Owls Projected First Place Finish in Pre Season Polls
Owls return five all-conference runners to make a push at fourth straight title.
WESTFIELD, Mass. --- The Westfield State Owls have been projected to finish first in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference for women's cross country as voted on by coaches.
The Owls were selected for four first-place votes and a projected 24 points. Bridgewater State is the only other school to receive first-place votes with two and 22 points overall.
Westfield capped off the 2023 season with a MASCAC Championship, the third in a row, and has five all-conference runners returning to make a run at the fourth in a row.
Shea Hamel (Longmeadow, Mass.) is a rising junior and finished in second place last season for the Owls in the MASCAC Championship. Hamel finished with a time of 19:32.65 and secured her sport on the All-Conference list.
Ariann LeCours (Haverhill, Mass.) is coming into her fourth year and is to continue her success from last fall. In 2023, Lecours finished the MASCAC Championship in sixth place with a time of 20:34.22. Lecours also received an All-Conference bid and is looking for another one in 2024.
Molly Kennedy (West Springfield, Mass.) is coming into her final year of being an Owl and has plans to continue the success from her previous years at Westfield. Kennedy finished seventh in the MASCAC's just a fall ago with a time of 20:43.01, right behind teammate Lecours. Kennedy, like her other teammates, performed well enough to earn all-conference honors.
The fourth top-ten finisher for the Owls is Julianne Kelly (Natick, Mass.) she is an up-and-coming third-year at Westfield. Kelly placed ninth at the MASCAC's in 2023 with a time of 20:50.02. Kelly made her case well known for an all-conference nod at the MASCAC Championships last fall and earned it with her ninth-place finish.
The final of the five starting returners for Westfield is Eliza Lee (Walpole, Mass.). Lee is a rising junior with a top-ten finish under her belt last season at the MASCAC Championship along with an all-conference bid in 2023.
Westfield is coached by Head Coach Marlee Berg-Haryasz. Berg-Haryasz has led the Owls to their third straight MASCAC Championship win in 2023. Berg-Haryasz has been coaching the Owls since 2022 and has plans to go for a fourth straight title.
Westfield State opens its season at the Keene State Alumni Meet on Saturday, August 31 at 10 A.M.
-By Hunter Briggs, Sports Information Graduate Intern