BEVERLY, Mass. – Junior Kimmy Shephard (Essex, Conn.) took first overall in a field of over 25 runners as the Endicott Gulls cross country team took first place in the first ever regular season event held on the Beverly campus. The Gulls scored just 21 points, including having three of the top five finishes, while Salem State finished with 52 points.

Shephard ran the five kilometer course in a time of 21:01. Junior co-captains Holly Davis (Guilford, Conn.) and Brittany Plante (Nashua, N.H.) took third and fourth place, respectively with times of 21:21 and 21:45.  Jillian Mendes (Waterbury Center, Vt.) and Monica Garden (Essex Junction, Vt.) finished a second apart to also figure in the decision for the Gulls.

The men ran an 8 kilometer race, which was won by Alex Gomes of Salem State University. The Vikings brought three men to the event, while four males competed for Endicott’s cross country team. Though neither team had enough members to qualify for a team win, there were several great showings and an excitement from the Endicott team about being able to run on a home course.

Senior captain Greg Payne (North Attleboro, Mass.) finished second overall with a time of 31:01. The other Gull participants were Alex Walecka (36:09, 5^th place), Kevin Duffy (42:35, 6^th place) and Michael Turner (58:41, 7^th place).

The Gulls will be in action again next Saturday when they travel to North Dartmouth, Mass. for the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. The Salem State cross country teams will travel to Franklin Park on September 24^th for the Codfish Bowl.