Cross Country Adds Four In-State Runners For 2015
12/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh cross country team has brought in a total of four runners, two men and two women, that have signed their National Letter of Intent to begin competition beginning in the Fall of 2015.
Joining the men’s team will be Matt McGoey of North Allegheny High School and Sebastian Curtin from Mercyhurst Prep. The two women added to the roster for next year are Erin McConnell of Pennsbury High School and Tori Dippold of Elk County Catholic High School.
“We’re bringing in kids that are used to scoring high in the state of Pennsylvania. So we’re bringing in kids that are among the better kids in the state,” said assistant coach Jim Lear, who oversees the cross country and long distance runners at Pitt. “Hopefully we continue to do that. But we’re getting really quality kids into this program and I think it will keep the program moving into a positive direction.”
Below, find an in-depth look at each cross country student-athlete that will be attending Pitt next year with some words from Coach Lear.
Erin O’Connell | Morrisville, Pa. | Pennsbury High School
Erin O’Connell comes to Pitt from Pennsbury High School, where in her four years with the team, won three state championships and went to the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) twice. Pennsbury reigned in Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) at the AAA class throughout O’Connell’s time in high school. Most recently during her senior season O’Connell was 71st at the state meet. Earlier in the season, O’Connell placed fifth at the Suburban One League (SOL) championships.
Last year, despite not winning a state title, Pennsbury was the runner-up at the NXN Northeast Regional and went on to place 11th in the national event. O’Connell missed most of the cross country season due to an injury. That was the second straight season that Pennsbury qualified for NXN after winning the Northeast Region in 2012 with the help of O’Connell’s 38th place performance in 19:38 on the 5K course. The 2012 team finished ninth at the nation-wide race.
O’Connell broke onto the Pennsbury scene as a freshman in 2011 when she helped the school win its second straight state championship. Along the way, O’Connell had a 17th place showing in the District 1 Championship with a time of 18:47 for the 5K, as well as 21st in the state meet.
In addition to her cross country success, O’Connell has also been a fixture for Pennsbury’s track and field teams, which included being a member of the seventh place four-by-one mile at the New Balance Indoor Nationals last year.
“Erin gives us a kid who’s been on a top-flight team her entire career. So she’s used to winning and we think that attitude will help a lot. She’s got good speed, probably a little more of a 1,500-meter kid than a 5K kid, a cross country kid, necessarily. But, I think she can develop into a very good cross country kid. Certainly has great potential.”
Victoria Dippold | Saint Mary’s, Pa. | Elk County Catholic High School
Currently attending Elk County Catholic High School, Dippold claimed the PIAA Class A District 9 title this year after finishing as the runner-up last season. A year ago at the Class A state meet, Dippold was fourth overall in a race that included current Pitt freshman Beth Shenck (1st place) and Madeline Schmiedeknecht (sixth).
During her senior season, Dippold was responsible for setting a new course record at Benzinger Park, winning a race against Kane in 18:36 and also won another race earlier in the season on the same course that featured a total of five teams. At the 2014 state meet, Dippold finished 58th.
As a junior, Dippold was 15th overall at the PIAA Class A Championship.
Dippold’s other achievements have included a personal best time for 3,200-meters of 10:54, a District 9 title in the 3,200-meter race last spring and a third place finish at the state meet shortly after.
“She’s the fastest 3,200-meter kid that we’ve ever brought in. So hopefully she improves even more this year. She should help us a lot in cross country and in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter.
Matthew McGoey | Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Allegheny High School
A local product out of North Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh, McGoey was a dominant force in the state this season, individually placing fourth (15:47) at the AAA state meet, which was captured as a team by North Allegheny, and earning All State following the conclusion of the season.
Leading up to his state championship performance, McGoey won multiple races, including the WPIAL Class AAA meet (15:57), the Red, White and Blue Invite at Schenley Park and the Tri-State Coaches Association Invitational at California University, winning the latter in a course record time of 15:55.20. He also took second at the Boardman (Ohio) Spartan Invitational and at the Section 3-AAA race.
McGoey and North Allegheny won WPIAL Class AAA titles in all four of his high school years and was the state runner-up in 2013. In that 2013 season, McGoey recorded a third place finish at the WPIAL Class AAA championship.
When cross country is not in season, McGoey participates in track in the 3,200-meter race. During his junior year, he placed second in District 7 in the event and seventh at the State Championships. His personal best time at that distance is 9:12.
“Matt’s the fastest 3,200-meter kid we’ve ever brought in. He was fourth in the state of Pennsylvania in AAA in probably one of the strongest, if not the strongest AAA field ever. He should make an impact right off the bat.”
Sebastian Curtin | Mercyhurst Prep
Coming from Mercyhurst Prep is Curtain, who turned in his best finish at the PIAA Class A championships of his high school tenure just a month ago, placing second (15:58) and helping Mercyhurst to fifth place at the meet. He worked his way up the ladder each year after placing 55th at the state meet as a freshman, to 37th as a sophomore and third last year.
In each of the past two seasons, Curtain claimed the District 10 individual title in cross country.
When it comes to track and field, Curtin also has District 10 titles. As both a sophomore and junior, Curtin claimed first in the 1,600-meter race, while placing second at the state meet last spring and fifth at states in 2013 in the same distance. The incoming freshman’s personal best for the event is 4:21.
“Seb is a kid who is under the radar a little bit. But he ran one of the top 10 times in the state of Pennsylvania this year. Seb’s another one who can come in and make a pretty immediate impact. He’s certainly going to contest for our top seven next year.”