Bishop Hendricken’s Alex Doherty is among several talented distance runners that have graduated this past June for the Hawks. After overcoming a series of injuries his sophomore and junior years, Doherty closed out his high school career with a number of solid performances. He ran his PR for the 3,000-meter run just a week before the state meet when he won the Hendricken Invitational with a time of 9 minutes, 10.4 seconds. The Hawk standout, who is the son of former Providence College great John Doherty, a 13:15 5K runner, won that event in gutsy fashion. Just 200 meters into the race, he lost his shoe and ran the remaining 2,800 meters with just one shoe.
What would you consider the highlight of your high school career?
The highlight of my career would have to be winning the state and New England championships (this year) with basically my second family.
What was your most memorable performance?
Most memorable performance was the Class A Championships in cross country when Hendricken went 3-7 with a top 5 spread of 3.1 seconds. Top 5 (times) - 16:06 to 16:09.
What was your most difficult obstacle to overcome?
The combination of mono and my lingering ankle injury all through sophomore and junior year.
What advice would you give to younger athletes?
Train harder today, not tomorrow.
What will you miss most?
Going away to college I'm leaving two families. The family at home and my family on the Hendricken track team, these people I will miss most.
What are your future plans?
Run D1 at Quinnipiac University and majoring in AT (Athletic Training)/ Sports Medicine).
What influence has your coach (or coaches) had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
Running under the strong guidance of Jim Doyle and Daniel Brennan influenced me in too many ways to count. They have shaped me completely as a competitor to always have a winning mentality, but also a strong sense of humility and have respect for my competitors. These attitudes towards sports translate directly into social life; always have the drive to be the best when competing for a job position. Most importantly, have utmost respect for those to whom you may be competing with in school or a job.
Who would you like to say Thank You?
I would like to say thank you to my coaches Jim Doyle, Dan Brennan, and James Lourenco; they have taught me things beyond running every day. My mom, who is the strongest person I know. My father, who I dream to be like. All my teammates. Bobby Doyle for watching over our team and making each stride a little easier. RIP.