Rouillard Captures Individual Title as Bears Place Second at MASCAC Meet

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Bridgewater State University junior Molly Rouillard (Dartmouth, Mass.) captured the 2010 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women's Cross Country individual championship to lead the Bears to a second place finish at the conference championship meet on Saturday afternoon at Stanley Park. 

Westfield State University captured its seventh straight MASCAC title by posting a nine-point victory over the runner-up Bears.

The Owls placed all five of their runners in the top nine to post a team score of 32 points in besting the Bears' total of 41 points, as Bridgewater State had the top three individual finishers (four of the top 10 overall) on the day.  The crown was Westfield State's 14th overall since 1985 and 11th championship in the last 13 seasons.

Worcester State University finished in third place with a team score of 58 points, while Salem State University (139 points) and Framingham State University (153 points) were next in fourth and fifth place, respectively.  Fitchburg State University (155 points), MCLA (173 points) and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (211 points) rounded out the team scoring in sixth, seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Rouillard earned both MASCAC Runner and Rookie of the Year honors, as she covered the 5K layout in a time of 19:05.05, while Bears' junior Sarah Lagasse (19:29.46) and senior Jessica Eidinger (Sutton, Mass.) followed in the runner-up and third place spots, respectively, with times of 19:29.46 and 19:31.76. 

Westfield State senior Rachel Dionne (Feeding Hills, Mass.), freshman Caitlin Ryan (Hanson, Mass.) and junior Marissa Bonito (Rockland, Mass.) followed in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively, with times of 19:42.63, 19:47 and 19:59.55, and the Owls placed sophomores Rachael Cardin (Sutton, Mass.) and Lynsay Wray (North Andover, Mass.) in the eighth and ninth spots, respectively, with times of 20:03.51 and 20:05.46 to account for their team total. 

Worcester State freshman Ali Barrett (Hingham, Mass.) placed seventh with a time of 20:00.64, while Bridgewater State junior Diana DeMont (West Springfield, Mass.) rounded out the 2010 all-conference team with a 10th place time of 20:13.63.

In addition to Rouillard's individual awards, Bridgewater State Head Coach Jim Simoneau was honored by his peers for a second straight season as the 2010 Turfer MASCAC Coach of the Year.

All eight MASCAC institutions will compete next Saturday at the 2010 New England Alliance Championships at Moore State Park in Auburn, Mass. beginning at Noon.

Courtesy of MASCAC Director of Media Relations, Jim Seavey