Heights High’s sole home cross country meet is not one that participants easily forget. With a brutal hill that has inspired “What the Hill?!” t-shirts, competitors need to summon strength, endurance and strategy to complete the 3.1-mile course. Former Heights cross country and track coach Scott McNulty knows this well, having run the course himself as a teen athlete and having coached plenty of kids from both Villa Angela-St. Joe’s and Heights High over the years.

And now that race will bear his name, as the meet changes from the McDonough Invitational to the McNulty Invitational.

It’s a full circle moment for McNulty and Athletic Director Joe D’Amato. The two met at VASJ, where D’Amato was Assistant Athletic Director and McNulty was the cross country and track coach. St. Joseph’s Academy and later VASJ hosted the McDonough meet for nearly 70 years, despite the fact that it takes place at Cleveland Heights’ own Forest Hill Park. Originally named for St Joe’s coach Jim McDonough, VASJ handed over management of the meet to Heights High in 2023.

And at the 2025 meet, with McNulty present, D’Amato announced the name change. “Scott made a lasting impact on both VASJ’s and Heights’ running programs,” said D’Amato. “It was his vision to continue the race when VASJ couldn’t any longer.”

With VASJ’s cross country program shrinking and Heights High’s on the rise, it was a natural fit for McNulty to take on management of the race in 2023, especially considering the fact that Forest Hill is the Tigers’ home course. “There would be no race if Heights didn't take it over,” said McNulty. “It’s an iconic park and gives teams a place to go where they can compete.”

Cross country team manager Andrea Lewis reports that there are approximately 40 high school teams registered to compete on Saturday, September 19th, with 350 boys and almost 200 girls as of the time of this writing. Several dozen middle school teams are also signed up to participate. “Heights cross country is grateful for the longstanding tradition of McDonough,” Lewis said, “and we are excited to continue the same great race now named for Scott McNulty.”

With Heights High junior Kassadi Thompson seeded first for this race (and currently ranked in the top 20 in the state), it should be an exciting day for all. The community is invited to attend and cheer on our Tiger runners throughout the day, with the girls’ varsity race starting at 8:40am, boys’ varsity at 9:20, D3, D4 and open races following, and middle school races at 12:40 and 1:10pm. The meet is also part of Heights Athletic Boosters’ Tiger Week events.

Cross country races are free to attend and contain a lot of movement around the course, so spectators should wear comfortable shoes and follow the crowds. There are also plenty of volunteer opportunities to make the day run smoothly.

Community members and district parents can sign up here: Click Here#/

Coach McNulty retired from coaching in 2024 but will attend his namesake invitational. “It’s such a nice gesture on Joe’s part to rename it,” he said.

D’Amato says that Heights High is “thrilled to be able to continue such a storied race at a great venue in honor of Coach McNulty.”