Cross country program thriving at Dorseyville Middle School

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Dorseyville Middle School cross country coach Sean Mawhinney insists every member of the program run a mile at the school at the start and end of every season.

There are few better ways to show progress than for athletes to see it in action. For the girls program this season, there has been a lot of team success that has led to program milestones being met.

Dorsevyille’s girls cross country team, which recently won an invitational at North Allegheny to end the season, didn’t lose all season. In addition to beating North Allegheny for the first time, Dorseyville finished with a 46-0 record in meets, which includes dual and tri-meets.

Mawhinney said Dorseyville had 39 girls in the program, which is a record number.

“I think what girls enjoy about the program is they can come out and challenge themselves to watch themselves grow,” Mawhinney said. “I have them run a mile at the start and end of the season to show improvement. They are happy with that. There’s a sense of camaraderie that has been passed from the eighth-grade girls through the years.”

The boys program had a record of 45-3 in dual meets.

Mawhinney said when he first started coaching the program, around seven years ago, the roster was about two-thirds boys. Now, there are more girls than boys.

Eighth graders Annie Leland, Hazel Clifford, Sydney Kimmons, Claire Loludice, Maeve Sherry, Carson Hemmingray and Phoebe Van Gehucten all competed in the year-end meet. Dorseyville finished with a team score of 48.

Dorsevyille’s top four runners, led by Leland, all finished in the top 10.

Assistant coach Cassie Conti said she was impressed with how this group worked together.

“Even before any of the races began, they showed dedication in practice,” Conti said. “They were so coachable. I love them. They understand what it means to race and the mentality it takes to win.”

During the season, Dorseyville picked up the first two wins over North Allegheny that anyone can remember.

Mawhinney, though, said he doesn’t like to measure his program’s success by its result against another program.

“We want to measure ourselves by how we work together and how they reach the goals we set for them,” Mawhinney said. “We want them to have the confidence for themselves and the will to win. We want them to have the work ethic and self-confidence to beat any of the big teams like NA or Butler.”

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