LEWISTON – Matt Dunlap sculpted his reputation at Mt. Blue High School and Bates College by winning endurance races. The cardiovascular challenge of walking across a stage this afternoon to accept his Bachelor’s degree in psychology, then, ought to rank with a walk from the recliner to the refrigerator.

Forget that. Dunlap’s reliable resting heart rate is likely to double, even triple, as that fertile mind is flooded with memories by the dozen.

There will be thoughts of circling one of Minnesota’s scenic lakes, competing against the best cross country runners NCAA Division III had to offer. And the lifelong friendships solidified on van rides to ski races at remote outposts in the White and Green Mountains. Topped off by a triumphant thrust of his arms into the air as he crossed the finish line to clinch a state championship for himself, and ultimately, his team.

“It’s been fun,” Dunlap said in his trademark, low-key manner. “I like to be busy.”

To say that Dunlap squeezed the most possible mileage, or meters, out of his collegiate experience would be a gross discredit to his talent and time management skills.

In this era of specialization and skepticism toward the label of student-athlete, Dunlap walks away not merely with a stamp of approval from a leading liberal arts school but with 12 – count ’em – varsity letters.

The Farmington native excelled all four years for Bates’ cross country, Nordic skiing and outdoor track and field teams. Did somebody say endurance?

“When I’m busy, it helps me to manage my time better,” Dunlap said. “I usually had a better (grade-point average) in the winter, when we were traveling a lot and skiing every weekend. It brings out the best in me.”

Dunlap book-ended his senior campaign with the two defining moments of his career.

Three years after getting a taste of NCAA championship competition when Bates qualified as a team, Dunlap this time earned an individual invitation to the Division III showcase at St. Olaf College.

“Having that experience with the team your freshman year makes you realize how much your teammates mean to you when you’re out there without them,” Dunlap said. “I got there and didn’t really perform the way I wanted to. I didn’t really have my best race.”

Perhaps not, but he still narrowly missed out on finishing in the top one-third of the field. Dunlap was 105th out of 280 runners.

His coach, Al Fereshetian, conveyed in a Bates press release at the time that Dunlap’s journey to nationals was a triumph in itself.

“He has done an incredible job all year as a competitor and a team leader,” Fereshetian said. “(Qualifying for NCAAs was) one of his goals from the end of last year, and to see him realize it is fantastic. He has been a pleasure and privilege to coach.”

Given his choice of navigating the scenic cross-country trails or pounding the synthetic near-pavement during Maine’s too-brief spring, Dunlap would trudge through the trees and head for the hills without hesitation.

“I’ve never really cared for running in circles,” he admitted.

That aversion didn’t stop Dunlap from becoming one of the premier 5,000- and 10,000-meter runners in New England. His climb reached the summit last month in the State of Maine Championship at Colby College, when he led from wire-to-wire and won the 10,000 in a time of 32 minutes, 47.26 seconds.

It wasn’t the fastest clip of his life. Having fallen of the pace of his pre-race goal, Dunlap heeded interim coach Matt Capone’s advice to compete against the pack rather than himself in the 25-lap staredown.

At day’s end, the difference between first and second place in Dunlap’s event (or any other Bates individual win) produced the team’s two-point margin of victory.

“It can either be a really good and really fun event or a really long event,” Dunlap said. “It can go either way. I ran it three times during the season, and every time it went pretty much the way I wanted it to.”

Skiing wasn’t merely a means to while away the winter. Dunlap co-captained the team as a senior. Bates presented him with its annual Lloyd Lux award for leadership and sportsmanship.

Dunlap recognizes that not every school, particularly one with such an academic bent, would have smiled upon his ambitious extra-curricular goals.

“I knew that I wanted to run and ski in college, and I knew I wanted to try all three for at least a year,” said Dunlap. “I liked the coaches here. I liked the fact that they basically let you decide when it’s time to switch and time to cross-train.”

In Dunlap’s case, cross-training is simply a way of life.