BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. --  Westfield State College looks to defend its crown this weekend at the 2010 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships that will take place on Saturday, April 24^th on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth beginning at 11:00 a.m.  This year’s event will once again take place as part of the New England Alliance Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which combine competitors from both the MASCAC and the Little East Conference.

Westfield State captured its 12^th straight MASCAC men’s title last April, as the Owls posted a team score of 249 points on their home Jerry Gravel Track in Westfield, Mass. to best runner-up Worcester State College’s total of 117 points.  Bridgewater State College (106 points) and Fitchburg State College (48 points) followed in third and fourth place, respectively, while Salem State College (32 points) and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (1 point) rounded out the team scoring in the 2009 Women’s Championships.

Senior All-America Kerry Arouca (Hanson, Mass.) returns to lead the charge for Westfield State after capturing MASCAC individual titles in both the 3,000 meter steeplechase and 1,500 meters in 2009 for the Owls, who won 10 individuals crowns last spring.  Worcester State, the 2010 MASCAC Indoor Track & Field champion, returns a pair of multiple event winners from last year’s outdoor competition in junior Andrea Ouellette (Salisbury, Mass.) and sophomore Mara Kralian (Grafton, Mass.), while Bridgewater State sophomore Co Davis (Mansfield, Mass.) also returns after taking top honors in the 400 meters and 400 meter hurdles.

Westfield State will be looking to defend its New England Alliance championship, as the Owls bested runner-up Southern Maine to claim the 2009 crown.  In addition to the Huskies, the other Little East competitors will be Eastern Connecticut State University, Keene State College, the University of Massachusetts Boston, Rhode Island College and host UMass Dartmouth.

Complete results for both the MASCAC and New England Alliance Championships will be available on Saturday evening at www.mascac.com.