Fox Chapel’s Fitch hits senior year at full speed

By: Marty Stewart
Friday, August 2, 2019 | 6:32 PM

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Fox Chapel rising senior Christian Fitch has been a mainstay on the cross country and track teams since his freshman year.

He was MVP of the track team as a freshman. For his senior year, Fitch has set high goals for himself and his teammates, but his sights are first set on the upcoming cross country season.

“I think that we will be very strong this year,” Fitch said. “We only lost one of our top five scorers from last year, and we have some very good younger runners. I’ve seen them run at our informal practices at North Park, and they are definitely making strides.”

“We’ve had some big accomplishments in my time on the team. We won some big invitationals, and, two years ago, we won the section. That was huge. We hadn’t done that in a long while. Last year, we came in fifth at the WPIALs and that was quite an accomplishment for us. Individually, I finished fifth at states last year. That was my best performance at the PIAAs, and I’m hoping to better that this year.”

Fitch has begun narrowing his college choices.

“So far, I’m looking at Cornell, Ohio State, Temple and Pitt. They’re my favorites,” he said. “I really have no concerns whether I’m going to college in the warmer weather down south or staying up north. The academic and athletic programs will dictate where I go.”

He hopes to continue with cross country and track in college.

Fitch has maintained a steady training regimen this summer.

“I’ve been running a lot. Before we started the informals, I was doing a lot of afternoon running in the heat, and I’ve continued that,” he said. “The heat hasn’t really been a troublesome issue. I’m doing about 60 miles a week.”

So what does he need to do to contribute as a college freshman?

“First off, I have to stay healthy. I also have to work a lot,” Fitch said. “Once I arrive on campus, I want to learn from the experienced guys on the team. That will be invaluable.”

For now, he is focusing on bringing another section title to Fox Chapel.

“That would be a great way to finish my cross country career at Fox Chapel. I like our chances. Everybody is working hard and we’re anxious for the season to begin,” he said. “I think two of the top teams in our section will be Central Catholic and Indiana. Central is always strong. Indiana lost some runners from last year, but I’m sure they’ll reload. Outside the section, I think the top competition at WPIALs will come from Upper St. Clair, North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon.”

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