Desmond Sullivan ’29 Discovers Hidden Running Talent

Desmond Sullivan joined the cross country team as a seventh grader; he had never run before, but was hoping to make friends at Xaverian and thought trying something new would be the way to do it. What he didn’t know was that he would soon become a standout runner on the team. “When I placed fourth in my first race I was really surprised,” he says. “There were probably 20-something kids running, so getting top five was really big for me.”

This fall, Desmond competed in the Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational in New York, the Ocean State Cross Country Invitational in Rhode Island, the Catholic Conference Classic, and the Massachusetts State Middle School Cross Country Invitational. He earned a medal at the Catholic Conference Classic race with his sixth place finish; took 18^th place out of 230 runners at the middle school invitational; and made Xaverian history with his fellow runner Luke Herman ’30 by becoming one of the first two FXD runners to not only compete, but to also receive a medal in the Manhattan freshman race. “As a middle schooler, being invited to compete with the freshman team was really exciting,” he says. “The team is very talented, and they made me feel welcome and appreciated.”

His cross country coach, Mr. Steve Steinbergher, says he has enjoyed watching Desmond discover this aptitude for running over the past two seasons. “It has been a pleasure to see Desmond’s confidence grow as his times have gotten faster,” he says. “He is a very talented runner who has experienced a lot of success early in his running career.”

Desmond is now a three-season track athlete. In indoor and outdoor track, his events are the 800 meter and the one mile races. With a successful second cross country season behind him, Desmond isn’t patting himself on the back; he’s thinking ahead. “Last year I got the seventh grade mile record and this year I’d like to get the eighth grade one,” he says. According to Coach Steinbergher, the future for this talented runner looks promising. He adds, “As Desmond continues to work hard and train, I’m excited to see what he can accomplish in high school!”