Martucci brothers have big weekend

For one reason or another, Ben Martucci could never seem to get a crack at running the Gasparilla Distance Classic.

The 2007 Hernando High graduate was always either sick or injured, then last year his coach at Florida Southern College held him out of the race.

Finally last Saturday he had his opportunity, and he made it worth the wait. The 21-year-old posted a 15:02 in soggy conditions, crossing the finish line first in the 5k portion of the Tampa-based annual event.

"It just feels good," Martucci said. "There are so many people, it's such a good atmosphere, it's such a popular race. It feels great to be a part of it.

"I love to run in the rain. It's colder of course and it's the best running weather possible. I think the weather helped me out. The tight turns we had to make was the only thing that held me back.

"...It definitely ranks up there. I wanted to get a 5k under my belt."

The victory, in which he finished three seconds ahead of Tampa-Chamberlain High senior Mark Parrish, is the continuation of a fantastic junior campaign with the Division II Moccasins.

Four times he ran the Mocs' fastest time during cross country season; including a first-place 8k time of 25:01.88 as Florida Southern claimed the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) championship in late October.

He also had a third-place 10k showing of 32:12, helping the Mocs take second in November's NCAA South Regional Meet.

Martucci was a two-time All-South Region and All-SSC Championship Team selection coming into this season, as well as a first team All-SSC pick as a sophomore.

He repeated as an All-SSC member in 2009, additionally earning the conference's Runner of the Year honors. Plus in track and field last year, he registered six top five finishes and three individual wins.

Clearly he has picked up where he left off as a multiple state medalist in cross country and track while with the Leopards, and he still has the recently started track season to add more to his resume before he becomes a senior.

"It's honestly been like a carbon copy of my high school career, where my junior year I broke out," Martucci said. "It's a year where you've got to take leadership. I felt like I peaked at the perfect time. I felt like if I took a leadership role I'd have to perform at a top level."

In the classroom, he has a GPA just under 3.2 as he works toward a degree in physical education. He's training to be a personal trainer, but said he might end up owning a running store and coaching while maintaining his own racing career.

"As long as I help people, that's what I want to do," Martucci said. "I always want to better people, make sure they reach their own goals."

Drew: Hitting the books

Ben's twin brother, Drew, has put together his own solid career in is third year at Florida Southern.

He made the All-SSC Championship second team as a sophomore, and the All-SSC squad this past season finishing third behind his brother and fellow Moc Eric Larson in the 2009 SSC Championship Meet, running a 25:45.52.

In the 2009 track season he competed in three meets and posted a top 10 finish in each one.

But it hasn't been the smoothest transition to the college ranks, on and off the course. He's currently trying to recover from an illness that has derailed his recent progress.

"I've got to get back to where I was last semester," Drew Martucci said. "Ben is running really well and I'm just trying to get back on his level.

"...I was excited for him (winning at Gasparilla). I didn't think he'd pull it off. I knew he could win it, but I didn't think he'd run that fast. Me and Ben are not really training for 5ks, we're more middle distance."

Not that Drew can't tout a recent accolade of his own, since a day prior to Gasparilla he was chosen by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as a Scholar-Athlete.

The human movement and performance major, who like his brother has hopes of becoming a personal trainer, has raised his GPA above 3.2 after initially falling below 3.0 when he arrived at Florida Southern.

"I'm pretty excited about (being named a Scholar-Athlete)," Drew Martucci said. "I didn't think I'd come close to achieving it. My athletics were good to go. My academics, I didn't get off to too good a start when I got here.

"...I found a way to pull it up. I think it was a lot motivation from my professors. It's a pretty big deal to get Academic All-American. I didn't know what it was until someone told me about it."

Once he did find out, it became an aspiration. As a runner, though, there are goals he said he hasn't yet reached. He feels like he needs to get himself physically and mentally back together heading into his final collegiate season.

"It's not the career I wanted to have," Drew Martucci said. "I got a lot better my freshman year, now I'm at a standstill. I have another year to look forward to. I'm not worried about it too much. I'll get there."

BY THE NUMBERS: BEN MARTUCCI
Year Races Top 8k Top 10k
2007 5 26:19.15 32:51.30
2008 6 25:23 32:43
2009 6 25:01.88 32:12

BY THE NUMBERS: DREW MARTUCCI
Year Races Top 8k Top 10k
2007 5 27:02.29 33:46.70
2008 5 25:27 34:03
2009 7 25:45.52 33:14