With an experienced group returning this fall, the Massachusetts Maritime men’s cross country team is looking to make a strong run at another Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference crown under veteran Head Coach Chris Ryan, who welcomes back eight letterwinners for the 2013 season.

Ryan, who guided the Buccaneers to the 2005 MASCAC title and has seen his squad contend for league championships throughout his tenure, will look to a trio of seniors to set the tone for the upcoming campaign, as he has appointed Steven Migridichian (Shrewsbury, Mass./Bancroft School), Erik King (Pittsfield, Mass./Pittsfield) and Christopher Affannato (Haverhill, Mass./Whittier Tech) as Massachusetts Maritime’s tri-captains.  Ryan describes the trio as ““individuals who have set a high standard for themselves and their teammates in competition and in academic performance.  They know the challenges that lie in front of them, and I have no doubt they will guide their teammates through those challenges to meet the goals and expectations that this program has always strived to attain.”

Ryan is also set to welcome back four talented juniors to the fold, led by Tyler Brady (Woburn, Mass./Woburn), who was the Buccaneers’ top performer throughout the 2012 season.  Brady placed 27^th individually at the MASCAC Championships and followed that up with a solid 175^th place performance at the NCAA New England Regionals, as he paced Massachusetts Maritime in all eight events a year ago.  Fellow juniors Brenton Andrews (Hubbardston, Mass./Quabbin Regional), Alexander Barnas (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) and Godfred Mbengam (Randolph, Mass./Randolph) lend additional depth and experience for Ryan, who also welcomes back sophomore Anthony DeTommaso (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) after a strong rookie performance in 2012.

Four freshmen round out this year’s roster for Massachusetts Maritime, as newcomers James MacVarish (Braintree, Mass./Norfolk Aggie), Connor Rosenberg (Brooklyn, Conn./Woodstock Academy) and brothers Chris and Matt White (Taunton, Mass./Bristol-Plymouth) will look to impact the Buccaneers’ fortunes as youngies in 2013.

Massachusetts Maritime begins the new campaign on Saturday, September 7^th by hosting the Ninth Annual Lt. Travis J. Fuller Invitational on campus beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT.  The Buccaneers will compete in 10 total events this fall, including regular season invitationals at the University of New England, UMass Dartmouth, Elms, CCRI, Westfield State and Emmanuel before running in the MASCAC/New England Alliance Championships on November 2^nd as well as the NCAA New England Regionals on November 16^th, with those events being hosted by Southern Maine.