When junior Zac Bentley, a member of the cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams, made the decision to transfer to Westfield State as a sophomore, he was looking for a fresh start and a place where he could make an impact. Just a little over a year later, and Bentley has done just that, being voted as the president of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee this past semester.

"The MASCAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is a group that meets usually once a month to discuss things that have to do with how the athletic department and everything surrounding the student athlete can affect them," Bentley explained. "We do our best to get a student-athlete point of view on how to improve the student-athlete life."

Bentley is coming off of a very strong indoor season, where he was a standout in the 800 and 1000 meters. He was also a member of the 4x800 team that took home first place in the MASCAC championship meet, finishing with a time of 8:33.51.

"Zac is one of the leaders on the team, and the students look up to him and respect him," said Sean O'Brien, who is in the midst of his 17th season as head coach of the Westfield State men's and women's track and field programs.

"He's one of those kids who you don't have to tell to work, he's always looking to do better, and those are the types you want. I am expecting big things this outdoor season."

The junior from Acushnet, Massachusetts didn't plan on being president of SAAC, or even getting involved in the committee when he first came to Westfield.

"Last year was my first year at Westfield, and there was a senior on the cross country team who was a member," said Bentley.  "Coach Marlee Berg was an assistant on the team, and I heard about it through them."

"They very casually said I should come to one of the meetings and possibly fill his senior spot when he leaves. So I wound up doing that, and from there I got involved in the executive board, then I ended up running for the entire MASCAC SAAC president, and I got that spot this past semester," he continued.

While running is very important to him, Bentley wants to continue to have an impact off of the track when it comes to being SAAC president.

"What I like most about being the president of SAAC is I definitely trust myself with being able to make improvements on things we need, and I know I work well with other people when it comes to doing that stuff," he said.

"The opportunity for Zac to extend his leadership skills to the conference level as the MASCAC SAAC president will be a great experience for him," said Berg, the athletic administrator for SAAC and assistant coach of the cross country and track teams here at Westfield. "He has grown as a leader within our SAAC and has been named the captain of the men's cross country team for the 2019 season."

Bentley said he is excited to see what kind of difference he can make within the conference now that he has been named president.

"I can have a big impact on not only the athletes at Westfield, but I can help with all of the other schools in the MASCAC. So it's a very large scale where I can bring my individual skills to try and make things better."

A transfer from Central Connecticut State, Bentley has had no regrets since switching over to Westfield State.

"Westfield is a great school, I think it's awesome because of the small close-knit community, especially in athletics," he said. "Coming out of high school I wanted to experience the whole division one picture, and I just realized it wasn't for me."

"I didn't feel like I was fitting in with the team [at Central] very well, but I knew a couple of kids on the team here and I have always heard great things about Westfield, so I got the transfer process going and now I wouldn't change that for anything."

Zac began running around the fourth grade, when his older brother and cousins would compete in road races. "I just found a really big challenge with running so I continued it through middle school, then high school, and here I am now."

When it comes to his biggest influence, he credits his high school cross country/track coach Jason Torres for getting him where he is today.

"He was tough on me when he needed to be but was really there for me when I needed him as well. It was a good relationship because he allowed me to do what I wanted to, and run where I wanted to," Bentley said.

"[Torres] helped me in going to a division one school, and also with coming here when I wanted to switch. He was a huge influence not only in my running life but in academics too, figuring out what's most important to me."

Coming off of an indoor track season in which the Owls finished second overall in the MASCAC, Bentley hopes to build on that finish for the outdoor season.

"I think we're really good. A problem we've had in past seasons is just being outnumbered by other teams, but one thing I have noticed throughout indoor is that while we may have a smaller amount of athletes, we have athletes that are truly and sincerely dedicated. We might be a small group but we are all sticking together and we all want the same thing," Zac said.

A Communication major with a concentration in public relations, Bentley has an internship with a global company lined up for the summer. When he's not in class or running, Zac enjoys watching and playing other sports, specifically baseball. He also loves music and plays the drums.

As far as future plans, Zac says he will keep on running.

"In terms of athletics I want to come back and finish my college career strong, then after that keep it recreational. I never want to lose touch with running."

-- By Nick Dolan, Sports Information Intern