Cross Country Set to Host MASCAC Championship on Saturday

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State University cross country is set to host the 2025 MASCAC Championship meet on Saturday, November 1 from Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass. The men's 8k championship race will begin at 11:00 A.M. followed by the women's 5k championship at 12:00 P.M.

MEN'S RACE – 11:00 A.M.
The men's 8k race begins the day at 11:00 A.M. with the Owls looking to take a step forward after finishing as last year's runner up to Bridgewater State. During the 2024 men's championship, the Bears claimed the top spot with 23 points while second place finisher Westfield State had 56. Fitchburg State was next in third with 73.

Bridgewater State serves as the MASCAC Preseason favorite in the meet while Westfield was picked to finish second.

The individual title should be highly competitive as it also includes last year's MASCAC Champion from the Bears, Kevin McBirney, who crossed the line first with an 8k time of 26:20 to claim individual honors. Owls junior Nate Sylven (Wrentham, Mass.) was two spots behind in third place and will look to challenge McBirney at the top of the leaderboard this weekend. Sylven and Bears runner Kyle Ackroyd were within milliseconds of one another last year with Ackroyd earning fourth individually.

An emerging threat to those three runners is Fitchburg State first-year athlete Paulino Guevara Mateo who was recently named the MASCAC Runner and Rookie of the Week for the Falcons. He has earned five MASCAC weekly honors so far this season.

WOMEN'S RACE – 12:00 P.M.
The women's 5k race will follow the men's race at 12:00 P.M. with the Owls entering action as the heavy favorite to win the title for a sixth consecutive season. At last year's championship race, the Owls tied for the second lowest score at a title meet by placing eight of the top ten runners for 20 points. Bridgewater State followed in second with 62 points followed by Framingham in third with 68.

The Owls come into Saturday's race after receiving a spot in the top ten of the USTFCCCA Mideast Regional Rankings for the first time in program history.

For the second straight year, Bears runner Naomi Cass was the top overall finisher to earn herself Runner of the Year honors with a time of 18:31 as she was able to hold off a pack of Owls runners who dominated the front end of the race, earning the next seven spots led by Tealei Chandonnet (Dracut, Mass.) who was second with a mark of 18:56.16. Julianne Kelly (Natick, Mass.) and Shea Hamel (Longmeadow, Mass.) also earned top four finishes.  

Westfield has five all-conference runners returning from last year's title team.

For the latest information regarding the 2025 MASCAC Championship races, visit WestfieldStateOwls.com for live results and post-meet coverage.