With seven letterwinners heading a solid group of returnees, the Massachusetts Maritime men’s cross country team is ready to make a run at its second Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference title in seven years under the guidance of veteran Head Coach Chris Ryan.  The Buccaneers will look to combine that experience with a talented crop of newcomers in tackling a tough slate of competition that includes six regular season invitationals.

Leadership has always played a key role in the success of Ryan’s program, and he will look for that once again this fall from senior Evan Balderelli (Brimfield, Mass./Tantasqua Regional) and junior Steven Migridichian (Shrewsbury, Mass./Bancroft School), who have been tabbed as Massachusetts Maritime’s co-captains.  Ryan describes the duo as “individuals who have provided valuable leadership and commitment to the program.  They set a great example for their teammates to follow, both in competition and in the classroom.”

Balderelli is the lone senior on this year’s squad, while Migridichian heads a junior class that includes returnee Erik King (Pittsfield, Mass./Pittsfield) as well as newcomers Christopher Affannato (Haverhill, Mass./Whittier Tech), Douglas Aldrich (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional) and Matt Lincoff (Wakefield, Mass./Wakefield). 

Ryan also returns a talented quartet of sophomores, including Brenton Andrews (Hubbardston, Mass./Quabbin Regional), Alexander Barnas (Easton, Pa./Easton Area), Tyler Brady (Woburn, Mass./Woburn) and Godfred Mbengam (Randolph, Mass./Randolph), as Brady posted the top individual finish for the Buccaneers at last year’s MASCAC/New England Alliance Championships and Mbengam was the first Massachusetts Maritime runner to cross the line at the Travis Fuller Invitational.  Fellow sophomore Christian Collins (Brimfield, Mass./St. John’s), along with freshmen Anthony DeTommaso (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) and Gregory LaBella (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth), look to make an impact during their first season with the program.

Ryan’s crew begins its quest for the conference crown on Saturday, September 8^th when Massachusetts Maritime hosts the Eighth Annual Lt. Travis J. Fuller Invitational on campus.