Men's Track & Field Places 2nd at MASCAC Championships

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's outdoor track & field team placed second at the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Championships hosted by Westfield State University on Saturday.

The Bears notched 177 team points as they finished by conference champion Worcester State University. Worcester amassed 210 points. 

Five different BSU student-athletes captured MASCAC individual titles.

Sophomore Joseph Keough (Walpole, Mass.) won the conference title in the 3,000-steeplechase with a career-best time of 9:48.24, while junior Joseph Kisamore (Attleboro, Mass.) garnered top MASCAC honors in the 1,500-meter run with a career-best time of 3:58.77.

Freshman Joshua Higgins (Fitchburg, Mass.) was the top MASCAC placewinner in the 800-meter run with a personal-best time of 1:55.53, while junior Michael Kotleski (Great Barrington, Mass.) was the first MASCAC runner to cross the finish line in the 400-meter hurdles with a career-best time of  55.19 seconds.

Junior Cameron Williamson (North Easton, Mass.) won the MASCAC triple jump with a career-best leap of 46 feet, 7.5 inches (14.21m).

The Bears' 4x400-meter relay squad featuring freshman Lamont Haynes (Boston, Mass.), Higgins, freshman Olivier Ndikumana (Amherst, Mass.) and Kotleski garnered the conference title with a time of 3:20.24. The foursome also placed first in the New England Alliance results and eclipsed the previous BSU outdoor record of 3:20.32.

Junior Michael Sanpietro (South Easton, Mass.), freshman Jacob Connor (Plymouth, Mass.), sophomore Zack Viera (Fairhaven, Mass.) and freshman William McKenzie (Attleboro, Mass.) won the MASCAC 4x800 title with a time of 8:28.47.

Haynes also placed second in the 400-meter dash with a school record time of 48.73 seconds. He broke the previous mark of 49.4 seconds set by Larry Benninger 38 years ago back in 1979.

The Bears finished third in the New England Alliance standings with 110 points. Worcester State placed first with 149 points followed by the University of Southern Maine with 125 points.

Next weekend, qualifying members of the BSU men's outdoor track & field team will compete at the Division III New England Champions hosted by Williams College.