WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior Shane Clark (Bellows Falls, Vt.) racked up 20 points across four different events as the Owls men's track and field team finished second at the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship meet from Fitchburg, Mass. on Saturday.
Westfield finished with a total of 126 points as the Owls edged out Fitchburg State (120 points) who finished third. Bridgewater State won the meet for the fifth straight outdoor season with a total of 249 points.
Clark earned a trio of third-place tallies in the discus (41.41m), javelin (57.77m), and the shot put (12.93m) while also tacking on two points with a 5th place finish in the 110-meter hurdles (18.01). He secured a New England qualifying toss in the discus.
Other strong field event scoring from the Owls came from first-year Brogan Madden (Northborough, Mass.) who leaped to a second-place mark at the high jump by clearing a height of 1.85m. Colby Ranck (Chicopee, Mass.) also finished second in the triple jump (13.17m) and added a fifth-place mark at the long jump (6.39m).
Dylan Clark (Bellows Falls, Vt.) notched a pair of fifth-place performances in the hammer throw (39.52m) and shot put (12.64m).
John Nekitopoulos (West Springfield, Mass.) crossed the tape in 4:05.47 at the 1500m, earning second in the event. Brandon Hager (Agawam, Mass.) was right behind Nekitopoulos, finishing third with a time of 4:14.29. He also tallied a fourth-place mark in the 5000m by posting a time of 16:35.02.
The Owls had a plethora of third-place finishes on the track with Colin Mahoney (Plainville, Mass.) claiming one of those finishes in the 400m. Justin Kennedy (Holyoke, Mass.) was third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.51 seconds, with Mahoney bringing in a top five placement in the event as well.
Nick Hanley (Whitman, Mass.) and Will Buckley (Plymouth, Mass.) both placed third in longer distance events with Hanley collecting six points in the 800m (2:04.30) and Buckley staking the same number of points in the 10,000m (33:41.06) to earn New England qualifying placement.
Senior Kyle O'Brien (Whitman, Mass.) placed fourth in the 3000m steeplechase in another notable performance for the Owls.
In the relays, the Owls quartet of Rowan Gottshall (West Simsbury, Mass.), Fox Guajardo (Attleboro, Mass.), Hanley, and Mahoney won the 4x800 meter relay with a winning time of 8:37.39.
Next weekend, qualifying members of the men's track and field team will compete at the New England Division III Championship meet from Springfield College.