PAXTON, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State Men's cross country team claimed the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) team championship on Saturday afternoon at Moore State Park.
Senior Trevor Wysong (Taunton, Mass.) captured the MASCAC individual title for the second year in a row, and classmate Mike Hutchinson (Leominster, Mass.) earned runner-up honors to lead the Bears to the championship.
Wysong covered the eight-kilometer course in a time of 25:56 as he outran the field of 92 harriers by more than 90 seconds. Hutchinson was the next runner to cross the finish line as he posted a time of 27:32. Wysong garnered MASCAC Runner of the Year honors for his performance while the teammates both earned All-MASCAC accolades.
Senior Joshua Higgins (Fitchburg, Mass.) was the third BSU athlete to cross the finish line also claiming All-MASCAC honors as he placed fifth with a time of 27:55.
Also finishing in the top 20 for the Bears were juniors Lukas Moscoso (Whitman, Mass.), Robert Moreau (Franklin, Mass.) and Nikolas Beshere (Winthrop, Mass.), senior Joseph Celia (Bridgewater, Mass.) and freshman Doug Alvarado (East Boston, Mass.). Moscoso placed 14th (28:29), Moreau finished 15th (28:35), Beshere 16th (28:36), Celia 17th (28:37) and Alvarado 20th (28:43).
BSU second-year skipper Connor Foley was voted by his fellow coaches at the meet as the Champion's Choice Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second year in a row.
Bridgewater State captured the team title with 37 points followed by Westfield State (60 pts.) in second place and Worcester State University (61 pts.) in third.
The Bears earned their first championships since 2012 and the seventh in program history. Bridgewater State also won the title in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2010.
Following an off weekend, the BSU cross country teams will compete at the Division III New England Championships hosted by Bowdoin College on Saturday, November 16th.