WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State University men's and women's cross country teams will look to capitalize on their stellar year at the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship meet on Saturday, October 29 at Stanley Park in Westfield, Massachusetts. The women's race will begin at 11:00 A.M. with the men's race following at 12:00 P.M.
Last year, the women's cross-country team took home the conference title, led by MASCAC's female runner of the year Amy O'Sullivan (Greenfield, Mass) after cruising through 5,000 meters in 18:46. Men's cross country finished fourth, led by sophomore Will Buckley (Plymouth, Mass.) who placed 5th overall in 27:19.
Head coach Marlee Berg-Haryasz added some insight heading into MASCAC Championships.
"Really excited to have it at the home course. Looking forward to trying to bring both of the trophies back to the nest! We are more than capable of doing it. Our women were ranked first in the fall, and our men were fourth but they're holding up well and I truly believe we will be holding up both the MASCAC trophies."
Men's Race
Junior John Nekitopoulos (West Springfield, Mass.) has made a splash this year in what is essentially his rookie campaign after only competing in one short course meeting last year. In his first meet of the season, Nekitopoulos finished third for the Owls, completing five kilometers in 27:42.67. Since then, he has been the men's top scorer for the Owls. Nekitopoulos' personal record over the 8,000m course was set this year at the James Earley Invitational meet at 27:19.38.
When reacting to the men's squad performance at the James Earley meet, Coach Berg-Haryasz cheerfully expressed, "I'm so excited for John… this is his first cross country season, and he's learning the eight [kilometer course] very well, and he still has some learning to do but he's going to keep making moves… but him leading the other guys… they came in this year and we talked about working together as a pack and as one unit and supporting each other, and they've been able to do that really well."
After recounting the team's performance at the James Earley meet, Nekitopoulos stated, "[I] Feel like we did alright. We can do a lot better, and a lot of the guys know that. We are looking forward to seeing what we can do at conferences."
Nekitopoulos also provided his personal insight after experiencing his first full cross-country season by replying, "[I am] definitely looking forward to conference championships, it's at the same place here [Stanley Park] so we are very fortunate to have it here. Definitely looking to improve a lot by then."
Buckley has been one of the Owls' top three finishers at every meet this season. He ran his best time this season at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational where he finished first for the Owls as he covered five miles in 27:08.
Graduate student Mike Maher (Attleboro, Mass) joins Buckley and Nekitopoulos as one of the leaders for the Owls this season. Maher's best performance also came from the UMass Dartmouth Invitational as he finished in 27:12 (111th out of 280 runners).
The Owls men's cross-country team ranked fourth in the MASCAC behind Fitchburg State, Worcester State, and Bridgewater State during the preseason by the coaches of the MASCAC.
The James Earley Invitational served as a preview for the MASCAC Championships since seven out of eight MASCAC teams were competing amongst themselves, and other teams from around the region. During the meet, only one other runner from the MASCAC bested Nekitopoulos. Fitchburg State sophomore Taban Manyok (Lynn, Mass.), who won the 2021 MASCAC Cross Country Runner and Rookie of the Year awards for winning the individual title at last year's championship meeting, was the only MASCAC runner to defeat Nekitopoulos at the James Earley Invitational this year.
Women's Race
The women's cross-country team has been recognized by the MASCAC following every invitational meet this season through first-year athletes' Julianne Kelly (Natick, Mass.), and Tealei Chandonnet (Dracut, Mass.) as both have won MASCAC Runner or Rookie of the Week awards.
Kelly has earned the MASCAC Rookie of the Week honors for four straight weeks and has also earned MASCAC Runner of the Week on three occasions. Chandonnet won Rookie of the Week for the week of September 6 for her performance in the Keene State Alumni Invitational.
Coach Berg-Haryasz described the dynamic within the women's squad following the James Earley Invitational this season:
"Our women's side is super exciting. We have eight first-years, eight sophomores, one junior, and a grad. We are really young, and they have all come in and adjusted really well. Just to have the interchangeable group in our top eight or nine it's kind of refreshing that they are all able to work together. They all support each other, and they all know that they are all close. Julianne has been leading them, Tealei has been right behind her, Grace [Poplawski] has been in there, Mia [McDonald] is in the mix it just goes on and on."
The women's cross-country team has fluctuated in terms of their top scorers all season long which serves as a testament to the depth of the unit overall. Kelly has consistently been in the top two among Owls. Chandonnet has scored in three different meetings this season at the Keene State Invitational, the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, and the Purple Valley Classic.
Other top performers for the Owls have been Shea Hamel (Longmeadow, Mass.), who took third for the Owls at the James Earley Invitational. Ariann LeCours (Haverhill, Mass.) finished second on the team at the Purple Valley Classic and the James Earley Invitational, and Mia McDonald (Westfield, Mass.) placed third for the Owls at the Connecticut College Invitational.
During the preseason coaches' poll, the Owls ranked first among MASCAC competitors with a total of six first-place votes for 36 points. The women were selected amongst league coaches to win their third straight MASCAC Championship.
Kelly has a chance to secure MASCAC's Rookie and Runner of the Year awards. During the James Earley Invitational, out of seven competing MASCAC teams, not a single runner amongst MASCAC participants was able to catch Kelly in the five-kilometer course. Claiming the individual title at the championships this Saturday would punctuate her rookie season.
All meet results and postgame recaps can be found by visiting WestfieldStateOwls.com.
Written by Sports Information Intern Dave Cataloni