Westfield State University celebrates Midnight Madness. (Photo by Nancy Bals/WSU Sports Information Department)
WESTFIELD – As the crisp fall air has recently been replaced by the chill of winter, fans of the Westfield State Owls have gradually begun shifting their gaze from the gridiron and the pitch to the hardwood and the rink.
Last night the University’s Woodward Center hosted its annual “Midnight Madness” tipoff, which drew several hundred students from campus and the community.
With Westfield alum Kashawn “DJ Boogy” Harris spinning tracks and Westfield State baseball player and Westfield native, Evan Moorhouse, serving as the event’s master of ceremonies, each winter team was represented and got their chance to speak to the raucous, rowdy crowd.
“This event is fantastic, and it speaks to the school spirit of the students at Westfield State,” said Richard Lenfest, the University’s director of athletics. “We really appreciate the students coming out to support their winter athletes.”
The Owls’ men’s ice hockey program was first up, tossing t-shirts to the crowd, and giving several students the opportunity to take their best shot with a foam puck on goalie Eddie Davey.
Despite still searching for their first win, team captain Vince Perreault of Braeside, Ontario, Canada made a bold proclamation, predicting the Owls would end the season with a championship in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.
“It’s my senior year, so why not?” he said of his prediction. “These first four games have been so close.”
Perreault, or Vinny as he is known among teammates, has been impressed by the work ethic of this year’s edition of the ice Owls.
“Our work ethic and skill level are high,” he said in his distinct Canadian diction. “We just have to fit a couple of pieces into the puzzle. Once it comes together, we’ll be golden.”
Following appearances from the school’s step team, So Seductive, and their women’s swimming and diving squad, the men’s and women’s track and field teams showed up, expressing their desire to continue their dominance in the MASCAC this winter season, as well as sharing some personal goals.
“I just want to get a lot of personal records and to lead the underclassmen,” said Michael Kelleher, a distance runner from Waltham, a sentiment echoed by Zack Madera, a sprinter from Granville who is looking to return to nationals.
“I’m focused on the team right now, though,” the former Southwick-Tolland Regional star said with a smile.
On the women’s side, thrower Alex Livingston of Mashpee, sprinter Marie Gulino of Attleboro, and sprinter Cassidy Noonan of Swampscott also said they’re looking forward to the upcoming season with eager anticipation.
“I’m trying to keep my title as MASCAC champ in hammer, and just help the freshmen,” Livingston said, while Gulino has been impressed with the incoming frosh class.
“Every freshman we have has an amazing work ethic,” she said.
“The distance (runners), the sprinters, the jumpers… the girls are looking real good,” said Noonan.
But the teams that received the loudest ovations of the evening were the men’s and women’s basketball teams, who were both greeted with hooting and hollering from the Woodward faithful, growing more and more rabid as the evening went on.
Coming off a season in which they won more games (23) than any other men’s hoop team in school history, the Owls’ captain, forward Grant Cooper, believes this team has what it takes to surprise the MASCAC this winter.
“We’ve got a deep team,” said the junior from Northampton. “We had stars last year that we really relied on, but guys are stepping into new roles, and I am too.”
When asked of the inherent pressure of replacing the leadership of those aforementioned stars, point guard Lee Vazquez and center Matt Devine, who is currently playing professionally on Portugal’s Azores Islands, Cooper said he looks forward to it.
“I’ve always felt that pressure, because I put it on myself,” he said. “(Being named captain) I take it as a sign of respect, as a challenge, and I always take challenges head on.”
On the women’s side, despite not having named captains, the top two performers from last year’s MASCAC tournament team, guard Jen Ashton of Beverly and center Gabby Felix of Springfield are enthused by this year’s crew of Lady Owls.
“We’re a lot stronger on and off the court,” Ashton said. “We have girls from different sports come into our locker room and they can’t get over how there aren’t any cliques or drama. Our chemistry is on point.”
Projected to finish second in the league’s preseason poll, Ashton attributes this to the strength of the squad’s returning players.
“We didn’t really lose anyone, and I think we’ve got the best recruiting class in the league,” she said.
While Ashton may be the most dangerous perimeter player in the league, the rugged Felix provides the perfect compliment in the low post, and thinks the team’s depth in the paint will be a huge advantage this season.
“If I get in foul trouble, our other posts can put up big numbers,” she said.
With the ice hockey and swimming squads already in full swing, the hoop teams are set to tip off their respective seasons tonight at home for the men and in Biddeford, Maine for the women, and the track and field crews ready to get underway on December 7 at Springfield College.
