Kittatinny cross country team aces invitational

By Laurie Gordon
NEWTON — With about 400 meters left in the race, Kittatinny's Ali Schutte passed teammate Mollie Ankrom. Instead of being upset by the pass, senior co-captain, Ankrom, realized Schutte could catch three girls from opposing teams ahead of her which could provide the pivotal chance at the team win.
“Go get them,” Ankrom yelled toward Schutte. Schutte responded to Ankrom's cry, mustering energy from deep within and passed the opposing three on the brutal finish at the infamously difficult Garrett Mountain course. She iced fourth place in 22:11, nearly a minute faster than her previous best.
The Lady Cougars won the Passaic Coaches Invitational for the first time in over 10 years. It was also the second week in a row they beat defending champion, North Warren High School.
Cross country isn't a sport for the frail. It's tough. Yes, you're part of a team, but each race demands an individual summoning of guts and determination because every place counts. It's a sport that goes on rains, snow or shine. At the beginning of the season, which starts with Captain's Practices the second week in July, it can be brutally hot, and by the end, in November, temperatures can be freezing. Cross country is about running through mud and not being afraid to get down and dirty climbing out of the highly anticipated yet dread “bowl” at Holmdel Park. It's a sport like no other.
Ankrom feels that the team's hard work and determination paid off on Saturday. “When we work hard, the Kittatinny girls team can get anything done. I am so proud of everyone.”
The Lady Cougars are having their best season in years despite the loss of their number one runner and co-captain Katie Martin. Martin, who was second in State Sectionals as a freshmen, had hip surgery to repair a torn labrum in June and is sidelined for up to four months. This injury has not kept Martin from continuing to be a leader for Kittatinny. She is at every practice, as in the role of assistant coach and motivator.
“I will do anything I can to help and push these girls to reach their full potential,” Martin said. “I had a lot of success my first two years and I want to girls to experience that winning feeling also.” The sky's the limit when it comes to her potential. The hardest thing for her, now, is to wait out the recovery process from the surgery. In the meantime, she's a dynamic leader and her team's number one fan.
Ankrom made a two minute improvement from last week's Maroon Invitational, also held at Garrett Mountain. Freshman phenom, Emily Ward, continues to improve. Ward started the season with a fifth place finish in the freshman race at the Roxbury Invitational running 16:07 for the 2,000 meter course. Ward posted a 23:04 on Sunday, besting her 5K time by about a minute and placing third.
Bridgett O'Keefe, a freshman , was the team's fourth place finisher, posting a 24:29. She improved her personal best time by over two minutes. Dysany Fontenilla, a senior, transferred to Kittatinny this year from Brooklyn. The basketball and softball stand out is new to the sport of cross country and knocked four minutes off of her previous best time running 25:53 to place fifth on the team. Emily Schindler, a junior, is coming back from knee injuries. She was the team's sixth place finisher running 26:05 and like the others, markedly improving her time.
The team is truly a diamond in the rough. This weekend, they'll compete at the Brett Taylor Invitational, in Mahwah, and from there preparation for a run at Sectionals and hopefully the State Group Championships.