By VICTORIA ADDISON
Sports Editor
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The College of Saint Rose men and women’s track and field program have named their new head coach, Michael McCadney, following the end of previous head coach Robert Dorn’s contract year. Dorn officially completed his coaching contract on June 30, 2014.
The search for Dorn’s replacement lasted the entire summer. During the transition, the program’s assistant track and field coach, Andrew Rickert, was the main point of contact for the players. Rickert is also the head coach of the men and women’s cross-country teams.
Of the many applicants, to which Haker noted there was a “good applicant pool”, the College decided on Michael McCadney. The news of McCadney’s hiring was announced to the track and field team on Aug. 27 in wake of his acceptance of the newly developed full-time track and field head coach position.
“The full-time track and field position was developed through the reallocation of resources made available due to openings left by the departure of a part-time assistant track and field coach and a full-time equipment manager,” said Athletic Director Cathy Haker. McCadney will be the first track and field coach to be hired by the College to work full time.
Before accepting the position with St. Rose, McCadney ran a leadership academy at Charlotte High School, located in the Rochester City School District. He held the position since 2012. His coaching background includes serving as an assistant coach to the track and field program at St. John’s University from 2012-2013 and also directing the track and field and cross country operations at SUNY Albany from 2009-2012.
The position became available as Dorn felt he was unable to accept the newly developed full-time head coaching position at the College due to his job as a physical education teacher in the Albany school system.
“Coach Dorn is a full-time tenured educator in the Albany school system and could not consider leaving his career as a teacher for the newly developed full-time men and women’s track and field coaching position at St. Rose,” said Haker.
Dorn was named the head coach the same year that the College’s track and field program resumed its status as an intercollegiate sport. The College originally sponsored the track and field program beginning in 1993, but it was discontinued in 1998. Under Dorn, the program started up again in the spring of 2006.
Before coaching at St. Rose, Dorn was the head coach of the girl’s track and field team as well as the cross country program at Albany High School. He also directed and coached the Capital District Rockets Track Club in which he trained athletes in both elementary and high school for competition with the club at the local, regional, and national levels. Dorn earned his first coaching job as an assistant to the track and field program at SUNY Cortland upon his graduation from the school. As an undergraduate student at Cortland, he competed on both the track and field and cross country teams.
The track and field program at St. Rose has greatly benefited under Coach Dorn during his time as head coach. Some of his notable accomplishments include leading the men’s outdoor track program to a fourth-place finish at the 2010 NE-10 Championships in which the team scored the program’s highest ever point total. He also helped guide the women’s team to finish fifth in 2009. Furthermore, many of his student-athletes excelled both in the classroom and on the field continuously each year.
One of Dorn’s former players, now St. Rose graduate student Bridget Buckley, spoke on Dorn’s coaching abilities. Buckley broke many records during her time at St. Rose under Dorn’s guidance.
“Coach Dorn was a coach that always wanted to see you succeed. All he wanted was to see his athletes put in the hard work and see them do well when it came to competition time,” said Buckley. She also mentioned that he helped her reach her goals during her track and field career at the College.
“When you finished a race and knew you just accomplished something great for yourself, he was the first one to say it to you,” Buckley said. “I remember my first time breaking the hurdle record; I crossed the line and looked over at him. He was standing there with a thumbs up and then ran right up to me to give me a hug.”
Dorn’s efforts as head coach will always be remembered by not only his players, but also the St. Rose community. Although the team may be under new leadership, the College has ensured that they will be in good hands with the newly hired Coach McCadney.
