Pete Dolan was a horrible coach (he doesn't deserve the title)! He will only coach you if you are producing for the team (top 7) in the current season. He will not develop you as a runner!
-He would only take his top 5 to some meets and forget to give out workouts to everyone else (Some of us called up our old HS coaches for training help then). I believe Pete never knew or cared.
-His program emphasizes early season high milage, then speed, and then anaerobic speed. this sounds great, but he always brought anaerobic speed in too early.
-In XC, we would peak at Pre-Nationals, every season. (see previous one)
-Most of his hard workouts are generic interval workouts without specific pacing (i.e. 5k, 8k, 10k pacing level). It was just group 1 go, group 2 go, etc. Lots of us went too hard, too many times (looking back on it now).
-He repeatedly ran us into the ground with multiple teammates of mine getting injured for the season or ending their careers entirely.
-He is very authoritarian (big bully) and comes down hard if you don't do things his way. Again this is mainly for those not in the top 7.
-Sophmore year: Pete wouldn't speak to me [including coaching in races] for a month after I told him "I had to go home" instead of asking "may I go"
-If you are red-shirting XC, he won't let you run with the team; all practices for you are on your own. (He usually goes for his runs about 10 minutes or so after the team runs so he can see if anyone is breaking his rule)
-August 2005, his men's XC team tryout (non-freshman) was a continuous run at 5:10 pace until you drop or he said stop. He finally stopped after only 3 of us were left still going (close to 7 miles). (girls had intensity-equivalent pacing)
-His XC frosh boy's tryout is a 2-mile time trial of 9:45 or better. (Girls have intensity-equivalent time)
-If you fail a tryout, you had to wait outside his office for a "talk" and his "mercy/pity"
-He demands loyalty and full commitment of his runners, yet gives them none in return.
-He has made some of the XC women cry a few times.
In short, Pete is a horrible coach for most and a decent coach for his chosen few.
No matter where you choose to go, be sure it's a school where you would still enjoy to be at even if you couldn't run for the team.