| Class of: | 1977 |
| Induction Class of: | 2015 |
| Sports: | Men's Cross Country Men's Track & Field |
Dalton was a standout distance runner and a two-time national qualifier for the Westfield State track and field and cross country teams of the mid-1970s.
He was a two-time NCAA qualifier in the 3000 meter steeplechase. When competing at the 1977 All-New England championships he set a school record of 9:14.2 which still stands today, while finishing fourth in against division I, II and III runners. He entered the NCAA Division III championships as the number four seed in the nation.
In 1976 he was a member of the school-record setting two-mile relay team that ran a time of 7:55.4, with an individual split of 1:56.5. He also ran a time of 9:14.4 in the indoor 2-mile event to qualify for the New England Championships.
As a sophomore in 1975 he qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 3000 steeplechase, and placed third in the 3-mile event at the MASCAC championships with a time of 14:38.
His accomplishments on the cross country course were impressive as well. As a sophomore in the fall of 1974 he placed eighth at MASCAC championship. As junior in 1975 he placed second at the MASCAC championship with a 24:58 over a muddy Franklin Park course, and in 1976 he placed 13th at the MASCAC championship.
Well regarded by his coaches and peers, Dalton captained the cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field teams both as a junior and a senior.
After graduating from Westfield, Dalton earned his law degree at Northeastern University. He served as a member of the board of trustees at Bishop Fenwick high school in Peabody, his high school alma mater.
Dalton is a semi-retired attorney with the firm of Glovsky and Glovsky in Beverly, Mass.
He remains active as a Westfield State alumnus; received the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni award in 2012 and was active in the campaign to name the track after longtime head coach Jerry Gravel, serving as a speaker on behalf of the alumni at the dedication ceremony.
Dalton lives in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., with his wife Jackie, and children Niamh (age 16) and Aoife (age 13), he also has an adult daughter, Julia.