THREE-PEAT! Women’s Track and Field Wins MASCAC Outdoor Title
Eliza Lee headlined the Owls performances on the day with Westfield winning ten events at the conference title meet on Saturday.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Senior athlete Eliza Lee headlined a banner day for Westfield State women's track and field which won their third consecutive Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Championship title after winning ten events from Fitchburg State University on Saturday.
Lee won three of the Owls seven individual event titles on the day as Westfield swept the relays as well to finish with a team total of 203 points. Worcester State placed second with 153 points followed by Bridgewater State with 128 points.
The Owls were powered by multiple individual and relay victories, including first-place finishes from Lee in the 400-meter hurdles (1:07.57), long jump (5.65m), and triple jump (11.09m). The 5.65m leap in the long jump vaulted Lee up to 18th on the Division III national performance list. She was also second in the 100m hurdles with a personal best time of 15.91 seconds and added fifth in the 200 (27.11). Overall, Lee contributed 40 points individually to the Owls team score.
Reese Stevens won both the 1,500 meters (4:57.68) and 800 meters (2:22.19), contributing 20 points towards the Owls team score.
Julianne Kelly secured the top spot in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (12:07.90) for a second straight season and was also seventh in the 5000.
Emily Ottomaniello shined in the pole vault for a second consecutive outdoor campaign, clearing the bar at 2.59m and added third-place points in the high jump at a mark of 1.45m.
Westfield State also captured all three relay titles, winning the 4x100-meter relay (49.91), 4x400-meter relay (4:16.73), and the 4x800-meter relay (10:03.34).
In the 5,000-meter run, the Owls placed two athletes in the top five, led by Shea Hamel in third (18:54.95) and Erin Vasu in fifth after crossing the tape in a personal-record time in 19:13.46.
The Owls dominated the 1,500-meter run, sweeping the top five positions and generating 30 team points, the most in any single event for Westfield. Stevens led the effort with a first-place finish in 4:57.68, followed by Tealei Chandonnet (second), Hamel (third), Samantha Panzeri (fourth), and Brooke Soucy (fifth). Panzeri's 5:07.99 time was a new personal record.
Chandonnet (third), Molly Lenehan (fourth), and Brynne LeCours (fifth) all secured top five finishes in the 800 which was led by Stevens' efforts. Chandonnet and Lenehan both earned personal record times in the event with Chandonnet checking in at 2:30.32 and Lenehan following right behind in 2:30.82.
In sprint events, Westfield State showed strong depth. In the 100-meter dash, Anjalina Lubarsky placed fourth (13.10), while Emma Daly finished fifth (13.31). Lubarsky also added a third-place finish in the 200 meters with a personal record time of 26.88 seconds.
In the 400-meter dash, Jailene Felix led the Owls with a second-place finish (1:01.31), followed by Julie Richardson in fourth.
Westfield State excelled in the hurdles, as Lee and Devin Whalen both gathered top three results in the 100m hurdles while Whalen added points in the 400m hurdles alongside Lee.
In the field events, first-year Erin Warden saved her best leap of the season for the championship long jump event, placing fourth at a mark of 5.19m and then added fifth in the triple jump, gaining six points in her first outdoor championship meet. In the triple jump, Bella Coughlin earned a third place showing. Coughlin also gained a PR in the 200 after placing seventh in a deep field of athletes.
Westfield State will now prepare for the NCAA Division III New England Championships on Friday and Saturday from Springfield College.