WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State men's and women's track and field teams were both selected to finish second in the 2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Preseason Poll as voted on by the coaches throughout the league.
On the men's side, the Owls received a total of six points with Bridgewater State holding the top spot with nine points and three first-place votes. Fitchburg State received the other first-place tally and collected five points in the poll.
Senior field athlete Colby Ranck (Chicopee, Mass.) returns for the Owls after competing in the long jump and triple jump last season. His best indoor leap last year for each event came during the Wesleyan Invite where he cleared 6.48m in the long jump and 12.69m in the triple jump.
Also joining Ranck within the field events is sophomore Brogan Madden (Northboro, Mass.) who delivered several impact performances in the high jump with his leap of 1.85m at the Springfield College Invitational, earning himself the MASCAC Rookie of the Week a season ago.
On the track, senior John Nekitopoulos (West Springfield, Mass.) and Gordon Johnson (Hanson, Mass.) found midseason success at the Westfield State Invitational as the duo topped the 800-meter chart with Nekitopoulos finishing first (1:59.50) just ahead of Johnson (1:59.83).
Women's track and field earned one first-place vote, tallying seven points to place second overall. Bridgewater State got the nod in the top preseason spot, snagging the remaining three first-place votes for a total of nine points.
One of the Owls standout performances as a team came at the Westfield State Invitational where the Owls won nine individual events and the team title.
Senior Paige Moroney (Sterling, Mass.) returns for the Owls after competing in a multitude of events a season ago. Moroney competed in the 60m dash and 200 meters while also participating in the long jump and a leg of the 4x200 and 4x400 relays. She had a season-best time of 8.12 in the 60m dash and 27.06 seconds in the 200 at the Wheaton Pre Postseason meet last year.
Sophomore Eliza Lee (Walpole, Mass.) is also back for the Owls after an impressive rookie campaign in which she was recognized as the MASCAC Rookie of the Week on three separate occasions during the indoor season alone.
Lee was part of a rookie class last year that made significant contributions for the Owls during the indoor season as teammates Shea Hamel (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Brynn LeCours (Haverhill, Mass.) each secured weekly rookie honors as well.
Both men's and women's MASCAC Indoor Championships were not contested last year, but return this season on Saturday, February 10.
Westfield State's season-opening meet will be this upcoming Saturday as the Owls will participate in the Springfield College Invitational from Springfield, Mass. Video for the meet will be available at WestfieldStateOwls.com.
For full men's and women's indoor track and field preseason poll, CLICK HERE