Speed is His Strength

The news brought Tim Barry, Class of 2025, to tears.

Just minutes after he ran the best cross-country race of his life at the 2023 NCAA Division III Regionals, Barry learned that his time of 25:05:5 in the 8K event qualified him for nationals.

“I dropped to the ground and began crying,” says Barry, only the second Suffolk male cross-country runner to qualify for the nationals in school history. (Matyas Csiki-Fejer, BS ’22, made it 2019 and 2012; while Emily Manfra, BS ’20, became the first female in 2018.) “Making nationals had been my goal for a long time, and I just kept thinking about all the hard work it took to get there. In the end, it was all worth it.”

Barry has been making a name for himself on the Rams’ cross-country and indoor and outdoor tracks teams since 2021, competing and compiling impressive numbers in everything from the 800 meters (1:53.34) to the 5 Mile (25:43.8).

“Tim is one of the best runners I’ve ever coached,” says Will Feldman, BA ’10, now in his eighth year as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross-country and indoor and outdoor track teams. “Speed is his strength, and he is always working on improving his endurance. When he lets his natural talent takeover, he’s at his best.”

A drive to succeed

Barry, who grew up in Westborough, admits he’s a little driven. He runs 65 to 75 miles every week. He watches YouTube videos of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and decorated gymnast Simone Biles, holder of 11 Olympic medals, the better to emulate their focus and intensity.

“I hate losing more than I like winning,” he says.

Barry has brought that same competitive fire to his role as a team co-captain for three consecutive seasons. “He’s very vocal and definitely sets the tone for the team,” says Feldman. As coach, he says he’s also been pleased to watch Barry grow, both as a runner and as a person, “by not trying to be perfect all the time.”

“I’m a rah-rah type of person who can get riled up pretty easily,” admits Barry, who shares tri-captain duties this season with Jacob Dubin and Thomas Novy, both Class of 2025. “But over time, I’ve learned to take a different leadership style, getting to know my teammates better and what they need to get motivated.”

Barry also maintains a brisk pace off the cross-country course. A finance major, he has been a four-time Athletic Director Honor Roll selection at Suffolk, as well as a two-time Commonwealth Coast Conference (now the Conference of New England) All-Academic honoree.

He has participated in Alternative Spring Break, traveling to Denver, Colorado in 2023 to help build homes with Habitat for Humanity. As a member of the Journey Leadership Program, he traveled to Walt Disney World to learn about the theme park’s leadership philosophy and management style—and to swim with manatees.

For the past two years, he took an even bigger step outside his comfort zone, donning a tuxedo to host Suffolk’s SpringFest variety show, along with his former teammate/roommate Nico Miele, BS ’24.

“It was almost the same feeling as race day with all the preparation involved,” says Barry. “We had a dress rehearsal earlier in the day to meet everyone in the show and make sure we pronounced their names correctly. That’s when we began to get nervous. But once the show started, we got into it and started having fun and messing with the crowd.”

Off to a promising start

During the tenth annual Wheaton & Babson meet in Attleboro that opened the 2024 season, Barry finished the 5K race in fifth place (16:08.2) among 95 runners representing Division I, II, and III schools.

With Barry and a talented and experienced core of teammates leading the way, Feldman has high hopes for the season.

“This is the best team we’ve ever had since I’ve been here, with depth of talent in runners one through seven,” says Feldman. “They have grown together over the years and all of them are working toward the same goal—to win the conference championship. I feel this is our best shot to do it.”