WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State men's track senior Zac Bentley (Acushnet, Mass.) and swimming and diving senior Kelsey Johnstone (Southwick, Mass.) were announced today as the 2020 Peter Mazza Award winners as a part of the Westfield State spring student-athlete awards.
The Peter Mazza Athletics Award is named in honor of Peter Mazza, the retired vice-president of student affairs at Westfield State who was, and remains, a big proponent of the student-athlete experience. The recipient(s) must excel in academics, athletic ability, sportsmanship, character, service, leadership, and personal development.
Bentley was a four year member of the men's cross country and track and field teams who earned All-Conference cross country honors this past fall and was an integral part of the MASCAC Champion 4X800 relay team in the indoor track season.
He served as an executive board member of the Westfield State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2018-19 and then the President of both the Westfield State and MASCAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committees for the 2019-2020 academic year. He is an active member of the community and even carried the Olympic Torch for the fall Special Olympics Flag Football Tournament held at Westfield State.
Bentley has also excelled in the classroom as a four-time member of the MASCAC All-Academic team and making the Dean's List every semester.
The second award winner, Kelsey Johnstone has been a vital part of the swimming and diving team's success in recent years.
Her individual success in the pool is unparalleled, as she is a four-time New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) Champion, holds three individual school records, and is a part of four freestyle and medley relay teams that now hold school records.
Johnstone has been an active member of the Westfield State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, volunteering at many events with the school in the surrounding area. In the classroom, she has made the Dean's List every semester and has been named to the Little East Conference All-Academic team three times.