Over the last four years, Fitz Courtney ’26 has been an essential contributor to Belmont Hill’s Cross Country and Nordic Skiing programs, both athletically and as a leader. Due to his contributions and leadership, he earned the title of Captain for both the Cross Country and Nordic Skiing Teams for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
He joined both teams as a freshman at Belmont Hill and quickly found success, becoming a varsity contributor in both sports. Just last season, the Nordic team placed first in the Lakes Region Championship with five athletes in the top 10. Fitz finished 7th, helping score the team first. Fitz also placed well at New England’s, finishing 11th, which helped the team secure 2nd place.
In Cross Country, Fitz completed an impressive season this year, finishing 7th at ISLs and 2nd on the team, an impressive feat and improvement from 17th the year before, which helped contribute to the team’s 2nd place title in ISLs.
Along with being a skilled athlete, Fitz constantly demonstrates leadership. When asked about his goals for this upcoming season, Fitz mentioned, “One goal is to continue to support the people on the team that are younger or less experienced to have them feel like part of the team and that they matter.” Fitz embodied much of this goal these past few years, with many of his teammates having said the same.
One teammate in particular mentioned, “Fitz is a really great leader; he leads by example with his work ethic, especially on workouts, and he talks and connects to the younger guys on the team.” Another teammate added, “I always liked how Fitz was able to make everyone on the team feel included; the team is always bringing in new guys every year and I feel like the team culture is always very supportive because we have leaders like Fitz who are able to create an environment where there is a shared feeling of brotherhood.” Fitz understands how to get the younger kids on the team involved and engaged because when he was younger, he mentioned that he felt a little distant from the older kids on the team, particularly during workouts and in the overall team culture. As a result, he made one of his own goals when he stepped up as a senior leader to make sure that everyone felt like they knew each other and felt comfortable being on the team. His younger brother, Pierce Courtney ’28, has also played a key role in Fitz’s perspective on the team culture as one of the younger athletes on the team.
Fitz got into both cross country running and Nordic skiing at a young age. He participated in running races with his dad when he was young and joined a skiing club team from kindergarten to 3rd grade before moving to Pennsylvania in middle school, where he took a break from skiing. When he moved back to Massachusetts and joined Belmont Hill in the 9th grade, he officially joined the Cross Country running team and restarted his career in Nordic skiing.
Looking back on his years at Belmont Hill, Fitz mentions that the support from his teammates and coaches was one of the most important parts of his athletic experience. Particularly, coaches like Mr. Trautz, Mr. DeCaprio ’16, and Dr. Calloway have always been there for him and helped him improve every day. Fitz has credited those coaches with also contributing to a team environment where athletes and coaches feel comfortable with each other and feeling like a unified team. Fitz also mentioned some older kids on the team from his younger days who helped him when he was younger who were juniors and seniors when he first joined the team; he credits those older athletes as being sources of inspiration for how to be a true Belmont Hill leader as well as lifting others up through leading by example.
One of Fitz’s largest challenges was time management. During his first two years at Belmont Hill, time management was something he struggled with often both inside the classroom and out of it:“Time management took me two years to figure out. Until junior year, it was something I really struggled with and I had to constantly look for ways to address this problem.” Junior year, he figured out how to use his time much more efficiently. He focused on using his time effectively during school and study halls, visiting teachers to get ahead on his work. Therefore, he now has a more manageable workload at home, especially if he comes home after a very challenging workout.
This season, Fitz and the Nordic skiing team are working to try and win another Lakes Region title. He is hoping to make a top 5 finish in the Lakes Region Championship. Outside of school, Fitz is trying to qualify for the EHS meet to attempt to make the state team and compete against other states. The Panel congratulates Fitz on a successful Belmont Hill athletic career and wishes him the best of luck in the rest of his time at Belmont Hill and beyond.
