Men's Outdoor Track & Field Captures MASCAC & Alliance Titles

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. --  Bridgewater State University successfully defended its title at the 2013 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday afternoon, as the Bears topped runner-up Westfield State University by 22 points to capture the crown on their home turf at the Ed Swenson Track.

Bridgewater State amassed 217 points to take the title for the second straight season in topping Westfield State's team score of 195 points.  Worcester State University was next in third place with 154 points, while Fitchburg State University (49 points) and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (31 points) rounded out the scoring in this year's championship.

 Senior Stephen Wahome (Lowell, Mass.) and sophomore Brian Espinosa (Rehoboth, Mass.) were both double winners on the day for Bridgewater State, as Wahome took top honors in the 5,000 (15:28.73) and 10,000 meters (32:51.45), while Espinosa claimed crowns in both the 100 (11.11) and 200 (22.08) meters.  Junior Andy Sukeforth(Middleboro, Mass.) broke a 38-year-old conference record in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:53.74 for the Bears, while sophomore teammate Josh Goehring (Haverhill, Mass.) broke a 27-year-old standard in the 800 meters with a time of 1:53.18.  Junior Joshua Danner-Hicks (Haverhill, Mass.) also set a conference record for the hosts in the triple jump, as he broke a mark that had stood since 1990 in jumping 14.50 meters, while seniorMichael McPherson (Mansfield, Mass.) was the other individual winner for Bridgewater State in the shot put with a mark of 16.00 meters.  The Bears also took top honors in the 4 x 800 meter relay with a time of 8:02.78.

 Senior Tom Gauger (Billerica, Mass.) was a double winner on the day for Westfield State, as he took top honors in both the pole vault (4.81 meters) and long jump (6.81 meters), while senior Brendan Corcoran (Walpole, Mass.) and freshman Tavon Godette (Orange, Mass.) claimed titles in the 400 meters (50.04) and javelin (53.75 meters) for the Owls.  Sophomore Terrence Gibson (Rockland, Mass.) paced three winners for Worcester State on the day, as he set a new record in the 110 meter hurdles (14.72), while senior Jon Parrella (Wilmington, Mass.) and junior Andrew Johnson (Thompson, Conn.) also claimed crowns in the 400 meter hurdles (55.65) and high jump (1.93 meters) for the Lancers, who also took titles in both the 4 x 100 (42.10) and 4 x 400 (3:23.60) meter relays.

Senior Zachary Desrochers (Dracut, Mass.) was the final double winner of this year's championships, as he took top honors and set a new record in the discus (51.02 meters) for Fitchburg State while also claiming the crown in the hammer throw (55.29 meters).  Falcon senior William Lary (Winchendon, Mass.) was the final individual champion on the day, as he took top honors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (9:39.10).

Courtesy Jim Seavey, MASCAC Director of Media Relations

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University Bears won their second straight MASCAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship as well as the New England Alliance Championship on a beautiful spring day on Saturday at Swenson Field. The Bears recorded nine event titles in MASCAC competition and five of those were also titles in Alliance competition.

Joshua Danner-Hicks (Haverhill, Mass.) and Joshua Goehring (Haverhill, Mass.) were MASCAC and Alliance champions in the triple jump and 800 meters. Danner-Hicks had a jump of 47 feet, 7.00 inches (14.50 meters), and Goehring won the 800 with a time of 1:53.18. Michael McPherson (Mansfield, Mass) was a dual conference champion in the shot put with a mark of 52 feet, 6.00 inches (16.00 meters). He also placed second in the MASCAC (third Alliance) in the hammer throw with a throw of 160 feet, 4.00 inches (48.88 meters).

Andrew Sukeforth (Middleboro, Mass.) won the 1,500 meters in the MASCAC (second Alliance) with a time of 3:53.74. Sukeforth also placed second in the MASCAC 800 (sixth Alliance) with a time of 1:55.45. Stephen Wahome (Lowell, Mass.) won the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters in the MASCAC with times of 15:28.73 and 32.51.45. With those times he won the Alliance 10,000 and placed second in the 5,000. Brian Espinosa(Rehoboth, Mass.) won both the 100 meters and 200 meters with times of 11.11 seconds and 22.08 seconds respectively. He was also Alliance champion in the 100, and placed second in the 200.

The 4x800 team of Sukeforth, Sean Spillane (Middleboro, Mass.), Goehring, and Dallas O'Brien (Mansfield, Mass.) won the MASCAC and placed second in the Alliance with a time of 8:02.78. O'Brien also placed third in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:01.57.

The 4x100 team of Felix Mensah (Lowell, Mass.), Danner-Hicks, Chinedu Chukwu(Randolph, Mass.), and Andrew Couture (Dighton, Mass.) placed second in the MASCAC and Alliance, and also broke the school record with a time of 42.26 seconds. The previous record of 42.54 was set earlier this season. Mensah also placed sixth in the 200 with a time of 23.17. Couture placed fourth in MASCAC (fifth Alliance) with a time of 11.29 in the 100.

Matthew Horan (Billerica, Mass.) and Stephan Cawley (Dedham, Mass.) picked up seconds in the MASCAC and Alliance in their respective events. Horan ran the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.09, and Cawley had a toss in the discus of 146 feet, three inches (44.58 meters). Conor Murtagh (Walpole, Mass.) and Daniel Coulter (Norton, Mass.) placed fourth and fifth in the MASCAC (fifth & seventh Alliance) in the 110-meter hurdles, with times of 15.65 and 15.93 respectively.

Ian Knapton (Mattapoisset, Mass.) placed third in the MASCAC long jump (fourth Alliance) with a mark of 21 feet, 7.50 inches (6.53 meters). Cedric Lamour (Brockton, Mass.) was second in the triple jump, and fourth in the Alliance with a mark of 44 feet, six inches (13.56 meters). Christian Lavoie (Marion, Mass.) finished with a MASCAC fourth and Alliance seventh in the shot put with a toss of 45 feet, 1.75 inches (13.76). Lavoie and McPherson also tied for sixth in the MASCAC (seventh Alliance) in the discus with throws of 138 feet, one inch (42.08 meters). Joshua Wakefield (North Dighton, Mass.) ended with a MASCAC third and a seventh in the Alliance with a hammer throw mark of 150 feet, one inch (45.74 meters), qualifying for the Division III New England Championships. Nate Meyer (Easton, Mass.) came in third (eighth Alliance) with a throw of 164 feet, nine inches (50.22 meters) in the javelin.

Mark Waller (Andover, Mass.) placed third (fifth Alliance) in the 10,000 with a time of 34:19.57. Kevin Sawyer (Woburn, Mass.) came in second (fifth Alliance) in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.42. The 4x400 team of Sawyer, Knapton, Christopher Naughton(Braintree, Mass.), and Andrew Corley (Milton, Mass.) ran a time of 3:25.63, good enough for third and fifth in the Alliance. Corley ran a 59.70 in the 400-meter hurdles to finish sixth. Naughton also qualified for the Division III New England Championships in the 400 with a time of 51.21.

Connor Foley (Foxborough, Mass.) placed fourth (fifth Alliance) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:05.43. Joshua Danner-Hicks placed fifth in the long jump with a mark of 20 feet, five inches (6.22 meters). Lamour placed seventh (20 feet, 4.25 inches; 6.20 meters) in the long jump and Justin Powell (Brockton, Mass) placed eighth in the event with a mark of 19 feet, 2.75 inches (5.86 meters). Lamour also tied David Romanowicz (Mattapoisett, Mass.) in the high jump to place seventh with a height of 6 feet (1.83 meters). Timothy Judge (East Bridgewater, Mass.) placed seventh in the 400 meters with a time of 51.07. Matt Chatham (Charlton, Mass.) placed seventh in the pole vault with a height of 11 feet, 1.75 inches (3.40 meters). Cawley added two more sevenths in the shot put (42 feet, 6.25 inches; 12.96 meters) and hammer throw (132 feet, two inches; 40.29 meters).

In upcoming action, qualifying members of the BSU men's outdoor track and field team will travel up to Colby College for the Division III New England Championships.

Courtesy of Tom Coyle, BSU Sports Information Student-Assistant