Graham Blanks, the Harvard standout who is a two-time NCAA cross country champion, has signed a professional contract with New Balance and will forego the rest of his collegiate eligibility.
Blanks, who ran a 12:59.89 in the men’s 5,000m at the Colyear-Danville Invitational at Boston University on Saturday — his final NCAA race — revealed the announcement on Monday.
“I’m thrilled to take this next step with New Balance, a brand that has been a huge part of my journey and supported me on and off the track,” Blanks said in a statement. “I’m excited to continue building this relationship as I transition to the professional level and to keep working with Coach Alex Gibby while staying connected to the Harvard community.”
Blanks, 22, wraps up a packed 2024 that included a trip to the Paris Olympics where he took 9th place in a stacked 5,000m final, in 13:18.67. He took second place in the 5,000m at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
It was believed that Blanks would turn professional after the Paris Games, but he opted to run for Harvard for his senior year — a sign that he would continue to stack up accolades as one of the Ivy League’s most decorated runners. Blanks in the only athlete in the history of the conference to win an individual national collegiate title in cross country.
On November 23, Blanks successfully defended his national title with a course-record setting 28:37.20 in the 10k at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wisconsin. The win meant Blanks was just the 13th athlete to defend a cross country national title.
Meanwhile, his shift to New Balance locks in a partnership that began when Blanks signed a NIL deal with the company in 2023.
Blanks is an economics and philosophy major and will continue his studies through the rest of his senior year at Harvard. It also means he will remain in the Boston area while training under Gibby.
He joins Parker Valby as the second marquee collegiate athlete to sign a professional contract with New Balance this year.
