Men's Cross Country Looks to Improve on 2005 Success

Aug. 21, 2006

BEVERLY, MA - Overcoming adversity was the slogan of the Endicott men's cross country team in 2005. After head coach Sean Dunleavy witnessed the graduation of co-captains Ben Quirk and William Shemansky, injuries plagued the start of the 2005 season. However, the team stuck together and peaked at the end of the season to finish on a high note.

The Gulls were shorthanded in the Pilgrim Pride Invitational, U-Mass Dartmouth Invitational and Pop Crowell Invitational, but that did not slow them down. They were determined to remain focused and with Dunleavy's help, the Gulls realized there was light at the end of the tunnel.

EC turned a corner at the Pop Crowell Meet (held at Gordon College), finishing 18th as a team. That race solidified the runners and served as fuel for the remainder of the year. Endicott College finished 10th at the Roger Williams Invitational 8K held at Colt State Park. Scott Baldelli '07 (Marlborough, MA/Marlborough) paced the Gulls, finishing 15th overall in 30:50. Ryan Darmody'08 (Portsmouth, RI/Portsmouth) (34:01) was 52nd, Jon Harkins '07 (Hollis, NH/Bishop Guertin) (34:34) was 62nd overall, Carlos Martinez-Nunez '07 (Mexico City, Mexico) (35:47) took 69th and Matt Harkins '06 (Hollis, NH/Bishop Guertin) (36:07) was 73rd in a field of 94 runners.

Endicott used that meet as a springboard into the month of October. The Gulls took home fifth place - the team's best finish of the season - at the Regis College Invitational. Baldelli was the first Gull to cross the line with a 17th place finish (31:58) while Darmody, who had an excellent second half of the season, finished in 30th at 33:52. John Harkins placed 37th in 35:14 and Matt Harkins followed directly after with a time of 35:15. Martnez-Nunez placed 44th (35:54).

The season ended on a positive note at the CCC Championships. Despite the unusual weather in the form of a late October snow storm, EC trudged through the course at Gordon College and earned a fifth place finish. Baldelli once again led the way for the Gulls in the conference meet, running his best race of the season in finishing 17th overall. Darmody and John Harkins '07 (Hollis, NH/Bishop Guertin) ran well for the Gulls, finishing 32nd at 31:54 and 43rd (33:36), respectively.

The men look to keep the momentum going from the end of the 2005 season. Jon Harkins will captain the 2006 edition of the Gulls. Tim Lyons rejoins the men's squad this season after taking last year off and will be providing the Gulls some much needed depth. Incoming freshman Sam Turner should add another experienced runner into the mix. He was a standout track star in high school and should help Endicott reach new heights in 2006.

Darmody is looking to build upon the major improvements he made in his sophomore season. He finished the 2005 season running a personal best time of 31:54 at the CCC Championships. Carlos Martinez-Nunez, who joined the team with limited running experience, made positive strides throughout the 2005 campaign.

The Gulls will run a scrimmage meet against Gordon College on August 26 before opening their season with the Pilgrim Pride Open at New England College on Saturday, September 2.