Patriot Ledger // Published June 17, 2019 // By Mary Whitfill

QUINCY — The newly minted athletics program at Quincy College will soon grow with the addition of men’s and women’s cross-country teams, and longtime local running coach John Furey has been hired to lead the new teams. The teams will compete in four meets this fall in National Junior College Athletic Association Region 21.

“The idea of starting a new program from the ground up was the main factor in my desire to coach at Quincy College,” Furey said in a statement. “I’m excited to start the inaugural season and am actively recruiting high school runners, adults returning to school who are passionate about exercise, and those first-time runners who may be back of the pack.”

Quincy College launched its first athletics programs in August 2017 with men’s basketball and soccer teams, which also are part of the National Junior College Athletic Association. Women’s teams in the same sports started in the fall of 2018.

NJCAA Region 21 is made up of two-year colleges in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The division includes the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, Holyoke Community College and Bunker Hill Community College.

Quincy College cross country teams will start training Sept. 5 and will compete in four meets this season, two in September and two in October.

The teams will practice at the Quincy High School track and will run the hills near Hospital Hill and the trails near Pageant Field. There are no formal tryouts for the team, and everyone who’s interested is welcome to participate.

“Runners of all abilities are welcome to join Quincy College cross country,” Furey said. “We are not recruiting a specific caliber of a runner, but simply looking to foster a community of student athletes who love to run.”

Furey is a Quincy native with 33 years of experience coaching competitive runners. From 1998 to 2019, he was head cross-country coach at Emerson College. According to Quincy College, Furey has coached more than 3,000 Boston Marathon charity runners.

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