WESTFIELD, Mass. –Westfield State University secured the Howard C. Smith Cup as the best overall athletics program in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference for the 2022-23 academic year, retaining the Cup for the third straight year.
The Owls have now won the Smith Cup for the 17th time, including seven of the last eight presentations of the Cup (No Cup was awarded in the 2020-21 academic year due to the pandemic interruptions of the fall and winter seasons).
Westfield edged out Bridgewater State for the Smith Cup, capturing 73.65 percent of available points to the Bears 71.85. Framingham State (67.75%) and Worcester (60.53%) round off the top four.
The Owls finished the year with 117.84 out of 160 possible points. The Owls were atop the standings in women's cross country, women's lacrosse, women's soccer and tied for first in women's volleyball, earning the maximum number of points in three of the four sports.
Westfield also had a slew of second-place point tallies from men's cross country, and men's and women's outdoor track and field while tying for second in field hockey, men's and women's basketball, and softball.
The Smith Cup is awarded annually to the member institution that compiles the most points based on the placement of each of its programs competing in the league championship sports. The Cup is named in honor of former Massachusetts State College Trustee Howard C. Smith, who in 1970, urged the athletic directors from the eight state institutions to hold a series of meetings to discuss the possibility of forming an intercollegiate conference. In June of 1971, Smith's dream became a reality as an agreement was reached and the MASCAC was created.
Westfield State has become one of the most prominent players in the MASCAC ever since, winning the first Smith Cup ever issued after the 1972-73 season, and has won the Cup 17 times in the 49 years in which it has been presented.