Area residents lead Montclair Kimberley Academy girls cross-country team to Essex title

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The rich tradition of outstanding distance runners at Montclair Kimberley Academy became full evident two decades ago with the terrific harriers groomed by the late, great coach Tom Fleming of Bloomfield, the same man who won the New York City Marathon twice in the 1970s.

Current MKA coach Tim White of West Orange has done his own solid job guiding the cross- country and winter and spring track teams for the Cougars. And the current fall season is not only harkening back to the heyday of top individual Cougar runners such as Oskar Nordenbring of Bloomfield and siblings Nicky and Emily Naranjo, but is now showcasing its own heralded all-time great MKA harrier in 2023 Essex County girls cross country meet champion Maggie Horn of Montclair.

There is more to be proud of because in addition to Horn, there was also a complete team effort to help lead MKA to its first-ever Essex cross-country team championship during the recent race held at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield.

Horn led the way with a first-place time of 18 minutes, 13.31 seconds, well ahead of second-place Mae Dowling of Columbia (18:57.96) while Avery McAdams of Montclair was third in 19:25.

In the final team standings, MKA had a first-place low of 69, while Columbia (78) was second and Montclair (79) finished third.

In the Essex boys race, senior Ian Zalewiski of Verona finished first in 16:08 followed by sophomore Connor Polen of Newark Academy (16:15.79) and junior Benjamin Lattimer of Caldwell (16:39.77).

Columbia captured the Essex meet boys team title with 45 points, followed by Millburn (69) and Seton Hall Prep (76).

For a small school like MKA, team titles against predominantly larger schools in the Super Essex Conference are never easy to achieve, which makes the 2023 fall Essex crown especially satisfying, led by a veteran runner in Horn, who is listed at No. 13 in nj.com’s Oct. 24 ‘Girls Fab 50’ on the statewide cross-country scene.

“Maggie is incredible,” White exclaimed. “It has been amazing to watch her grow as an athlete these last few years. She always has had a ton of potential, but she has worked hard and has become one of the best distance runners in county history.

“Having somebody with her ability and leadership has been invaluable for us. She leads not only with her top-notch performances, but also by motivating and encouraging our younger athletes to do their best.”

Great support behind Horn for MKA was provided with seniors Natalie Ewing, who was 10th at 21.16 and Olga Shandarivska, 16th at 21:35; freshmen Victoria Altirs, 19th at 21:43; Milena Kwapniewski, 27th at 22:38; and sophomore Maren Wheeler of South Orange, 29th at 22:42.

MKA is just a very small girls team, so multiple contributors to team scoring in any meet is essential for overall team success.

“You can’t win a cross-country meet with one athlete,” said White, who was nj.com’s 2022-2023 indoor track coach of the year after guiding the Cougars to their second straight prep B championship and a Non-Public B state crown. “It always helps having someone on your team come in first, but it takes depth to take home a team title.

“Every single girl on our team ran a big PR. Natalie Ewing is one of the most clutch runners I’ve ever coached. When the light shines brightest, she performs at her best. She ran a big PR to place 10th and that really helped our team.

“Olga is an inspiration to our squad. She works hard and always has a smile on her face. She stayed healthy the entire season and ran her best race when it counted the most.

“The fourth- and fifth-place finishers on a team can have a huge impact on where the team finishes. The difference between getting 30th and 60th place can swing the scoring of a meet and can sometimes only be a 30-second difference. 

“Victoria Altirs has a tremendous amount of talent. We saw right from week 1 that the sky’s the limit for her. We think that she can be one of our all-time greats. She ran a big PR in the counties placing 19th overall. We feel the same way about Milena. As a freshman, she was learning a little bit about the sport and her potential from every race. In the counties, she ran the race of her life, had a huge PR and placed 27th and we couldn’t be more proud of her. 

“Our sixth finisher, Marin Wheeler of South Orange, also ran a PR and has been one of the biggest influences on the development of our younger girls. Our seventh finisher, Olivia Olson of West Orange, has constantly improved all season and has a very bright future.”

With continued hard work put in by the athletes, plus terrific work by the coaching staff, the MKA girls had what was simply a day to remember in the 2023 Essex County championship race.

“I am so proud of this team,” stated White, who also guided the 2021 Cougar girls to a Non-Public B outdoor track team crown. “I said at the beginning of the season that this fall had a special feeling to it and to bring home the school’s first Essex County title is a dream come true. With the strength and size of some of the bigger schools in Essex County, you never know when or if a championship will come. All I can do as a coach is stay positive and try to put my athletes in the best position to perform their best. 

“It has been a lifelong goal of mine to lead a team to a county championship so I’ll never forget this!

“The coaching community in Essex County is a great group of people, and although we are rivals, when the gun goes off, it’s all about the student-athletes and we all want everybody to do well. The congratulations and support I got from the other coaches was a tremendous display of sportsmanship.

“I couldn’t have done this without my amazing assistant coach, Sarah Bradley. As a former MKA runner who ran under legendary coach Tom Fleming, she adds a special element to our team that other programs might not have. She’s a great coach and has become a great friend.”

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