Craig Dickinson — Cross Country Head Coach 

Craig Dickinson joined the Skippers staff last fall to take over the growing men's and women's cross-country program. After a long and successful high school coaching career, he was ready for this new adventure.  

Dickinson ran cross-country and track at the University of Tennessee, where he became an eight-time All-Conference athlete, and in 1984, he was crowned All-American in the 3000-meter run.  

"I went to [Port Huron] Northern, then transferred and graduated from Flint Kearsley because our sports got cancelled my senior year," Dickinson said. "From there I went to Tennessee, and I've been coaching in Port Huron every year since then, except for one." 

After retiring from his teaching and coaching position at Port Huron Northern, he traveled south and took up an assistant coaching at the University of South Florida. He only stayed there for a year, however, as some changes to the department took place. 

"We were deciding whether we wanted to move back here, and then the position opened up here, so it made the decision a little easier," Dickinson said.  

In his first year as the head coach of this relatively new program, he took his men's cross-country team to the NJCAA National Championship, as well as two women individual qualifiers. Dickinson said he also had two athletes moving on to further their running careers at four-year institutions next fall. 

Dickinson said he enjoys the team building and recruiting process of coaching at the college level and is looking forward to this fall. 

"It's kind of interesting at a junior college where the kids are only there for two years. I've got a new team every year, and we're all having to adjust to the quick turnover," he said. "I like this year's team. We haven't been able to meet yet, but I'm excited after the talking we've been able to do."  

The plans are to continue growing the cross-country program, and now its season extends into the winter and spring as the team travels to indoor and outdoor meets, which has been a great new experience for some of the athletes. The team won't be participating in the sprints or field events, however.  

"Our plan is to just keep it from the 400 on up," Dickinson said.  

Being able run and compete year-round will help the athletes develop into stronger, faster runners and make the most out of their time as Skippers.  

Sophomore runner Caitlyn Rogers said she appreciates Dickinson's dedication to the sport and his team.  

"Coach Dickinson is by far the best running coach I have ever had. He is well experienced and knows how to meet the needs of each runner individually," she said. "He taught me to appreciate running as a whole instead of treating it like a chore." 

"I love that this is a lifelong sport. It's something you can do for the rest of your life, and you don't have to be naturally very good at it," Dickinson said. "It's one of those things that you can get the benefits of it when you work hard, and if you don't, you won't, so you can take a kid that's not super talented and help them see success."  

And that's just what Dickinson plans to keep on doing during his tenure as SC4's cross-country coach.