Staying home: Mt. Pleasant senior Malone signs with Iowa Wesleyan soccer

MOUNT PLEASANT — East Lake Park will be seeing a lot more of Mt. Pleasant senior Dillan Malone in the future. The Panther defenseman will be staying home.

Malone signed with Iowa Wesleyan University on Tuesday, joining the first recruiting class under Tiger head coach Jorge Sierra Galeas.

“I talked to a couple of schools over in Des Moines,” Malone said. “They have great programs over there, but after talking to (coach Galeas), everything just seemed a lot easier, and I like the way this team is heading.”

Malone will be joining an Iowa Wesleyan that finished the regular season 6-1-2 before getting upset in the conference tournament. The Tigers have finished 6-3 or better in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in each of the last four years.

Malone says he has watched some Iowa Wesleyan games online despite spectators being limited at the Tigers’ spring home in Mediapolis this season.

“It seems like the way I feel comfortable playing,” Malone said. “Quick counter attacks. That's the way I love to play the game.”

Despite spending most of the year on defense, Malone is tied for the goals scored lead, with four, in his senior year at Mt. Pleasant. He says his biggest adjustment will be getting up to the collegiate level of speed.

“Those guys are moving at 100 miles per hour the whole game,” Malone said. “So just staying fit over the summer and getting ready for the season will be the biggest thing for me.”

Malone will be majoring in sports management and says he has hopes of one day becoming an athletic director for either a high school or college.

Malone and the Panthers do have some more business to take care of before the spring is over. Mt. Pleasant will play its final two regular season games next week, starting with a road trip to Notre Dame Monday.