RIPON, Wis. - Dave Billings '06 is arguably the greatest long-distance runner in Ripon College history, excelling in both cross country and track & field. One of just two runners in program history to qualify for NCAA Nationals on two different occasions, Billings is Ripon's only male runner to win the Midwest Conference Cross Country Championships, doing so in 2006, while also having the privilege of being the only male runner in school history to earn All-Conference honors four times. Billings was just as impressive on the track, where he was a nine-time conference champion across five different events, while qualifying for Nationals in the Indoor 5K as a Senior. That helped him earn the 2006 NCAA Midwest Regional Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Billings was inducted into Ripon's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016, the first year he was eligible.
"Dave was a very good high school distance runner, but he became a great collegiate runner by taking his dedication, commitment, and work ethic to a level few have ever achieved," former Ripon Cross Country Coach Bob Duley said. "I did two things for Dave Billings at Ripon. I was able to get him to attend the College, with help from his older brother Dan, who also ran for me, and I provided him with structure and direction and let his talent do the rest."
The only person in Ripon cross country history to run an 8K in under 25 minutes, Billings accomplished that feat twice, including setting a school record of 24:42 during the 2004 season, which still stands today. A four-time All-State performer, Billings won the annual Wisconsin Private College Championships twice during his career, but his biggest win came at the 2005 MWC Championships, which featured 110 runners. He won that 8K race with a time of 25:43, which was five seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
"Dave was truly one of a kind as both a student-athlete and as a person," Duley said. "One of the best moments for me was when he willed himself to victory in the last mile of the 2005 MWC Championships."
If someone were to observe Billings' training habits during his college career, it would be no wonder that he became a champion, many times over, for the Red Hawks.
"Dave ran 100 miles per week each summer before his final two seasons. By doing that, he pushed his mind and body to the limit," Duley said. "Few athletes could match Dave's mental toughness. There were times that he would get holes in his shoes the size of a silver dollar because he wore them out from running so much."
Billings was just as tenacious on the track, where he was a three-time conference champion in the Outdoor 5K, while winning the Indoor 5K and Outdoor 10K two times apiece. He was also a conference champ in both the Indoor 3K and Outdoor 1500 meters. Fifteen years after his graduation, Billings still holds school records in the Indoor 3K (8:38.19), Indoor 5K (14:41.18), Outdoor 5K (14:52.26), and Indoor Distance Medley Relay (10:27.91).
The records and accolades are outstanding, but it's something else that Coach Duley remembers about Billings that shows the type of person he is.
"As a freshman, Dave was running the 10K at the MWC Championships where it was 90 degrees in mid-May. He was in second place with 40 meters remaining when the runner in front of Dave collapsed due to heat exhaustion," Duley recalled. "Dave stopped and tried to pick him up and get him to the finish line, but he was unable to physically do that, so he continued on and won the race. He was more concerned in that moment about the runner who had fallen in front of him, than he was about himself."
For Billings, the Ripon College experience exceeded the Mount Prospect, Ill. native's expectations, and he still looks back fondly on his days as one of the top runners across the region and the country.
"I'm very honored to be part of the history of Ripon College athletics," Billings said. "It wasn't just a choice to attend Ripon. It was a privilege, and I feel lucky to have had that experience."
