Cross Country Looks for Strong Showing at MASCAC Championships
Buzzards Bay, Mass.— Westfield State University will be looking to defend its respective crowns when it hosts the 2012 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships that will take place on Saturday, October 27th at Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass. as part of the 16th Annual New England Alliance Championships. The 42nd Annual Men's Championship race will begin at 11:00 a.m. EDT, followed by the 28th Annual Women's Championship race at Noon EDT, as both MASCAC crowns will be contested as part of both the New England Alliance Championship races as well as the 25th Annual Little East Conference Championships.
Westfield State reclaimed the MASCAC men's crown during last year's rain-soaked 2011 championship race at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, as Head Coach Bill Devine's Owls posted a score of 39 points to top runner-up and 2010 conference champion Bridgewater State's total of 45 points. Westfield State placed all five of its scorers among the top 11 individual finishers in last year's event, as senior Anthony Frissora (Shrewsbury, Mass.) is the top returnee in that group after placing sixth a year ago. There will be a new individual champion crowned in this year's race, as Salem State's Alex Gomes graduated after taking two straight MASCAC titles. Bridgewater State senior Stephen Wahome (Lowell, Mass.) is the top returning runner from last year's championships, as he placed third individually in the competition.
Westfield State has won 24 MASCAC team titles on the men's side since 1972, including an 11-year stretch from 1983 through 1993. Boston State won eight of the first nine league championships from 1971 through 1979, while Bridgewater State and Fitchburg State have won four and three team crowns, respectively. Salem State and Massachusetts Maritime have each won one MASCAC title as well.
Westfield State earned its eighth straight crown on the women's side by placing all five of its scorers in the top eight and posting a team score of 23 points in the 2011 championship, as the Owls topped runner-up Worcester State by 28 points in the competition. Westfield State sophomore Amy Trainque (Fitchburg, Mass.) was the first Owl across the line for Head Coach Bill Devine's squad in finishing as the runner-up to Bridgewater State senior Molly Rouillard (Dartmouth, Mass.), who returns as the two-time defending conference individual champion in the event.
In addition to winning the last eight women's titles, Westfield State has won 11 of the last 14 championships dating back to 1998, with Bridgewater State taking home crowns in both 2001 and 2003. The Owls have won over half (15) of the previous MASCAC Women's Championships (sharing the 1989 crown with Salem State), while Fitchburg State won nine of the first 13 championships from 1985 through 1997. Salem State and Bridgewater State have each won two titles along the way as well.
The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, the nation's oldest Division III men's and women's playing conference, has a rich and storied tradition of competitive success while celebrating excellence in the classroom. MASCAC member schools include Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, MCLA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University. Two other institutions, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Plymouth State University, are affiliate members of the conference in the sport of men's ice hockey.
Release courtesy of MASCAC Media Relations.