Boys Varsity Cross Country

Team Overview

Cross country became a varsity sport at The Frederick Gunn School in the early 1960s. Highlights of the program’s history have been New England divisional championships in 1974 and 1986, and numerous male and female All-New England runners headed by Pat O’Neil, who finished first in the championships in 1973 and 1974. The yearly schedule includes a combination of six dual, tri, and quad meets. It opens with the preseason Canterbury Invitational meet which hosts over 35 independent school teams from the Northeast. In mid-season the runners race in the eight-team O’Connell Invitational. The season ends with participation in the Division IV NEPSTA Championships. The Frederick Gunn School is fortunate to be adjacent to Steep Rock Preserve and its many fine trails and dirt roads for running. There are also numerous roads and trails in other parts of town and the scenic 7.8 mile loop around Lake Waramaug.

Meet the Coaches

Morgen Fisher

Head Coach

Morgen grew up in Connecticut very close to The Frederick Gunn School campus. She graduated from the school in 2003 and went on to pursue a degree in aerospace at Middle Tennessee State University. She worked as a flight administrator and part-time charter pilot for a local company during the time between college and returning to The Frederick Gunn School to work. In the summers she continues to fly as a flight instructor out of Waterbury-Oxford airport. On campus, she teaches Earth and Physical Science, is the Science Department Chair, and Head Coach for Varsity Cross Country. Morgen lives in Beebe House with her husband, Elliott, their children, Hayden, Nathan and Connor, and their dog, a Mastiff-mix named Yeager (for record-setting test pilot Chuck Yeager).
Ian Rathkey

Assistant Coach

Ian Rathkey is an Assistant Coach for Varsity Cross Country, and Head Coach for X-Term in the winter. A native of New Jersey, he holds a bachelor's degree in East Asian studies from Connecticut College and a master's in international studies from Johns Hopkins University and the Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies. Prior to joining The Frederick Gunn School in 2021, as the Mandarin teacher and International Student Coordinator, Ian lived in Beijing and served as the Resident Director for the Chinese Overseas Flagship Program with the American Councils for International Education. He was also a remote translator and copy editor for Clean Air Asia. Ian has taught and tutored math for the SAT/PSAT and volunteered as a camp counselor. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, running, reading, playing games and constructing and solving crossword puzzles. Fun fact: he made his debut as a New York Times crossword puzzle creator in 2021.