WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State women were picked as favorites, while the Bridgewater State men earned the top spot in the 2019 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Outdoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Fresh off the 2019 MASCAC Indoor Track and Field Championship, the Owls will be looking to sweep the women’s championships for the third straight year. The Owls earned five first place votes and 25 total points in the poll. At last year’s outdoor championship Westfield won nine individual titles and all three relay events.

Senior Lexi Popp is back after claiming the 2018 individual titles in the 200m and 400m. Popp was also part of the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams that finished first at the 2018 MASCAC Outdoor Championship. Fellow senior Kerri Long was also a part of both teams. Erin Giugno, who anchored the 4x400m is also back. Rachael Farley, winner of the 800m championship also returns for the Owls. Farley was a member of the 4x800m relay team that took goal last spring. Her classmate Lauren Izabel is also back.

In the field events Westfield returns title-winners in the high jump (Brianna Deloury) and discus (Lauren Gilderdale).

Landing second in the poll with 19 points and one first place vote is Bridgewater State. Bridgewater had a pair of multi-event champions last year and both return for 2019. Jayci Andrews, fresh off her national indoor championship in the 60m hurdles, returns after winning the MASCAC Outdoor 400m hurdles and long jump titles in 2018. Senior Kira Gilbreath comes into the 2019 outdoor season as the reigning MASCAC Champion in the shot put and hammer throw.

Worcester State landed third in the poll with 17 points. The Lancers won four individual championships in 2018 and return three of them. Doreen Buabeng was the champion in the 100m, while Bernice Mensah and Stephanie McFadries took care of business in the field, winning the triple jump and javelin, respectively.

Fitchburg State, which graduated its only individual champion from last year, earned 13 points for the fourth spot in the poll, while Framingham State and Mass. Maritime closed out the voting with 10 and six points, respectively.

On the men’s side, the Bears earned the top spot earning 16 points and four first place votes in the poll as they look for the track championship sweep after winning the indoor title. In 2018, Bridgewater won nine individual championship, plus the 4x400m relay. Trevor Wysong won two individual titles as he captured the championship in the 5K and 10K. Three others won championships on the track with two of them returning. Joshua Higgins won the 800m and Joseph Keough finished first in the steeplechase. Higgins is also one of three members of the championship 4x400m team who is returning. The other two are sophomore John Lara and junior Lamont Haynes.

On the field side, the Bears won four individual championships and two of them are coming back. Long jump champion Joshua Moore and discus champion Nick Johnson will both be back.

Westfield State ranks second in the men’s poll with 12 points and one first place vote. They won two individual titles and won the 4x100m and 4x800m relays. Some of the members of those relay teams will be back for 2019 as William Canty, Dorian Johnson, Owen Ortiz return as do Zac Bentley, Conner Grady, Connor Gottzmann, and Shea Hiltz.

There was a tie for the third spot in the poll between Worcester State and Fitchburg State which each had nine points. The Lancers won five individual events last spring, while the Falcons captured two. Worcester’s Eddy Boamah won the 200m and 400m, Eddy Acuna won the shot put, and Marcus Vieira won the hammer throw. Fitchburg’s Cameron Stalters, who won the javelin last year, is back as well.

Mass. Maritime rounded out the poll with four points.

2019 MASCAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Pre-Season Coaches Poll

(First Place Votes In Parentheses)

2019 MASCAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Pre-Season Coaches Poll

(First Place Votes In Parentheses)

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