During a recent Roxbury Track Invitational, which is hosted by the Roxbury School District at Horseshoe Lake, Jenn Ennis, a Roxbury High School sophomore, displayed sportsmanship that has been commended by her peers, the Roxbury School District Administration, the Administration of Morris Knolls, the local papers and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.
Jenn, an accomplished runner, participated in the Roxbury Invitational. Late in the race, Jenn was running second to a very good runner from Morris Knolls.
According to Mr. Buddy Freund, Roxbury Athletic Director, “It was clear that Jenn was going to finish second to the Knolls runner. However, there is a turn at the end of the course and the Knolls runner continued to run straight rather than take the turn.”
Mr. Freund continued, “When Jenn took the turn she immediately became the leader, as the other girl had to backtrack to get back on the course.” Upon this occurring, Jenn continuously yelled to the other runner informing her that she was headed in the wrong direction. “Short of stopping, Jenn did everything she could to get the Knolls girl back in the lead; however, with so little distance left on the course, Jenn easily won the race and received all the accolades and awards of a champion.”
When reporters interviewed Jenn, immediately after the race, Jenn explained to the press that the runner from Morris Knolls was the one that was going to win the race until she ran off the path and as a result, Jenn commented that the Knolls runner deserved the first place award.
Upon reading about this account in the papers, Morris Knolls Athletic Director, Ken Mullen, wrote a heart-warming letter to the Roxbury Administration proclaiming Jenn Ennis’ sportsmanship. In addition, Mr. Mullen contacted the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and told them of the story. As a result, Jenn is being honored with a certificate for her outstanding display of sportsmanship.