DePauw University

Leslie Dillon Ballantyne earned DePauw’s first all-America accolade in women’s cross country when she finished ninth (22:30) at the 2005 Championships to help the team to a 16th-place finish. During that season she was second at the Great Lakes Regional after winning the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title. Ballantyne also finished sixth at the 2003 SCAC Championships to earn all-conference honors. The Tigers won three SCAC titles in her four seasons and her time of 21:26.41 at the 2005 SCAC Championships still ranks third in meet history. Ballantyne also competed at the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championships and finished 76th as the team made the program’s first-ever appearance and placed 16th. In 2004, Ballantyne earned all-region distinction after finishing 17th at the Great Lakes Region Championships. In 2020, she was one of 14 selected to the SCAC’s 30th anniversary women’s cross country team for the years 2005-20. Ballantyne earned three all-SCAC honors in outdoor track and field with second-place finishes in the 10,000 meters (2005) as well as the 1,500 and 5,000 in 2006. She was selected as the 2006 recipient of the Amy Hasbrook Award.

After graduation, Ballantyne moved to New England to complete a master’s degree in sociology at the University of New Hampshire. While in graduate school, she also had the opportunity to coach high school cross country and track teams. She spent several years working in higher education and reached Ph.D. candidacy before deciding to make a career switch to digital marketing. Ultimately, Ballantyne landed in her current role for United Airlines in Chicago. She continues to enjoy running since DePauw, and has coached, started a running club and competed in road races, trail races, triathlons, and aquathlons at a variety of distances including three Boston Marathon finishes. Ballantyne has served as a board member of Girls on the Run in Maine and was a Planning Board member for the city of South Portland, Maine. In 2018, she married Grant Ballantyne.