Dylan Cleek '26 Recruiting Profile

I am a good candidate for any team because I am a very coachable player. I respond to constructive criticism very well.  I am different from other recruits in character because I try to stay humble and maintain a positive attitude. As far as athletics, I am an excellent leader and an all-around good player. I find myself in captain positions on almost every team I'm on. I am a very determined person and a very active athlete. I have played soccer since I was 4 years old and have been on many sports clubs before high school, like Morris Soccer Association for 3 years, Three Rivers for 1 year, and Chicago Rush South for 6 years. Moving into high school, I started off playing on JV my freshman and sophomore year, however, receiving some varsity minutes. In my junior year, I started varsity and played almost the whole game, every game. In the off-season during high school, my freshman and sophomore years, I played tennis and played for the Morris Soccer Association. However, my junior year offseason, I transitioned into solely focusing on soccer and playing for Morris United, a higher-level traveling team. 

Moving into academics, I maintained A's and B's throughout grade school and the beginning of high school. I didn't take school that seriously in my freshman and sophomore years, but still maintained A's and B's. Going into junior year, I decided to make an academic turnaround and work to get the best grades I can get. My first semester, I had a 4.875 GPA on a 5-point scale. I realized how much I should have valued school and the desire to learn as much as I can.

Besides all of that, I've put in a lot of hours working many different jobs. One of the jobs that I work at the most is my parents' family business. They own a plumbing and HVAC company out of Morris, IL. Working there during the week and weekends, I maintain all of the machinery, go on plumbing and HVAC jobsites, and fix different things around the shop. I have gained lots of experience, learned how to run all different kinds of machinery, and learn how to be committed to a job. I have been working there religiously for the past 4 years. Also on the weekends, I run my church's sound board for the Sunday morning service. I have been running it for 3 years and run it every Sunday. During the spring season, I also help out a farmer with his hay business. I have gained lots of experience learning about agriculture and how to run different types of machinery.  

My goal is to find a university that has a strong mechanical engineering program and a strong soccer team, so I can use my talents to grow my own character, but also help grow everyone around me.