move to LaGrange College official when the he signed his letter of intent on Monday.

White signed to the Panthers track program during a ceremony held by the Rams.

After he shared the moment with his coaches, teammates, family and friends, White took the time to talk about how special the moment was.

 “I am just grateful for just being here,” White said. “Last four years came with its ups and downs, despite losing my mom freshman year. For me to come up here, transfer to Newton, join the track program and do something different that a lot of people don’t do — in my opinion, it’s history.”

Newton had multiple track athletes sign on Monday, but White’s signing marked something different. White was the first Newton long-distance athlete to sign in eight years.

For White, the accomplishment is not something he plans to overlook.

“Like coach [Calhoun] said, this school is usually a sprint school. I felt like I should take a step up and run long distance, do something different,” White said. “Be the first [long-distance runner] to sign in eight years. It feels great, I can’t wait.”

As to why he chose to sign with LaGrange track, a lot of it came down to the impact of the staff.

“I liked the coach out there, the coaches are very welcoming,” White said. “They are big on giving people chances. He is big on the development side. You know how some coaches just want to tell you stuff and just want one thing and that’s it. He is different, he focuses on development mentally and physically.”

For White, the goal of running cross country in college began to be a reality in his junior year.

“It was really last year. Last year I felt like I was at my peak,” White said. “Each meet I was PR-ing, I felt more confident. I put in the work and it showed out. I felt like I was ready for the next level. I know I am ready for the next level.”

In fact, his favorite moment running for Newton came during his junior year, too.

“Walnut Grove. It was my last meet before regionals,” White said. “I had a huge PR, broke 520 and ran 515. A day after, I picked up my first offer.”

Before White takes the next steps in competing at the next level, he told The Covington News what excites him the most about what is next.

“It’s just a new environment. It is something different,” White said. “A new chapter of life.”