MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME CROSS COUNTRY

2014 MASCAC/New England Alliance Championships

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Mount Greylock High School, Williamstown, Mass.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. --  Both Massachusetts Maritime cross country squads competed for their respective Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference titles on Saturday afternoon, as the Buccaneer men finished fifth while the Buccaneer women placed seventh in competition that took place as part of the New England Alliance Championships at Mount Greylock High School.

Sophomore Jake MacVarish (Braintree, Mass.) and freshman Robby Galvin (Woburn, Mass.) led the way on the men’s side for Massachusetts Maritime, as the duo placed 16^th and 17^th, respectively, in a field of 116 runners with times of 28:47.45 and 28:50.90 over the 8K layout.  Seniors Tyler Brady (Woburn, Mass.) and Brenton Andrews (Hubbardston, Mass.) were next in 23^rd and 25^th place with respective times of 29:10.30 and 29:11.06, while freshman Chris MacKay (Bethany, Conn.) rounded out the Buccaneer scoring in 34^th place with a time of 29:47.19.  Westfield State took top honors in the men’s competition with a team score of 34 points, as the Owls bested runner-up Bridgewater State (51) and third place Fitchburg State (70).

Massachusetts Maritime Head Coach Chris Ryan was named as the 2014 MASCAC Coach of the Year by his peers for the second time in his 17-year tenure following the race, as Ryan also copped the honor in 2005 when he guided the Buccaneers to the conference championship.

Sophomore Mara Footit (Wilbraham, Mass.) set the pace once again on the women’s side for the Buccaneers, as she finished 23^rd overall in a field of 97 runners with a time of 21:43.74 over the 5K layout.  Junior Shavonne Boyle (Doylestown, Pa.) and sophomore Celeste Menard (Annandale, Va.) were next in 67^th and 82^nd place with times of 24:45.76 and 26:49.96, while freshmen Lexy Halpin (Plymouth, Mass.) and Kaylene Murphy (Randolph, Mass.) rounded out Massachusetts Maritime’s scoring by posting respective times of 26:51.48 and 28:07.67 that were good for 83^rd and 90^th place.  Westfield State also took top honors on the women’s side with a team score of 28 points, as the Owls bested runner-up Bridgewater State (52) and third-place Framingham State (97) in the team competition.

The Massachusetts Maritime men’s squad will return to Mount Greylock High School in two weeks on Saturday, November 15^th to compete at the 2014 NCAA Division III Regional Championships hosted by Williams beginning at 11:00 a.m.