Worcester State Men’s Track & Field Claims First-Ever MASCAC Indoor Championship

PORTLAND, Me. – The Worcester State University men's indoor track & field team earned its first-ever Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) indoor title at the MASCAC/Alliance Championships, hosted by the University of Southern Maine, on Saturday.

"These guys were hungry for the title and we brought it,"  commented Worcester State's head coach Al Halper. "The win was a total team effort."

Worcester State saw five MASCAC individual titles, and two Alliance (MASCAC and Little East Conference combination) individual titles at the meet, as well as two school records and many personal records throughout the day.

"We scored in all event areas," said Halper.  "Not only did we get the performances expected from our top athletes, but we had a number of guys who just stepped up today with their best performances of the season."

Worcester State's throwers, Sam Weeks (Methuen, Mass.) and Marcus Vieira (Peabody, Mass.) were named the MASCAC and Alliance champions in the shot put and weight throw events, respectively. Weeks threw for a distance of 15.83m in the weight throw, while Vieira marked a top-throw and a school record in the weight throw at 17.93m. Worcester State's Eddy Acuna (Newton, Mass.) and Jacob Roumanos (Whitman, Mass.) claimed 2^nd and 3^rd (MASCAC) places in the shot put, while Worcester's Weeks and Anthony Christo (Peabody, Mass.) took 2^nd and 3^rd (MASCAC) places in the weight throw.

Jalil Gibson (Lynn, Mass.) was named the MASCAC 55 Meter Dash champion as he completed the event in 6.56 (3^rd Place Alliance). Teammate Jared Barros (Taunton, Mass.) followed with second place in the MASCAC (4^th Alliance) as he marked a time of 6.64. Not only did Barros strive in the 55 Meter Dash, but he also claimed a MASCAC title in the 200 Meter Dash in a time of 23.11 (5^th Place Alliance).

Edward Boamah (Worcester, Mass.) slid in at third place in the MASCAC in the 400 Meter Dash in a time of 52.55, while he landed in 9^th place in the Alliance. Angel Martinez (Lawrence, Mass.) took the 8^th MASCAC spot in the same event as he recorded a time of 54.62.

Senior Marc George (Framingham, Mass.) claimed the top spot in the MASCAC in the 600 Meters as he finished in a time of 1:22.46 (3^rd Place Alliance), breaking the Worcester State school record. The Lancers' Marques Johnson (W. Hartford, Conn.) and Christian Cedullo (Salem, Mass.) also placed in the MASCAC as they came in 6^th and 7^th places, respectively.

Jeffrey Davis (Old Lyme, Conn.) stepped it up in the 800 Meter Run and marked a time of 2:02.26 to claim 2^nd place in the MASCAC, and 5^th place in the Alliance. Mitchell Cupp (N. Attleboro, Mass.) and David Caron (Lowell, Mass.) came in 6^th and 7^th in the MASCAC, respectively. Joseph Grider (Hopedale, Mass.) marked a 4^th place MASCAC finish, and a 5^th place Alliance finish in the 1000 Meter Run (2:40.01). Devin Luce (Milford, Mass.) came in 2^nd in the MASCAC, and 4^th in the Alliance in the mile run (4:29.93). Michael Ricci (Peabody, Mass.) ran the 3000 Meter in a time of 9:20.42 – good for 6^th place in the MASCAC.

Scott Page (Baldwinville, Mass.) was named the MASCAC pole vault champion (4.10m) and also took 6^th place in the MASAC in the 55 Meter Hurdles (9.01). Brett Robinson (Westborough, Mass.) took second place in the MASCAC (5^th Alliance) in the pole vault at 3.70m.

Worcester State's Markiesh Harmon (Leominster, Mass.) and CJ Hernandez (Lynn, Mass.) came in 4^th and 5^th places, respectively, in the MASCAC high jump event. Harmon jumped for a height of 1.93 (good for 5^th in the Alliance), while Hernandez jumped for 1.83m. Boamah and Harmon each leaped for 6.39m in the long jump – good for 2^nd and 3^rd places in the MASCAC (6^th and 7^th in the Alliance). Tyler Nims (Ashburnham, Mass.) came in 5^th in the MASCAC in the same event.

Worcester State's Colbert Agyei (Worcester, Mass.), Momodou Kabareh (Worcester, Mass.), Harmon, and Ryan Connolly (Braintree, Mass.) claimed the MASCAC's 3^rd through 6^th spots in the triple jump.

The Lancers' relay team of Boamah, Johnson, Kabareh, and George won the MASCAC 4x400 Meter Relay in a time of 3:27.54 (3^rd Place Alliance). Worcester State's 4x200 and 4x800 Meter Relays came in second in the conference.

"As a coach you can only prepare your guys to perform at their best,"  stated Halper. "The athletes have to be the ones who go out and get the job done. I am grateful to have a team that worked hard for the win. It is a great group of guys."

Next week (Feb. 17-18), the men's indoor track & field team will take a group athletes who qualified to the NCAA Division III New England meet, hosted by Tufts.