Women’s Basketball Picked to Finish Second in MASCAC Preseason Poll

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State women's basketball was picked to finish in a tie for second place as part of the 2024 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Preseason Poll as voted on by the coaches throughout the league.

The Owls enter the preseason in a tie with Framingham State for the second spot with each team totaling 19 points and one first-place vote. Bridgewater State is the preseason favorite to win the league after securing 24 points and the remaining four first place votes.

Westfield finished the 2023-24 season with an overall record of 17-10 and a 9-3 mark in the MASCAC. The Owls entered the tournament as the number three seed and defeated sixth-seeded Fitchburg State 104-58 before falling in the conference semifinals to second-seeded Bridgewater State, 105-94.

The Owls return their top seven scorers from last season including a trio of All-Conference players: Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine), Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.), and Tavi Williams (Springfield, Mass.).

Grant and Hadla each topped the 1,000-point career scoring mark and were the two leading scorers for the Owls last season. Hadla led the team at 15.4 points per game and connected on 37% of her three-point attempts. Grant followed close behind at 15.3 points and was second on the team with 6.1 rebounds per game.

In just her second season with the Owls, Williams received the MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading Westfield in rebounds per game (6.7) which included 12 games where she grabbed eight or more rebounds from the guard position. She was also swiped 3.1 steals per game which was third in the MASCAC.

The Owls also have plenty of scoring depth aside from their All-Conference selections, starting with senior Maddie Pond (Holyoke, Mass.) who scored 21.0 points per game over her final five games of the season as she set the single-game three-point record by burying 11 triples in a 39-point effort in a MASCAC first round win over Fitchburg. She then poured in a team-high 27 points in the conference semifinal setback against the Bears.

Morgan Berthiaume (Webster, Mass.) and Hannah Sheldon (Taunton, Mass.) also return for an Owls team that led the MASCAC in scoring at 81.2 points per game last season.

Westfield State will begin the 2024-25 regular season on the road as the Owls travel to Rivier on Saturday, November 9 for a 2:00 P.M. tip-off.