BREAKING: NCAA XC All-American & 7:42 (3k) Runner David Mullarkey Transfers to Northern Arizona

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Written by Conor Day, additional edits & commentary via Garrett Zatlin

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Earlier today, Northern Arizona announced that David Mullarkey was signing with the team as a standard transfer. The move comes shortly after Mullarkey’s former coach, Bob Braman, announced that he was retiring and leaving Florida State. According to TFRRS, the future Lumberjack is expected to have at least one full year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition.

A native of England, Mullarkey has been outstanding ever since entering the NCAA in the spring of 2023, making four different national meet appearances. A 3k and 5k specialist on the track, the greatest value found on Mullarkey's resume is the fact that he's a legitimate three-season threat.

Holding personal bests of 3:58 (mile), 7:42 (3k) and 13:28 (5k), Mullarkey boasts respectable turnover while maintaining a clear inclination for the aerobic-centric events. And while the English distance talent hasn’t run a 10k on the track yet, his cross country results suggest that he would be incredibly strong at that distance as well.

Photo via Andrew LeMay

Those cross country results that we are referencing are his breakout 14th place finish at the 2023 Nuttycombe Invite, bronze medal performance at the 2023 ACC XC Championships and 40th place run at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. That latter result was actually a slight "off" day for Mullarkey despite him still earning All-American honors.

Mullarkey's long distance tilt and immediate cross country promise is exactly what Coach Mike Smith has historically sought in recruiting when building his aerobic-centric program. That is precisely why NAU was one of the two schools that we suggested for Mullarkey when he first entered the transfer portal.

Mullarkey is the first step in NAU’s attempt to replace the glaring holes in their projected 2024 cross country lineup. The Lumberjacks will no longer be able to rely on Nico Young, Drew Bosley, Brodey Hasty or Aaron Las Heras as the former has signed a professional deal with Adidas while the latter three men are out of cross country eligibility.

The men of Flagstaff do return a handful of promising names such as All-American ace Santiago Prosser as well as Colin Sahlman, Corey Gorgas and Cael Grotenhuis (among others). But Mullarkey's introduction to this roster changes the trajectory of this team in a significant way. By adding another low-stick to the fold, Mullarkey bolsters NAU's chances of remaining on the podium while simultaneously relying less on the natural growth of less proven names.

NAU will certainly be counting on Mullarkey for a top-half All-American finish later this fall in order to achieve the same team success that they have had recently. Training at altitude with teammates who are at a similar level as him could also be the exact thing that could elevate Mullarkey to a tier that makes him more of an All-American lock rather than an All-American contender.

After signing David Mullarkey, how would you best classify the NAU XC men?

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