Women's Track & Field Places 2nd at MASCAC Championships, Abrantes Sets 400 Mark

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's outdoor track & field team finished second at the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship meet.

With three student-athletes winning two individual events each, the Bears had 149 points and were behind only champion Westfield State University, which won for a second year in a row, scoring 213 points.

The six-team meet was held Friday at the Swenson Athletic Complex.

Senior Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) won a pair of MASCAC individual titles and broke her own school record while graduate student Alison McDonough (Halifax, Mass.) and junior Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) garnered top honors in two events.

Senior Serenity Sands (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and freshman Olivia Downin (Hudson) also earned MASCAC crowns as did two of BSU's relay teams.

Abrantes won the 400-meter race in 55.65 seconds, breaking her own mark of 55.70 set earlier this season.

She was also first in the 200 with a time of 25.37 seconds.

McDonough won the 100-meter dash in 12.39 seconds and was first in the 100 hurdles in 14.67 while also placing fifth in the long jump (16'3.25"/4.96m).

McDonough placed first eight times during MASCAC outdoor championship meets in her career.

Cass was the winner in the 5,000-meter race in 18:12.32 and also the 1,500 in 4:51.94.

She won both of those races in the 2024 championship meet.

Sands, a Division III All-American, was first in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 5.25 inches (1.66m).

Downin, in her MASCAC debut, won the 800 in 2:23.31.

The 4x400 relay team of Abrantes, freshman Jordan Kosakowski (Shirley, Mass.), freshman Bella Grover (Warren, Mass.) and Cass won in 4:10.21.

The 4x100 relay team of McDonough, Abrantes, freshman Grace Inacio (Taunton, Mass.) and freshman Emerson Ricciardi (East Freetown, Mass.) was first in 48.19 seconds.

The 4x800 relay team of senior Kate Brown (Acushnet, Mass.), Downin, senior Lily Valcovic (East Taunton, Mass.) and sophomore Ana Imrie (Arlington, Mass.) was second in 10:32.49.

Also scoring points for BSU were high jumpers Julianna Patrone (Wilmington, Mass.), Grover and freshman Chloe Davies (Foxborough, Mass.), who were second, third and fourth.

Senior Natalie Kalgren (Ayer, Mass.) was second in the javelin (112'10"/34.39m), Kosakowski took fifth in the 400, Inacio was fourth in the 100, Brown finished third in the 800 and Inacio was fourth in the 100.

After Westfield State and BSU, Worcester State, Framingham State, Fitchburg State and the Mass. Maritime Academy were next in the standings.