Aug. 18, 2005

BEVERLY, MA -- Head coach Sean Dunleavy has seen the peaks and valleys of starting a Division III program. But there is reason for optimism as the men's cross country team enters its fourth season of competition.

The Gulls received their first team award in three years when they graded third place at the University of New England Invitational. Sophomore Scott Baldelli (Marlborough, MA) led the way for the Gulls finishing seventh overall. Captain Ben Quirk (Albany, NY) and freshman Tim Lyons (Haverhill, MA) had strong performances finishing 14th and 16th respectively.

Endicott lost senior captains Quirk and Bill Shemansky (Enfield, CT) to graduation but Baldelli is more than ready to take the reigns. The two-year runner narrowly missed the CCC All-Conference team in each of his first two seasons while junior Jon Harkins had a breakout sophomore campaign.

Junior Dan Slagen (Concord, MA) and sophomores Ryan Darmody (Portsmouth, RI) will provide some much needed depth as Endicott looks to repeat its outstanding team performance at the University of New England Invitational (September 10, 2005). On September 24, 2005, the men face several conference foes including cross-town rivals and host Gordon College at the Pop Crowell Invitational.

The Gulls will then see how they stack up against the CCC's best at the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championships (October, 29, 2005) and the region's best on November 12, 2005 at the NCAA New England Regional Championships, held at Springfield College.