Women's Indoor Track & Field Places Second at MASCAC Championships

By Jim Fenton

NORTON, Mass. -- Bridgewater State University seniors Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) and Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) were double winners in their final Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship meet.

Cass placed first in the mile and the 5,000 while Abrantes was the winner in the 200 and 400, helping the Bears place second in the MASCAC.

Westfield State University won the championship with 250 points followed by BSU (133), Worcester State (118) and Fitchburg State (63).

The meet took place on Sunday night at Wheaton College.

Cass' first victory was in the 5,000 as she ran in a meet record time of 18:12.30, nearly 30 seconds faster than the second-place finisher.

Later in the night, she ran the mile in 5:16.50 for her second individual title of the meet.

Abrantes won the 400 in 59.08 and the 200 in 25.71 as will likely once again qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships.

Also winning for BSU was sophomore Grace Inacio (Taunton, Mass.).

Inacio placed first in the 60 with a meet record time of 7.73 and she was also second behind Abrantes in the 200 with a time of 26.24.

The Bears' 4x400 relay team also won in 4:16.31. The team was comprised of Inacio, sophomore Bella Grover (Warren, Mass.), Abrantes and Cass.

The 4x200 relay team of sophomore Emerson Ricciardi (East Freetown, Mass.), sophomore Olivia Downin (Hudson, Mass.), freshman Samara Lunde (Rockland, Mass.) and freshman Olivia Vitali (Middleboro, Mass.) was second in 1:58.39.

Freshman Savana Malo (Milford, Mass.) was third in three events.

Malo finished the 200 in 27.09 to place behind Abrantes and Inacio and had a time of 8.16 in the 60. She was third in the long jump (16 feet, 8 1/2 inches).

Downin took second in the 800 in 2:29.69.

Grover was second in the high jump (4 feet, 11 3/4 inches) and fifth in the 400 (1:06.50).

In the 60 hurdles, graduate student Cheyenne Nelson (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was fourth in 10.45 with teammate Madison Root (Rehoboth, Mass.) fifth in 10.74.

Placing in the shot put were freshman Madison Campbell (Weymouth, Mass.) and freshman Sophia Morin (Centerville, Mass.), who were fourth and sixth, respectively.

In the high jump, sophomore Chloe Davies (Foxborough, Mass.) was fourth (4 feet, 7 and 3/4 inches).