Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Captures MASCAC Title

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University men's outdoor track & field team captured the program's sixth straight Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) championship on Friday afternoon at Westfield State's Alumni Field.

The MASCAC outdoor title marked the ninth in team history as Bridgewater also won outdoor conference championships in 1996, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The Bears tallied 269 points in the team scoring to easily outdistance runner-up Westfield State (174 pts.).

Bridgewater placed first in 12 of the 21 events.

Kevin McBirney (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and Jason Dann (Reading, Mass.) each claimed a pair of MASCAC individual titles. McBirney captured top honors in both the 1,500-meter run (4:07.74) and the 800-meter run (1:57.81) for the second straight season, while Dann paced the field in the discus throw with a PR of 151 feet, one inch (46.06m) as well as the hammer throw (173'6"/52.90m). 

The Bears' 4x100-meter relay squad featuring Michael Young (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Jacob DeAndrade (Taunton, Mass.), Mason Matias (New Bedford, Mass.) and Stephen Spofford (Chelmsford, Mass.) won the event with a time of 42.40 seconds.

Spofford also placed first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.06 seconds.

The BSU quartet of Michael Neitlich (Middleboro, Mass.), Charles Dakai (Millville, Mass.), Nicholas Grace (Acushnet, Mass.) and Nathan Branco (Fairhaven, Mass.) was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 3:30.49.

Neitlich added a first place performance in the 400-meter hurdles with a season-best time of 57.95 seconds.

Chigozie Adigwe (Lowell, Mass.), Kyle Ackroyd (Charlestown, R.I.), Thomas Barinelli (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Corey Stalters (Norton, Mass.) rounded out the Bears' MASCAC Champion performers.

Adigwe grabbed top honors in the 110-meter hurdles (15.18) while Ackroyd was the top harrier in the 10,000-meter run with a PR time of 32:49.28.

Barinelli outleaped the field in the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 2.5 inches (6.77m), and Stalters heaved the shot put 50 feet, 1.25 inches (15.27m) to win the event.

Barinelli was the Bears' top individual scorer at the meet with 24 team points. He also placed second in the 110-meter hurdles (15.28) and third in the high jump (6'1.5"/1,87m).

Stalters checked in with 22 team points. He added a pair of third-place performances in the discus throw (139'10"/42.61m) and the javelin (190'3"/58.00m). Stalter's mark in the discus was a personal best.

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