WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State first-year Nathan Sylven (Wrentham, Mass.) captured both end of season honors this past Friday, securing the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Player and Rookie of the Week after placing first overall at the MASCAC Championship meet.

Sylven crossed the tape at a time of 26:19 to finish first individually at the 8k course from Willards Park/Devens Recreational Facility in Worcester, Mass., guiding the Owls to their first MASCAC Championship team title since the fall of 2016.

Sylven earned the conference Rookie of the Year accolade as part of being named the 2023 individual champion as the rookie runner was the first individual winner for the Owls since Mike Skelly crossed the tape first in the 2015 season.

The Owls placed five of the top ten runners in the meet with Sylven clearing his next closest competitor by almost a full minute. Westfield compiled 26 points with every competing runner finishing within the top 15 runners in a field that comprised of 73 athletes.

Overall, Sylven is the tenth Owl runner to win the men's individual title as the men's cross country team has now won 26 of the 51 MASCAC tournament titles.

The championship victory puts an exclamation point on an impact first-year campaign for Sylven who has now been named the conference's rookie of the week for the sixth time this year while also sweeping both weekly honors on three separate occasions.

Next up on the slate for men's cross country will be the NCAA Division III Regionals with the Owls hosting the meet on Saturday, November 11 from Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass.