Meet the Coaches

Coach McKenney (center): Welcome to the MMS Cross Country Team! I'm Coach Lori McKenney and  I am currently a third grade teacher in the district and also help coach Track Club  for the Recreation Department.  I have been running since I was 12 and I still love to run and never want to stop!  I have also coached Special Olympics and a program called Girls on the Run for 3rd - 5th grade girls for  6 years. I have 3 children: my oldest daughter, Hope, is a rising senior at Penn State University and has been a runner since third grade; my daughter, Katie, is a rising freshman at Penn State University and plans to swim on the PSU Club Team  and participated on the cross country, swim and track and field teams for MASH; and my youngest, Ryan, is going into 9th grade and will be on the  MASH  XC and track teams, and he is also on the Dexterity Depot team and skis.  My focus was the 2 mile in high school and college but I love everything from the 5K to the marathon now! Running and encouraging people are two of my favorite things so I am so excited to be a part of the Middle School Cross Country program with Coach Gates and Coach Basehore.  We are going to have an awesome season with these runners!

Coach Gates (right): I started my running journey at Mechanicsburg High school on the cross country team (fun fact Coach McKenney was one of my coaches in high school.) When my kids were both in school, I picked it back up nine years ago. I have coached Girls on the Run for 5 years and was a Volunteer and Assistant coach for the past three years at MMS. One of my passions with coaching is watching young runners accomplish their goals and work to exceed what they even thought was possible. Running has brought me great joy in my life, confidence and has showed me that outcomes are directly related to hard work. My goal is to help our athletes love running as much as I do. The best part about running is that it can be a lifelong sport, something they can take with them to help maintain their health and wellness, and reduce stress.

Coach Basehore (left): I began coaching cross country at Mechanicsburg Middle School as a volunteer in the fall of 2017.  Previous to that, I was a  coach for Girls on the Run at Northside Elementary for 3 years from 2014 to 2017.  I have always had a passion for sports and exercise and believe they both can help an individual learn how to strive and meet goals and create a healthy lifestyle. I am a part time personal trainer and also work part time as a substitute teacher in the Mechanicsburg Area School District.

Please feel free to contact us!

mmsxccoaches@gmail.com