The Top Stories of 2017
December 15, 2017
As the New Year approaches, Westfield State athletics will provide our fans with the top sport stories of 2017, revealing a story a day for ten days, ending with our top story.
#1 Valley Leads Women's Basketball to New Heights
Jill Valley, a basketball superstar at Westfield State, led the Owls to a record-breaking season as she herself set nine school records. Valley's season included back-to-back 52 and 39-point games, and earned the fourth spot on the Owls' all-time scoring list. The senior was named the 2017 MASCAC Player of the Year after earning the same honor in 2016. Westfield State, the highest-scoring team in the country at the time, posted a school-record 126 points against Salem State and went on to claim the 2017 MASCAC regular-season and tournament titles to earn a bid to the NCAA Division III Championship tournament.
Related: Top 10 highlights of 2017 on YouTube
#2 Women's Lacrosse Firsts
After powering past top seeded and four-time reigning Bridgewater State in the MASCAC Championship, Westfield State claimed the MASCAC title for the first time, and went on to make more history as the Owls defeated Castleton University in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
#3 All-Americans
Sabrina Pray, a highly talented track and field hurdler at Westfield State, earned the final seed in the NCAA Division III championships and finished seventh in the nation to earn All-America honors while also breaking a school-record time.
Cross country standout Jessie Cardin made MASCAC history after claiming the 2017 MASCAC Women's Cross Country Championship for the fourth straight year, a first for any man or woman in the 46-year history of the conference meets. She went on to earn All-America honors for the second time in her career.
#4 Smith Cup 3-Peat
In yet another remarkable year for Westfield State athletics, the Owls proved their dominance in the MASCAC by claiming the 2016-17 Smith Cup for a third-consecutive academic year, the first time in school history that the Owls have won three straight cups.
Related: See "The Year in Pictures" on our Facebook page
#5 Baseball's Big Year
In a big year for the Owls baseball team, many records were set in the 28-9 season including a 13-game win streak, a school-record 17-game hitting streak by John Lippincott and a school-record six hits in a game by Nate Barnes to help lead the Owls to the 2017 MASCAC regular season title. Four Owls went on to earn All-Conference honors.
#6 Golden Goals
Westfield State's women's soccer team took a preseason training trip to North Carolina and Virginia,which proved a prelude to winning their sixth MASCAC title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National championship tournament. The Owls were led by sophomore Bella Eduardo who was named MASCAC player of the Year and freshman Lydia Kinsman, the MASCAC Rookie of the Year.
#7 Major Milestones
In his last regular season hockey game as an Owl, Jackson Leef netted his 100th point against Plymouth State and later capped his career by being named the 2016-17 MASCAC Player of The Year.
Owls' senior basketball guard Jesus Sanchez scored his 1000th career point in their MASCAC home-opener and was named to the MASCAC All-Conference first team, the second year in a row he earned all-conference honors.
Caps off to Westfield State's swimming and diving head coach Dave Laing, who won his 200th career meet this season.
#8 Holder Leaves Them Cold
In the coldest game in Westfield State football history, junior Travon Holder became the sixth WSU player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. Four Owls were later named to the MASCAC all-conference teams.
Despite a mid-March blizzard which dropped 17 inches of snow on Westfield, followed by a series of rainy days that made for a tough start to the golf season, the Owls' Mike Sarkis capped his junior year season by claiming the 2017 MASCAC men's golf title.
To kick-off the top 10 is the 22nd Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony, where five new individual athletes were recognized for their outstanding athletic accomplishments and, for the first time ever, two Teams of Distinction were recognized as well.
#11 Programs on the Rise
Westfield State field hockey rode the scoring punch of Rachel Bunce and newcomer Cora Rogers all the way to the Little East title game as the sophomore transfer netted a hat trick and scored the game-winner to lead the fourth seeded Owls to a semifinal victory.
And, in just her second season as the head softball coach, Colleen Bannister led the second seeded Owls to the MASCAC championship game after defeating Worcester State and Salem State in elimination games.
