Swept Away: Fitch girls, boys race to season-opening wins over rival NFA

By Vickie Fulkerson © 1998-2002 The Day Publishing Co.
Published on 09/11/2002

Norwich — Lizzie Littlewood, Jenna Jones and Caitlin Kennedy were students at Cutler Middle School last year when their new teammates were in the headlines.

So were they nervous to join the Fitch Senior High School girls' cross country team, winner of the last three State Open championships?

Yes and no.

“I was nervous, I couldn't stop thinking about it,” Jones said following Tuesday's season-opening victory over Norwich Free Academy, which just happens to be the Falcons' chief rival in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Large Division.

“It was a lot of pressure,” Kennedy said.

Apparently not too much pressure.

Helping to cover for top runner Betsy Boucher, who ran but did not feel well, Littlewood, Jones and Kennedy teamed with sophomore Margo Ward and junior Blair Kauffmann to defeat the Wildcats, 21-37. NFA's Dana Merise won the 3.1-mile race in 20 minutes, 28 seconds, followed by Littlewood second, Ward third, Kauffmann fourth and Jones fifth.

The Fitch boys also defeated NFA, 22-33, getting a course record performance from senior Mark Olivier, who outsprinted defending ECC champion J.P. Mandelburg of NFA to the finish line. Olivier completed the scenic Mohegan Park Course in 15:41, sprinting for approximately the last 300 meters for the victory.

Not a bad season-opener for either of the Fitch teams.

“We knew Fitch was tough,” NFA girls' coach Gil LaPointe said. “If you were betting, you wouldn't have bet on us. But we had a couple of good surprises, too.”

Fitch, which graduated three key athletes in Rachael Harrington, Emily Watson and Amanda Zike — who had escorted the Falcons to four straight Class L state championships and four ECC crowns — has seven freshmen on its squad.

“I would have preferred to run this meet a little later in the season,” Fitch coach Shawn Towne said. “Dana Merise was very impressive for them. I thought we could run well ... I just had to let them know beforehand not to get too fired up at the beginning and go out too fast.

“I thought this was our opportunity to show we're still the team to beat in the conference.”

Merise, meanwhile, showed great improvement in winning the race. She ran the John J. Kelley Road Race this summer at Ocean Beach and the Rose City Challenge in Norwich, both more than 10 miles in length, increasing her mettle.

So when Tuesday dawned with temperatures approaching 90 degrees with a great deal of humidity, Merise made herself at home on her home course, which is considerably longer than most courses in the ECC.

“I practiced more,” said Merise, a senior. “I also believe in myself more. I didn't come out here just to win, I came out to push myself. I got to about third place and I asked God to help me hold on. ... I learned at running camp this summer that when it's hot to drink and drink. So I did that and the heat was OK.

“I got up close and just decided to go for it.”

That was also Olivier's approach to the boys' race.

An All-New England honoree last year, Olivier finished fifth in the ECC behind Mandelburg.

He also did a great deal of training over the summer and said he just tried to stay close to Mandelburg and let his kick provide the distance between them at the end.

“I've been looking forward to this race,” Olivier said. “I wanted to see where we're both at in our training. It was interesting coming in because I was worried about J.P., but also about their 2-3-4-5 guys for our team's sake.

“... I've tried hanging back in a race sometimes early in the season, but this is my senior year. If I didn't go then, when am I going to go?”

Fitch's Sean Burbank was third, J.P. Gilbert fourth and Ryan Gauthier fifth, helping provide first-year coach Peter Crump with a victory in his debut. It was also the debut, sort of, for NFA boys' coach Gene McGrath, who formerly coached the program for 20 years.

“They did everything I could have hoped for,” Crump said, “especially on an all-pavement course in this heat.”  

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