Women’s Track & Field Captures MASCAC Indoor Title

NORTON, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's track & field team captured its first conference indoor title in six years and fourth overall on Saturday at the 2022 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships held at Wheaton College.

Bridgewater State amassed 287 team points as the Bears easily outdistanced second place Westfield State University (182 pts.) by a healthy margin. Fitchburg State University rounded out the top three teams with 51 points.

The Bears captured 13 individual MASCAC championships as well as a pair of conference relay titles.

Junior Alison McDonough (Halifax, Mass.) won three events to pace the Bears as she placed first in the long jump (17'5.25"/5.31m), 60-meter hurdles (917) and 60-meter dash (8.05). McDonough recorded career-best marks in both the 60 and the long jump.

Graduate student Ashley Garvey (Woburn, Mass.) and freshman Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) also won multiple individual titles for Bridgewater State. Garvey tossed the shot put 34 feet, two inches (10.41m) and the weight throw 41 feet, 3.25 inches (12.58m) to win both events, while Abrantes placed first in the 200-meter dash (27.19) as well as the 400-meter dash (1:02.21). Abrantes' time in the 400 marked a career best.

The Bears swept the field events with junior Abbi Peterson (Watertown, Mass.) capturing top honors in the high jump (5'3.75"/1.62m), senior Camille Hanna (Milton, Vt.) in the pole vault (8'8.25"/2.65m) and freshman Tristen Gomes (Middleboro, Mass.) in the triple jump (34'2.75"/10.43m).

Juniors Lily Marra (Lakeville, Mass.) and Allison Raposo (Cumberland, R.I.), and sophomore Nicole Major (Andover, Mass.) rounded out the Bears' individual MASCAC champions. Marra placed first in the 600-meter run (1:48.47), while Raposo was the first to cross the finish line in the 1,000-meter run (3:17.49) and Major grabbed top honors in the 800-meter run (2:27.35).

Abrantes, Marra and Major also teamed with junior Lindsey Golden (Mansfield, Mass.) to pick up a win in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:25.63.

The foursome of Raposo, classmate Julie Glavin (Weymouth, Mass.), senior Megan Leary (North Attleboro, Mass.) and sophomore Riley Maskalenko (Pepperell, Mass.) placed first in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 10:44.00.

Qualifying members of the BSU women's track and field team will compete at the Division III New England Championships hosted by Colby College on Friday, February 25th and Saturday, February 26th.

Notes: The Bears also captured the MASCAC indoor championship three straight times from 2014 to 2016.