“During my coaching career at MHS I am proud that we won a Group 4 state sectional title, an Essex County tournament crown, have finished as the runner up in the ECT six times and havereached four Group 4 state sectional finals and five group sectional semifinals,” she stated.”

 

Jennings has been the head coach for six Essex County scholar-athletes, three NJSIAA scholar-athletes, four scholastic All-Americans and 49 Academic All-Americans.

 

Among the top Mountie laxladies she coached were: Sam Plummer, Katie vonHoffman, Adair Landy, Katie Joyce, Faith Richards, Sarah Keating, Catherine Williams, Catherine Taibi, Kristen McKenna, Katie Lotz, Rachel Baker, Natia Warren, Kayla Jennings, Jillian Jennings, Megan Morris, Allison Murnick, Lucy Ferguson, Maggie Bigelow, Lindsey Ewertsen, Julia Albert, Amanda Romano, Nora Giordano and Missy Wrede.

 

“I’m sure I am missing some,” added Jennings, who was extremely devoted to her players through the years. “I’ve been fortunate to coach some simply terrific players and outstanding young women through the years, that’s for sure!”

 

Besides Murnick and Brand other assistant coaches Jennings worked with at MHS included Fay Lonsinger, who had been the Mounties’ coach from 2000-03; Dawn DeMayo, Lauren Schmitt, Cionna Almedia, Corilyn Henry and Erinn Jenkins. Almedia, Henry and Jenkins had all played under Jennings.

 

The departing MHS lax coach also has kept active in both promoting the sport and always staying up to date on the latest happenings and improvements in the game.

 

“I am honored to have served on many coaching committees, helped to serve the NJSIAA, coach the Under Armour NJ Underclassmen and have been the NJ North All-American chairperson.”

 

Jennings, who was known by her maiden name, Ann King, as a teenage scholastic standout at MHS, playing field hockey for coach Louise Bellace and lacrosse for coach Hope Kerr, is married to Shawn Jennings, a former Mountie standout basketball player. Among the Jennings children are daughters Kayla and Jillian, who were scholastic standouts in both lacrosse and soccer at MHS and have since continued to enjoy splendid college women’s soccer careers at Boston College.

 

Ann and Shawn’s oldest son, Zach, is a 2014 MHS graduate and now a Penn State alum. He played basketball and lacrosse for the Mounties and currently works at Viacom in Manhattan.

 

The couple’s middle son, Max, who attended MHS as a freshman and sophomore, has since transferred to boarding school at Hotchkiss (Conn.) He plays football and lacrosse there and plays soccer for Black Rock FC Academy. And, their youngest son, Luke, is a second-grader.

 

Whether it’s the fact that Jennings has grown up in Montclair and continues to join her husband in raising their family there, the longtime Mountie lax mentor is quite happy about the fact that she has continued to been part of the community that the family has always called home.

 

“I am proud to have played at Montclair and to have given back to the program,school and community” Jennings added. “With an amazing staff and support system we have been able to build upon an existing girls lacrosse program and bring it to a higher level.

 

“I initiated the reestablishment of the Montclair Youth Lacrosse League which currently has over 200 girls in the program, and was founder of the On The Ball Lacrosse Camp which ran for 13 years.”

 

Most of all, the longtime Mountie girls lacrosse mentor will treasure the memories of so many terrific young ladies who she coached through the years.

 

“It has been my pleasure to have coached so many young women who have touched my life and I can only hope that I have made a difference in theirs,” she said. “I am grateful for all the relationships and people I have met along the way; coaches, players, parents, officials, athletic directors and administrators. I am thankful for all of my staff over the years, for the mentors who have helped me in these 22 years, and - most of all - I am grateful for the love and support of my husband, children and family.

 

“Montclair lacrosse will always be a part of me and I look forward to taking part in the search for a new coach. It is my intention to make it an easy transition for the program and the players.”

 

“Montclair lacrosse will always be a part of me and I look forward to taking part in the search for a new coach. It is my intention to make it an easy transition for the program and the players.”

Ann Jennings, Montclair girls lacrosse coach