Sean Colligan had never been much of an athlete, at least not to his knowledge.

But when he decided to join the Goffstown High School cross country team his sophomore year, his natural athleticism soon became evident.

“When I started running, I was just really looking for a way to have fun and get some exercise,” said Colligan. “I never thought I would become the best runner from my school or anything like that.”

Colligan raised a few eyebrows late his first season when he was just a “middle-of-the- pack guy,” said his coach, Darren Hartung. “Then, his junior year, he just exploded onto the scene,” said the mentor. “It’s just a matter of him being an athletic kid, but never doing anything with it before. I think he surprised himself at how quickly he improved.

And quite frankly, he surprised me as well.

“It’s kind of weird because I’m a teacher too at this school, so when something like Sean happens, you wonder how many great athletes are sitting in your classroom.”

Colligan took 103rd place in his first Class L race in 2005. He’s been improving ever since.

Last year, Colligan finished 147th in the New England Regional Cross Country Championship race. His goal this time around was to crack the top 100.

After finishing 16th in the Class L state championship race Oct. 27 and 23rd at the Meet of Champions Nov. 4, Colligan earned his second trip to the New England Championships in Cumberland, Maine, where he finished 66th Nov. 10 among almost 300 competitors. He took 17 minutes, 6 seconds to complete the 3.1-mile course.

“The key to a race like that is you have to remind yourself that there are 300 kids in the race, and if you don’t sprint off the line, you pretty much get stuck in the pack,” said Hartung.

“Once you’re in the upper third, you kind of get pushed the rest of the way by the runners behind you.”

Colligan said keeping his expectations low and staying relaxed improved his performance.

To get there, however, the senior had to overcome a severe ankle injury he suffered in July. It took nearly three months to fully recover.

Colligan’s determination and demeanor, said Hartung, separate him from other runners.

At the same time, his example acts as a motivator to both fellow athletes and those who haven’t raced before.

“This is my fourth season as coach, and I’ve got to tell you, we needed a kid like Sean to kind of show the other kids what’s possible,” said Hartung.

His team finished dead last out of 18 teams his first year, but moved up to 14th this season, which is halfway to the coach’s goal of becoming a top- 10 team.

In addition, there were 14 runners on the squad when Colligan joined, he said. There are now more than 40.

“The program is still building, and when kids see it’s possible – and Sean is living proof – that’s how you build the program, and I think Sean has been an integral part of that.”