Sid Slark was named women’s cross country coach at SNHU prior to the 2003 season.
The Penmen women’s program has steadily improved under Slark’s tuteleage, as the top 13 5K times, as well as 17 of the top 20, have been established during his tenure. In 2008, the program earned its first-ever regional ranking, appearing in the USTFCCCA East Region Top 10.
Slark is a graduate of Manchester Central High School, where he competed on the cross country and track teams. An active member of the local road racing circuit for 40 years, Slark has competed in three Boston Marathons, with a personal best time of 3:03:14. He has also competed in the Mount Washington Road Race twice and is a two-time National Senior Games qualifier in both the 5K and 10K.
Slark has also coached extensively at the youth levels, guiding Hillside Junior High School to three Manchester city championships in cross country.
A lifelong resident of Manchester, Slark lives with wife Susan. The couple has two sons, Chris and Jeff. Slark has owned and operated Slark Custom Interiors, a flooring company, for the past 25 years.
Mary Garrity is in her fifth year as an assistant coach with the SNHU women’s cross country program.
A Manchester native and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Garrity was a four-year member of the Wildcat cross country and track and field teams. Prior to that, she competed at Manchester Central High School.
Garrity is a veteran of the local road race circuit and has competed in numerous races, including several marathons. In 2010 she posted a time of 3:11 and finished fourth among New Hampshire women at the Boston Marathon, while she finished fourth at the 2009 Manchester Marathon with a 3:17 effort. Most recently, she completed the Allgau Panorama Mountain Marathon in Germany, placing second overall.
A 2005 graduate of UNH, she earned her bachelors’ in Education and Sociology. Garrity recently completed her master’s at SNHU in Elementary and Special Education.