“The funny thing is that he was so matter-of-fact about it,’’ said Ryan. “He’s so proud, and we’re proud of him. This young man has overcome so much.’’

Mbengam’s mother died when he was a toddler, and he and his five siblings lived in orphanages for many years. They were adopted by their aunt, Helene Sonkem, who came to the US in 1997.

Mbengam captained both the soccer and track teams at Randolph High and excelled in the classroom, elected to the National Honor Society.

After graduation, he enrolled at Mass Maritime with a goal of playing soccer, but he was cut from the team. He had never run distances before, but he approached Ryan just three days before the Buccaneers’ first meet to inquire about joining the squad. In his first race, he placed 20th overall with a time of 30:01 on the 5-mile course.

“It was a huge adjustment for him,’’ said Ryan. “He was used to running the 400 meters in high school, and five miles is a long way to run. It’s an eye-opener, but if you work hard you can build up to it and that’s what he did. He worked tirelessly to take on this challenge.”

That work ethic has paid dividends.

Mbengam has consistently placed as one of MMA’s top runners, and has been invited to run in Saturday’s NCAA Division 3 New England Regional championship meet.

“I was shocked,’’ said Mbengam, who is studying marine engineering.

“I’m so excited to run in my first NCAA race. I’ve had the chance to practice quite a bit so I’ve improved so much.’’

However, nothing matched the excitement that Mbengam felt when he became an American citizen on Sept. 27.

“It was a great day,’’ he said. “It was almost like I was living a dream, because I never imagined this. I was already becoming an American citizen with the right to vote. Every day when I get up in the morning it hits me that I am an American citizen. It’s crazy.’’

Mbengam misses playing soccer and hopes to find a club team to play on, but plans to stay with cross-country next season. After all, he is improving rapidly.

At last week’s conference championship in North Dartmouth, Mbengam ran his first sub-30-minute race, finishing the 8K course in 29:21, the third Buc to cross the finish line, and 43d overall.

“Just making the NCAA team is a tremendous accomplishment, considering he had never run cross-country before,’’ said Ryan.

“He’s a big part of this team. His teammates don’t know all of his background, but they know bits and pieces. They respect him a great deal.’’