After enjoying continued success at both the conference and regional levels last season, the Massachusetts Maritime outdoor track & field team is looking to take things to the next level this spring, as Head Coach Cathy Lohse welcomes back experienced veterans and welcomes in many talented newcomers that will bolster the Buccaneers in all events in 2015.

An important aspect in the continued growth and development of the program over the years has been leadership, and Lohse will look to a quartet of seniors in Anthony Downs (West Roxbury, Mass.), Sam Hill (Hopkinton, N.H./Hopkinton), Godfred Mbengam (Randolph, Mass./Randolph) and Zach Poh (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) to set that example while serving as Massachusetts Maritime’s captains this spring.  Lohse describes this group as “fully invested into setting positive goals and examples in competition and on campus for their teammates and our program.  I know they expect big things from themselves, and they will have that same level of expectation for their teammates.”

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up for the 2015 edition of Buccaneer Outdoor Track & Field:

THROWS.  Poh has established himself as one of the top throwers in the region, as he earned Division III All-New England accolades in the discus and finished as the runner-up in the event at the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference championships last spring.  Poh, who competed at last year’s ECAC Division III championships, has also excelled in both the shot put and the hammer throw during his career at the Academy, and he headlines a standout throwing corps that also includes sophomore Meaghan Brain (Hanson, Mass./Whitman-Hanson), who competed in the javelin at the Division III New England championships as a rookie in 2014.

Senior Cody Carneiro (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip) and junior Bryce MacAndrew (Warwick, R.I./The Prout School) lend additional experience in throwing events for Lohse, who will also look for contributions from freshmen Ian Carter (Salem, Mass./Salem), Mitch Conroy (Brooklyn, Conn./Killingly), Malina Dang (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill), John Kelly (Sanbornton, N.H./Bishop Brady), Kevin O’Leary (Norton, Mass./Norton) and Edward Quill (Sterling, Mass./Clinton).  Freshman Jessica Gratzer (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke), the sister of former Buccaneer all-regional thrower Robert Gratzer, will look to establish herself in throwing events as well during her inaugural collegiate campaign.

HURDLES/JUMPS.  Hill holds the school 400 meter intermediate hurdles record and has enjoyed a solid career both in hurdles and relay events, while fellow senior E.J. Bennett (East Wareham, Mass./Wareham) returns to the Buccaneer program with a resume that includes earning Division III All-New England honors in the high jump as a freshman.  Junior Peter Schultz (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) provides additional experience in jumping events for Lohse, who will look for contributions from sophomores Emma Ethier (Norton, Mass./Norton) and Ashley Holmes (Marlboro, Mass./Assabet Valley) as well as freshmen Joseph Carey (Pembroke, Mass./Xaverian), Ian Chester (Rockland, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) and Matt Cody (Billerica, Mass./Shawsheen Tech).

SPRINTS/DISTANCE.  Mbengam and Downs have excelled in both relay and distance events during their record-setting Buccaneer careers, and they are joined by the sophomore quartet of Tyler Aldrich (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee), Adam Gauvin (Greenville, R.I./Mount Saint Charles), Andrew Gulino (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro) and Luke Kurelja (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) as returning veterans for Massachusetts Maritime this season.  Sophomore Garrett Loughry (Edgewater, Fla./Spruce Creek) and freshmen Rian Dalton (Danvers, Mass./North Shore Tech), Joe Eastman (Hanover, Mass./Hanover), Alan Provost (Monson, Mass./Monson) and Matthew Vachereau (North Adams, Mass./Drury) will be vying for roles in sprints and distance events for the Buccaneers as well this spring.

SCHEDULE.  Lohse’s crew will compete in five regular season invitationals at Wesleyan, Tufts, UMass Dartmouth, Connecticut College and Eastern Connecticut before heading to Fitchburg State for the 2015 MASCAC/New England Alliance Championships on April 25^th.  Massachusetts Maritime also looks to compete at the Division III New England Championships (at MIT), the All-Divisions New England Championships and the ECAC Championships before the NCAA Division III Championships take place in late May.