Westfield State Captures 13^th Straight MASCAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship

Click here for 2009 MASCAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships Results

 WESTFIELD, Mass. --  Westfield State College claimed its 13^th straight Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship on its newly dedicated Jerry Gravel Track Saturday afternoon, as the Owls took the crown for the 26^th time in the past 27 years.

Westfield State won 12 events overall during the competition to post a team score of 275 points and outdistance runner-up Fitchburg State's total of 162 points.  Bridgewater State (80) and Worcester State (70) followed in third and fourth place, respectively, while Salem State (20) and Massachusetts Maritime (8) rounded on the team scoring on the day.

Junior Marc Gomes (Springfield, Mass.) took top honors in both the 100 (10.97) and 200 meters (21.77) for the Owls, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA championships in the latter event, while also anchoring Westfield State's  winning 4 X 100 and 4 X 400 relay squads.  Sophomore Mike Chapin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) also captured individual crowns in both the 110 high hurdles (15.75) and 400 intermediate hurdles (56.10) for the hosts.

Junior Brandon Palmer (Ludlow, Mass.) claimed top honors in both the long jump (6.64 meters) and high jump (1.91 meters) for the Owls, while senior teammate Nathan Landry (Chelmsford, Mass.) captured first place in both the shot put (14.56 meters) and hammer throw (52.27 meters) to round out the quartet of double winners for Westfield State.  Senior Phil Gingras (Walpole, Mass.) and freshman Patrick Regan (Wilbraham, Mass.) rounded out the list of individual winners for the hosts by taking top honors in the 10,000 meters (33.58.71) and 1,500 meters (4:08.00), respectively.

Sophomore Matt Muolo (Stoneham, Mass.) captured a pair of individual crowns for runner-up Fitchburg State, taking top honors in both the javelin (55.67 meters) and discus (41.81 meters), while four of his Falcon teammates also claimed titles during the day's competition.  Senior Keon Valcourt (Brockton, Mass.) was a winner in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (9:58.27) for Fitchburg State, which also received victories from senior Brian Schell (Wilmington, Mass.) in the 800 meters (1:57.46), junior Alex Ivanov (Carlisle, Mass.) in the pole vault (3.89 meters) and sophomore Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass.) in the triple jump (13.47). 

Bridgewater State senior Avery Bouchard (Fall River, Mass.) captured first place in the 5,000 meters (16:11.96), while Worcester State freshman Ian Fields (Shrewsbury, Mass.) claimed top honors in the 400 meters (50.17) to round the individual MASCAC champions.

Westfield State finished as the runner-up to Southern Maine for the 2009 New England Alliance Championships which took place simultaneously during the day, as Fitchburg State placed third in the competition between the MASCAC and Little East Conference.