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When Dodgeville senior Molly Hanson stepped across the stage to pick up her diploma recently it was one of the few times in her life she has walked to success.
Most of the time she runs and that running has earned her a scholarship to compete at a higher level.
Molly, 18, has received a full scholarship, combining both athletics and academics, to Marquette University for cross country. She signed her National Letter of Intent with the Golden Eagles in November in the Dodgeville high school commons with several students looking on. She was accompanied by athletic director Scott Tolzman, cross country and track coach Denny McGraw and her parents Joe and Ann Hanson.
Molly picked the Golden Eagles after visiting there. She also had visits with UW-Madison and American University in Washington, DC.
Molly will report August 18 and start training with the cross country team immediately. She expects to compete for a spot on the team her first season.
She plans to major in journalism at the school.
Molly comes from a family well versed in running. Her father, Joe, coaches cross country and track for the Dodgeville-Mineral Point teams and was recently named to the WIAC Men's Track and Field All-Time Team as a distance runner.
Her mother, the former Ann Mulrooney, was a four time state champion in distance for Prairie du Chien. She ran in the Class B division.
Her sister, Michaela Courtney, won five state track championships and was second at the WIAA state cross country meet her senior year. She also ran for Marquette and has an impressive resume.
Molly, who said she receives inspiration from Michaela, has the fastest time ever ran at the state cross country meet by a Dodgeville-Mineral Point runner. She won the D-2 title last fall at Wisconsin Rapids with a time of 14:23.
This season she won the SWC championship in the 1600 in 5:04. At state she had the top five finish with a 4:54.
While many of the events at state track include trials and a final, the 1600 is only a final. Molly knew this meant both preparation and pain.
"I stretched a lot and talked to people, trying to calm down," she said. "I was horribly nervous. It was the most nervous I have ever been."
She also knew she had to accept it would hurt.
"The last 200 meters is when you have the most pain," Molly said. "I felt a burning sensation throughout my body and my legs went numb."
The finish was about as close as a finish could get. Molly nipped Platteville's Tricia Serres by one second as the Hillwoman runner crossed in 4:55.
"It was a really close race," Molly said. "I kicked past her down the stretch and hoped to keep her off me the rest of the race."
While the two young women are rivals on the course or the track they are good friends away from the competition.
"She is really nice," Molly said about Tricia. "She congratulated me after the race. We are friends."
Tricia will continue her running career at Luther College.
Molly said her coaches, Joe Hanson, Denny McGraw, Matt McGraw, Andy Palzkill, Scott Tolzman, Kurt VanDynHoven and Ryan Lipska have all been instrumental in shaping her as a runner. She adds that Michaela and her parents are her biggest role models.
Her teammates have been keys to her success, also.
"In cross country we were an extremely tight group during both the offseason and the regular season," Molly said. "In track we cheer for each other, support each other and do workouts together. We push each other to do our best."
She said she feels the Dodgeville-Mineral Point cross country and track teams will have very bright futures.
And the same could be said about her.
Austyn Whitlatch, a fellow senior who won a state title in hurdles, had this to say about Molly.
"We are good friends," he said, "and have been since I moved here. The way she performs shocks me. She never gives up and never says she can't do something. She is a true role model."