Libby Pullen | The Chronicle
Five years, five championships. For the Mason High School (MHS) Boys Cross Country team, the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) has gone from a goal to a tradition.
Behind the team’s continued success lies years of unwavering effort, leadership, and drive of runners like senior Caden Winship, who capped off an impressive final season with a commitment to run Division I Cross Country at the University of Cincinnati.
Although Winship started his first two seasons as an alternate, his placement on the team only fueled his determination to improve. By his junior year, he climbed to the top of the standings, finished first in his division, and helped his team to a remarkable State Championship win. After leading the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) for the past two years, Winship’s senior year was his last chance to secure a win for his team.
“I always [make] sure that I accomplish the things I need to, because team-wise, there were some guys that were struggling,” Winship said. “By trusting the coaching and knowing that we were going to be put together at the right time, GMCs ended up working out for us.”
Winning the GMC title is nothing new for the Mason boys’ cross country team. Since 2020, the Comets have claimed the trophy every season and have consistently swept the top placements at meets during the season. With such a strong reputation, they are expected to enter each season confident in their ability to defend the title.
A top-five finisher at the state cross country meet, Caden Winship earned GMC Runner of the Year honors for the second consecutive season.
“We were really confident going into GMCs,” Winship said. “We have had such a great program for so long. [Our goal was] to continue to show that dominance, the effectiveness that Mason has and respecting that tradition as well.”
On top of their tradition of excellence, Mason’s consistent dominance in the GMC has created a unique dynamic among the other schools in the conference.
“We will have a random coach start cheering for one of the other fast guys from another school to ‘go get that Mason kid’,” Winship said. “They do not want us to have the impressive run of one through five, which is a perfect sweep.”
Head coach Tim Pitcher, now in his eighth year with the program but his first as head coach, knows that winning is only a part of the mission. His focus goes beyond first-place medals and Personal Records (PR’s), he is building athletes who carry lessons of discipline and perseverance beyond the cross country course. “Our philosophy is to develop these boys into young men,” Pitcher said. “The discipline [that] they are going to learn through running, through dedication and overcoming adversity, are things that [they will] not only embody but [also] apply later in life.”
This focus on development and discipline has fostered a culture in which athletes uphold the program’s standards and push one another to excel. Their success reflects commitment to the coaches’ vision, giving the team its competitive edge.
“We tell the boys our goal is to prepare and equip you to be the best that each of them can be,” Pitcher said. “If that brings us a win, great. If it does not, and somebody else beats us on another day, good for them. We know when we leave the course that we have done all that we possibly can.”
Though the team fell short of a state championship this year, their third-place finish still cemented Mason’s place among Ohio’s most elite cross country programs. Winship finished the season fifth in the state and earned the title of GMC Athlete of the Year for the 2025 season, his second time receiving this achievement, as well as named a First Team athlete for this season, which highlighted his leadership and growth after four years as a Comet. Coach Pitcher was also named GMC Coach of the Year for this season, further highlighting the team’s success.
The team’s consistent success is a reflection of the culture that Pitcher has instilled, focused on grit, commitment, and overcoming challenges. For the athletes, the goal is more than just winning; it’s about upholding the legacy and the standard of excellence. Pitcher said the team often talks about maintaining its hunger for success, even when they are on top. This mentality is what has led them to the state championships of the past and what will carry them in the future.
“We used the analogy of Rocky III,” Pitcher said. “[Once you] become the champion, it is easy to take things [for granted], and allow people talking about you to become a distraction. You have got to keep working hard because there are plenty of people and teams looking to knock us off.”
