LaForest, Relays Win MASCAC Crowns as Owls Place 2nd at Conference Meet
Brenden LaForest (Westfield, Mass.) won the individual title in the 400 meters, and was part of Westfield State’s winning 4x400 meter relay team as the Owls placed second as a team at the 2022 MASCAC Championship Meet at Bridgewater State University.
Brenden LaForest (Westfield, Mass.) won the individual title in the 400 meters, and was part of Westfield State's winning 4x400 meter relay team as the Owls placed second as a team at the 2022 MASCAC Championship Meet at Bridgewater State University.
LaForest, a transfer from Division I Sacred Heart, completed the circuit in 50.14 in the 400.
Westfield State's 4x400 quartet of Lucas Roberts (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill), Colby Ranck (Chicopee, Mass./Hampden Charter), Brendan DeBarber (Enfield, Connn.) and LaForest capped the meet with a winning performance in a time of 3:28.51 to earn 10 points and secure the Owls' second place spot in the final standings.
Westfield finished with 141 points, 11 clear of Fitchburg in third place, while host Bridgewater State won the meet with a total of 237. Westfield outran it's projected point total from the performance list entering the meet.
Westfield State also got a MASCAC Champion performance from the 4x100 relay of Roberts, Ranck, DeBarber and Sebastian Metcalf in a final time of 44.29.
Ranck had a big day for Westfield, as he also placed second in the long jump at 6.56 meters and third in the triple jump with a mark of 12.78 meters.
Roberts added a second place finish in the high jump (1.75 meters) to add eight more points to the Owls totals.
Shane Clark (Bellows Falls, Vt. placed second in the javelin with a season-best toss of 55.52 meters, second in the pole vault at 3.10 meters, and sixth in the discus in 38.73 to add 17 points to the Owls' roll.
Clark is currently 38th on the national performance list in the javelin, but less than 2 meters out of the top 20.
Owls senior Mike Maher (Attleboro, Mass.)b had a strong day in the distance events with a second place finish in the 10,000 in 35:04, and added a fourth place finish in the 5000.
The Owls fared well in the 10k, as Maher was joined by Will Buckley (Plymouth, Mass.) (3rd) and Jarrod Ledvina (Fairhaven, Mass.) (fifth) in the scoring ranks.
Sophomore John Nekitopoulous (West Springfield, Mass.) also posted a third place finish in the 800 in 2:01.01, and senior Enrique Delgado (Worcester, Mass./North) added third-place points in the 3000 steeplechase.
The meet begins championships season for the Owls, as qualified athletes will head to the New England Division III Championship meet at Williams College next weekend.