The slow, steady progress science makes against disease every year mirrors the way a distance runner moves through his pavement-pounding summer workouts.

Bishop Fenwick senior Bryan Mendes will be perfectly prepared, then, to enter his desired profession in the next decade.

A 12-season track athlete from Peabody, Mendes' favorite subject in school in chemistry. He hopes to develop vaccines and help cure disease after he attends Worcester Polytechnic Institute for college.

The native of Peabody has been a leader both in the classroom, where he ranks in the top five percent of Fenwick's Class of 2013, and on the track, where he is a three-season captain as a senior.

"Bryan is an especially sincere and empathetic person who is sensitive to others and their needs," said Fenwick cross country coach Steve Czarnecki. "He's the type of leader that takes younger runners under his wing."

A Salem News all-star in cross country, Mendes qualified for the Division 2 All-State meet and ran the third-best time ever on his home course. This past winter, he was a Tri-County League all-star while qualifying for the Eastern Mass. Division 4 championships at three different distances, plus as a leg of the 4x400 relay.

Beyond the track, Mendes received a University of Rochester Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award and carries a grade point average of 4.73. He's challenged himself with a number of honors and Advanced Placement courses.

"Bryan is a real thinker who willingly delves into the naunces of ideas," according to Fenwick guidance counselor John Jaworski.

Mendes is also a four-year singer in the Bishop Fenwick concert choir and a member of the Bishop Fenwick book club. He also serves meals at My Brothers Table in Peabody.