At Alamosa High School, cross country isn’t just about miles. It’s about resilience, teamwork, and character.
No one embodies that more fully than Jennifer McQuitty, a coach whose influence stretches far beyond the finish line. For decades, she has guided young athletes not only to athletic success but also to personal growth, showing them how determination, heart and discipline can shape every part of their lives.
McQuitty’s own story begins in San Diego, where she faced a childhood marked by struggle. Weekends often found her trapped in a two-bedroom apartment with her mother, who battled alcoholism.
“I counted 602 days of my life trapped in that apartment on weekends with her,” McQuitty said. “Running got me away from that. It was a relief. It saved me because I was going downhill.”
For McQuitty, running became more than a sport. It was a lifeline, a structured outlet that offered freedom and control in a life filled with unpredictability.
Her first experience with organized running was in physical education class. Although she hadn’t seen herself as a runner, she surprised everyone — including herself — by posting the second-fastest mile.
Encouraged by her PE coach, who told her, “You need to try out for cross country,” she decided to give it a shot. That seemingly small choice became a defining moment, eventually shaping both her athletic and personal life.
As McQuitty continued her journey, her perspectives on coaching developed in response to her own experiences with both encouragement and rejection from mentors. In high school, one coach bluntly told her she wasn’t good enough for collegiate competition.
“That stuck with me,” she said. “It ruined my confidence at the time. I think I could’ve been so much better at Adams State if someone had just said, ‘You may not make the team, good luck.’ Instead, they shut me down.”
Her path to collegiate running also took shape through the support of those around her. After high school, her friend’s journey became a source of inspiration. “Dave, my husband and I are from San Diego, and we were high school sweethearts,” she said. “Nara Hawker ran on Dave’s team in high school, and she was the one who went to Adams State.”
When Hawker came home after her first year at Adams State, McQuitty noticed her friend’s remarkable fitness and newfound discipline. Moved by this transformation, McQuitty felt motivated to follow a similar path.
“Seeing her in such great shape inspired me to want to run there, too,” she said. That inspiration planted the seed for her own collegiate running career and ultimately guided her toward Adams State, a school that would profoundly influence her coaching philosophy.
McQuitty initially attended the University of San Diego and made the decision to transfer to Adams State, allowing her to realize her potential under the mentorship of Coach Damon Martin.
“I remember in the back of my mind, I never thought I was good enough to make the team,” she said. “Coach Martin completely changed that. The year and a half I was with him reshaped my outlook on training and coaching.”
The experience highlighted the importance of encouragement and guidance, a lesson McQuitty now carries into every practice she leads. Her coaching career began organically. She started by working with elementary and middle school runners, eventually moving up to the high school program when a position opened as a natural progression following the athletes she had coached for years.
“It was really a godsend that got me to where I am today,” she said. Over time, she has integrated her experience as a collegiate athlete with innovative training methods suitable for young athletes. She incorporates programs like Jay Johnson’s high school training regimen to balance intensity and recovery, ensuring athletes grow stronger without risking injury.
The results speak for themselves. In the 2022-2023 season, McQuitty led the girls’ team to a Class 3A cross country state championship and a track state title, a back-to-back achievement Alamosa High hadn’t seen since 1991. “Seeing the girls pull for each other, everyone giving their all, coaches crying, it was incredible,” McQuitty said. “It wasn’t just about points or times; it was about being part of something greater than yourself.”
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Alamosa competed Thursday at Region 2 Championship in Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs. The Moose boys tied Manitou Springs for first place with 57 points, while the girls team was fourth and also qualified for the State Cross Country Championship on Nov. 1.
The program is poised for another potential state title, this time with Ethan Merrick aiming to become Alamosa’s first state champion since Adrian Arnold in 1990. Merrick captured the individual regional championship title with a winning time of 15:46.
“We have a chance this year. We’ll see if Ethan can pull it off,” McQuitty said. For McQuitty, guiding athletes like Merrick is about more than winning races, it’s about teaching confidence, persistence, and the drive to reach one’s full potential.
McQuitty’s typical day as a coach is a balance of preparation, instruction and mentorship. She spends hours planning workouts, communicating with parents and ensuring every athlete, from freshmen to seniors, receives guidance appropriate for their abilities.
“My best part of the day is practice,” she says. “We laugh, we push each other and we work hard. It’s relaxed but focused. That’s the environment I want: family, dedication and fun all at once.”
Her coaching style emphasizes inclusivity and psychological development. Whether an athlete runs a 5K in 15 minutes or 30 minutes, McQuitty trains them with the same energy and care, fostering mental toughness and camaraderie across the team. She also adapts workouts based on individual needs, ensuring that those with injuries or limitations still participate meaningfully alongside their teammates.
Beyond the physical training, she focuses on character development. “I want my athletes to leave Alamosa High School with the strength to withstand the world, but also the compassion to care for others,” she said.
“It’s about building resilience, responsibility, and teamwork — on and off the course.”
Consuelo Reyes, her colleague and assistant coach at Alamosa High School, said, “It’s been a true honor to see how she operates as a coach. I’m also her colleague as a teacher, and she treats her athletes just like she treats her students — with kindness and understanding, but also by challenging them to reach new heights that they might not have thought possible. It’s really cool to see how she can inspire kids in ways that others might not expect. She’s constantly learning and reading, always doing more than what’s required to ensure her athletes succeed. That’s just who she is.”
McQuitty’s influence extends beyond individual athletes to the culture of the program itself. She fosters a sense of legacy, encouraging younger runners to learn from older athletes’ examples and emphasizing the rich history of Alamosa cross country. The team regularly celebrates past achievements, from achieving goals in practice to historic state championships, reminding students that they are part of a tradition larger than themselves.
Through personal struggle, athletic experience, and an unwavering commitment to her athletes, Jennifier McQuitty has become more than a coach. She is a mentor, a leader, and the heartbeat of Alamosa High School cross country. Every finish line isn’t just a point for the team, it’s where effort meets heart, where character is built, and where champions are made. In the lives she shapes, the values she instills, and the victories she celebrates, Jennifer McQuitty proves that coaching is about more than speed, it’s about heart.
