Clark, Gniadek Earn MASCAC Weekly Honors

WESTFIELD, Mass. – After winning the 2024 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference championship game this past weekend, Westfield State senior Abby Clark (Uxbridge, Mass.) and junior Emma Gniadek (Worcester, Mass.) received conference honors.

Clark was named the MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week as she was named the conference tournament MVP after leading the Owls to a pair of playoff wins against Worcester State and Bridgewater State. Her leadership and end-to-end hustle have been a catalyst for earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

A senior captain for Westfield, Clark has recorded four goals and five assists while rotating between forward and midfield positions this season.

Gniadek was named the MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year after posting dominant numbers across the Owls two postseason wins. Across both games, Gniadek finished with 12 saves, a 0.50 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. She was a driving force in sending the Owls to the conference championship game, racking up a ten-save shutout in a 1-0 win over Worcester.

The junior goalkeeper has finished the season on a role with the Owls, winning nine of her last 11 games when she is in net. She also registered three shutouts over her last five games, including the postseason, and in 19 games this year, Gniadek went 12-7 with a 1.59 goals against average and an .833 save percentage.

Westfield State earned the automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Tournament as the Owls face #8-ranked Shenandoah University in an NCAA Tournament first round game today at 2:00 P.M. from Winchester, Virginia.