Nine Bears Earn USTFCCCA All-East Region Honors

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's and women's track & field programs saw nine student-athletes garner NCAA Division III All-East Region honors as the U.S. Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) handed out its awards for the 2025 outdoor season.

The top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region distinction, in addition to each member of the region's top-3 relay teams. The regions used for this award – East, Great Lakes, Metro, Mid-Atlantic, Mideast, Midwest, Niagara, North, South, and West – match those used during the indoor season as well as the cross country season.

On the women's side, BSU graduate student Alison McDonough (Halifax, Mass.) earned All-East Region honors in the 100-meter hurdles and 100-meter dash, while senior Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) garnered All-East Region accolades in both the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash. Senior Serenity Sands (East Bridgewater, Mass.) picked up the award in the high jump with junior Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass) achieving the honor in the 10,000-meter run.

The Bears' 4x100-meter relay squad featuring McDonough, Abrantes, freshman Grace Inacio (Taunton, Mass.) and graduate student Jailene Escalera (Rockland, Mass.) ranked third in the East Region with a school-record time of 46.58 seconds recorded at the MIT Final Qualifier. The foursome would go on to break the school record and earn First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Championships with a time of 46.30 seconds.

McDonough finished the season ranked second in the East Region in the 100-meter hurdles (14.16) and fifth in the 100-meter dash (11.99). Abrantes was fourth in the 200-meter dash (24.60) and fifth in the 400-meter dash (55.35), while Sands was the top ranked high jumper in the East Region (5'7.75"/1.72m) and Cass checked in at fourth in the 10,000-meter run (36:03.52).

McDonough set the school mark in the 100-meter dash while Abrantes posted record-setting peformances in both the 200 and 400.

Graduate student Corey Stalters (Norton, Mass.) and freshman Alex Huynh (Stoughton, Mass.) paced the BSU men's squad as they each notched a pair of USTFCCCA All-East Region accolades. Stalters finished the season ranked second in the javelin (226'2"/69.94m) and fourth in the shot put (49'7.25"/15.12m), while the rookie Huynh was fifth in both the high jump (6'6.75"/2.00m) and long jump (23'4"/7.11m).

Stalters broke his own school record in the javelin. He is one of three student-athletes from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) to finish in the top three in the East Region in the event.

Senior Chigozie Adigwe (Lowell, Mass.) rounded out the Bears' All-East Region performers. Adigwe ranked fifth in the 110-meter hurdles (14.45).

In addition to the women's 4x100-meter relay, McDonough, Abrantes, Sands and Stalters all qualified for individual events at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships which will took place last week at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Stalters earned First Team All-America honors with a sixth place performance in the javelin. Sands finished 13th in the high jump while McDonough and Abrantes each finished 16th in the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter dash, respectively, to garner Second Team All-America status. 

Complete List of USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field All-East Region Student-Athletes