PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Bridgewater State University men's indoor track & field team captured both the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) and New England Alliance titles as the Bears competed at the MASCAC/New England Alliance Championships held on Saturday at Providence Career & Technical High School.
The Bears posted a score of 195 points in the MASCAC results to finish just ahead of runner-up and defending champion Westfield State University (193.5 pts.) by 1.5 points.
BSU also recorded a score of 153 points in the Alliance standings to edge runner-up University of Southern Maine (145 pts.) by eight points.
Five different Bears captured both MASCAC and Alliance individual crowns.
Junior Conor Murtagh (Walpole, Mass.) broke his own BSU indoor mark in the 60-meter hurdles with a preliminary time of 8.20 seconds and then re-broke it with a finals time of 8.04 seconds. Murtagh currently ranks third in all of Division III in the hurdles.
Senior Chinedu Chukwu (Randolph, Mass.) eclipsed is own program mark in the 60-meter dash with a finals time of 6.92 seconds. Chukwu is presently seventh nationally in the 60.
Senior Brian Espinosa (Rehoboth, Mass.) broke the meet record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.97 seconds. Espinosa also won the MASCAC title in the long jump and eclipsed his own school record with a leap of 23 feet, 4.5 inches (7.12 meters). He is the top ranked student-athlete in the 200 and ninth overall in the long jump.
Seniors Josh Goehring (Haverhill, Mass.) and Andy Sukeforth (Middleboro, Mass.) rounded out the Bears MASCAC/Alliance champions. Goehring posted a time of 2:35.21 in the 1,000-meter run, while Sukeforth recorded a time of 8:53.30 in the 3,000-meter run. Goehring also garnered MASCAC top honors in the 600-meter run (1:22.12), while Sukeforth won the MASCAC title in the mile run (4:22.54).
The Bears' 4x200-meter relay team featuring Chukwu, classmate Joseph Danner-Hicks (Haverhill, Mass.), and freshmen Hueston Brathwaite (Randolph, Mass.) and Colin Knapton (Mattapoisett, Mass.) captured both the MASCAC and Alliance crowns with a time of 1:30.84.
BSU's 4x400-meter relay squad consisting of Espinosa, Goehring, fellow senior Chris Naughton (Braintree, Mass.) and junior Kevin Sawyer (Woburn, Mass.) won the MASCAC title with a time of 3:25.56.
Senior Chris Perry (Attleboro, Mass.) captured the MASCAC individual crown in the triple jump with a distance of 47 feet, three inches (14.40 meters). Perry also finished second behind Espinosa in the MASCAC long jump results with a mark of 23 feet, 2.75 inches (7.08 meters).
Freshman Cameron Williamson (North Easton, Mass.) trailed only Perry among the MASCAC competitors in the triple jump with a leap of 45 feet, 7.75 inches (13.91 meters). He currently ranks 24th in Division III in the event.
Next weekend, qualifying members of the BSU indoor track & field teams will compete at the Division III New England Championships hosted by Springfield College.