Women’s Cross Country Enters Mideast Regional Rankings

WESTFIELD, Mass. – For the first time in the program history, Westfield State women's cross country has entered the regional rankings as part of the latest USTFCCCA Division III Mideast Regional rankings for the week beginning on October 21.

The Owls are tenth overall in the Mideast region alongside elite company with eight of the ten teams in the Mideast apart of the Division III National rankings. Westfield joins five NESCAC schools: Williams, Middlebury, Connecticut College, Amherst, and Wesleyan – All of which are ranked in the top 30 of the Division III rankings. Coast Guard from the NEWMAC and three Liberty League schools: Vassar, RPI, and St. Lawrence, make up the remainder of the top ten with three of those programs also holding placement within the top 30 nationally.

"Being in the regional rankings was a season goal since last year," said Owls head coach Marlee Berg-Haryasz. "To see their hard work recognized is a nod to them and gives us brilliant momentum heading into the championship season."

Westfield is in the midst of a terrific season, most notably at the James Earley Invite where the Owls matched their best ever finish by placing second overall with 45 points. The Owls were just 11 points behind Williams College, who are currently first in the Mideast and second in the national rankings.

Last week, the Owls went up against 16 different teams within the Division III rankings at the Connecticut College Invitational where Julianne Kelly (Natick, Mass.) was the first Owls athlete to cross the tape. The top five teams in the country were present, giving the Owls valuable experience moving forward alongside other upper echelon Division III programs.

Westfield's depth as a unit and consistency as a program has been on display over the last half decade and beyond that since the turn of the 21^st century. At last year's MASCAC Championship meet, the Owls dominated the competition by placing eight of the top ten runners to tie the second lowest point total in MASCAC Championship history (20 points), tying the 2005 Owls cross country team. The lowest total in a MASCAC Championship meet was 15 points set by the 1999 women's cross country team.

The Owls have won five straight MASCAC titles and seek a sixth consecutive championship on November 1 at this year's conference title meet. Westfield has five of the top ten runners back from last year's meet including Kelly, Tealei Chandonnet (Dracut, Mass.), and Shea Hamel (Longmeadow, Mass.) who all finished in the top four.

Reese Stevens (Agawam, Mass.), who has ascended in her junior year after winning all-conference honors as a sophomore, has also been a key contributor for the Owls this year. In the season-opening meet at Keene State, Stevens led a pack of Owls by finishing in second place with Westfield cruising to a team victory by placing five of the top six runners.

From 2004-2016, the Owls won 13 straight conference championships and since the first meet was held in 1985, the Owls have won 26 conference titles which is two thirds of all MASCAC championships in the sport.

The USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Coaches' Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams' strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining a rank-order of squad potential.

Westfield State women's cross country will have an extra week to prepare for the 2025 MASCAC Championship meet which is scheduled for Saturday, November 1 at the Owls home course of Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass.