Bridgewater State Men, Westfield State Women Seek Repeat Titles as 2023 MASCAC Cross Country Championship
The Bridgewater State men and Westfield State women look to claim the title for the second straight year at the 2023 MASCAC Cross Country Championship on Friday, October 27.
The Bridgewater State men and Westfield State women look to claim the title for the second straight year at the 2023 MASCAC Cross Country Championship on Friday, October 27.
Hosted by Worcester State, this year's championship will be held at Willard Park in Devens, Mass. The men's 8k will go off first at 12 pm with the women's 5k following at 1 pm. After both races, awards will be given to the top two teams in each gender, the top overall individual runner and rookie for men and women along with the top 10 finishers on each side.
During the 2022 race, the Bears won the title with 42 points over second place Westfield State who was right behind with 46 points. In third was Fitchburg State with 74 points while Worcester State is next in fourth with 92. Framingham State came in fifth with 127 while Mass. Maritime and MCLA were sixth and seventh with 188 and 193 points, respectively.
Taban Manyok of Fitchburg State won back-to-back individual honors after crossing the line first with an 8k time of 26:14. Braden Boucher of Bridgewater State was sixth in 27:51 to take home 2022 MASCAC Rookie of the Year honors.
On the women's side, the Owls finished with 31 points while runner-up Fitchburg State had 63. Close in third was Bridgewater State with 68 points, Framingham State came in fourth with 81, Worcester State next in fifth with 131. Mass. Maritime and MCLA rounded out the field in sixth and seventh with 184 and 198, respectively.
For Fitchburg State, Abby Murphy crossed the finish line first with a time of 19:16 over the 5k course to claim the MASCAC Runner of the Year honors. Shea Hamel was the first Owl across the line in third with a time of 19:28 to earn MASCAC Co-Rookie of the Year while Nicole Major of Bridgewater State came in second with a time of 19:20 to also earn Co-Rookie of the Year.
Following the championship, full results and recaps can be found here on mascac.com.