BUZZARDS BAY - Fitchburg State is looking to defend its title on the men’s side, while Westfield State seeks its sixth straight crown on the women’s side in the 2009 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) cross country championships on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass. The 25th annual women’s championship race will begin at 11:00 a.m., followed by the 39th annual men’s championship race at 12:00.
Fitchburg won its third MASCAC men’s title under longtime Head Coach Jim Jellison last year, as the Falcons posted a team score of 52 points to edge runner-up Bridgewater (58) and third-place Westfield (59) in one of the closest finishes in the history of the championship. The Falcons ended Westfield’s
two-year title run in claiming their first championship since 1982.
Bridgewater’s Avery Bouchard took top honors on the men’s side in covering the 8K layout at Stanley Park in a time of 25:41.94, and last year’s MASCAC Rookie of the Year, Westfield State sophomore Jonathan Joyce, is one of the favorites for this year’s top individual honor, having been named as the conference’s Runner of the Week on three occasions already this season.
Westfield has won 22 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 Fitchburg and Bridgewater have both won three team crowns. Salem and Massachusetts Maritime have each won one MASCAC title.
2008 MASCAC Runner of the Year Kerry Arouca returns to defend her individual crown for Westfield on the women’s side, as she posted a winning time of 18:44.64 over the 5K course last fall and has already been named as the conference’s Runner of the Week on three occasions in 2009.
The Owls posted the fourth lowest team score in MASCAC championship history in 2008 with 24 points under the guidance of reigning MASCAC coach of the year Bill Devine, besting both runner-up Bridgewater (72) and Worcester State (90) in last fall’s team competition.
In addition to winning the last five women’s titles, Westfield State has won nine of the last 11 championships dating back to 1998, with Bridgewater State home crowns in both 2001 and 2003.
The Owls have won exactly half (12) 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.
Now celebrating its 39th year, the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference is comprised of eight NCAA Division III member institutions: Bridgewater State College, Fitchburg State College,Framingham State College, MCLA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Salem State College, Westfield State College and Worcester State College.