The men’s track team won the MASCAC outdoor championship for the second year in a row. (Photo courtesy of Westfield State Sports)
NORTH DARTMOUTH – The Westfield State men’s track & field team captured the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the second year in a row Saturday at UMass Dartmouth. The Owls have now won the conference outdoor championship in 36 of the past 43 seasons.
Westfield also earned first place in the Alliance scoring, which includes both the MASCAC and Little East Conferences. In the MASCAC scoring, the Owls won with a score of 247, followed by Worcester State at 183, and Bridgewater State at 123. In the Alliance scoring, Westfield won with 157 points, while Southern Maine placed second with 146 points, and UMass Dartmouth finished third.
Westfield State was led by strong performances in the field events, where the Owls took gold in the high jump, long jump, javelin throw, and pole vault.
Senior Travon Godette (Mahar/ Orange, Mass.) was the MASCAC champion in both the high jump and javelin throw for the second consecutive year. Godette tied his school record in the high jump, clearing 2.08 meters (6’9.75″), and won the javelin with a throw of 65.17 meters (213’10”).
Sophomore Patrick Delisle (Chicopee Comp/ Chicopee, Mass.) won the MASCAC pole vault competition, dethroning his brother Zack Delisle (Chicopee Comp/ Chicopee, Mass.), who won the title last year and finished second this time around. Both brothers cleared 4.25 meters (13’11.25″), but Patrick did it on his first jump to earn sibling bragging rights.
The Owls also finished 1-2 in the long jump, with senior John Latour (Amherst, Mass.) winning with a jump of 7.21 meters (23’8″), and sophomore Dereck Stone (Bellingham/Bellingham, Mass.) placing second at 6.79 meters (22’3.5″).
Sprinters Esteafan Jack (Lincoln-Sudbury/ Boston, Mass.) and John Tomlin (Abington/ Abington, Mass.) also helped score big points for the Owls in the 400 meter dash. Jack, a freshman, took first place among MASCAC runners, finishing with a time of 49.21 seconds, while Tomlin finished just behind Jack at 49.74.
Westfield State found success in the relays as well, taking first place in the 4×800 meter relay and second in the MASCAC 4×400 meter relay.
Sophomore Jonathan Kelland, sophomore Justin Halley, freshman Connor Gottzmann, and senior Stephen Parece won the 4×800 relay, finishing in a combined time of 8:07.57. Parece also won the MASCAC 1500 meter run, with a time of 4:02.43.
In the 4×400 meter relay, the Owls finished third overall, second in the MASCAC, running in a time of 3:21.90. Senior Matthew Moussamih ran the first leg, followed by Tomlin, sophomore Ed Perez, and Jack.
Moussamih also placed third in the 800 meter run, second in the MASCAC, with a time of 1:54.79, while Perez ran third in the 110 meter hurdles.
The qualified Owls will compete in the New England Division III Championships next weekend at Springfield College. – Courtesy of Westfield State Sports
