BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Five-time defending champion Bridgewater State University has been chosen by the coaches from around the conference to claim the 2024 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Men's Outdoor Track and Field title.

The Bears claimed four first-place votes and 16 total points in this year’s poll. Westfield State is second with 13 points and one first-place vote while Fitchburg State rounded out the top three teams with ten points.

The Bears captured the outdoor titles in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The 2020 championship meet was not contested due to COVID.

During the 2023 MASCAC Outdoor Championships, the Bears won seven individual events and one relay. Second-year head coach Christine Kloiber will look to graduate students Jacob DeAndrade (Taunton, Mass.), Mason Matias (New Bedford, Mass.) and Corey Stalters (Norton, Mass.); seniors Thomas Barinelli (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Michael Young (Shrewsbury, Mass.); and juniors Chigozie Adigwe (Lowell, Mass.) and Kevin McBirney (East Bridgewater, Mass.) to lead the team to their sixth straight MASCAC outdoor title and ninth in team history.

McBirney and Adigwe each won multiple MASCAC individual titles at the outdoor championship meet in 2023. McBirney placed first in the 1,500-meter run and 800-meter run while Adigwe won the 110-meter hurdles and 400 meter-hurdles.

Barinelli was the Bears' leading scorer at the outdoor championship meet last April. Barinelli captured top honors in the high jump and placed second in the long jump and 110-meter hurdles.

A two-time NCAA qualifying javein thrower, Stalters placed second in the shot put at the 2023 MASCAC outdoor championships to go along wih his All-MASCAC performance in the javelin.

DeAndrade, Matias and Young were part of the MASCAC champion 4x100-meter relay squad last spring.

Bridgewater State will open the 2024 oudoor season on Saturday (March 23) as the Bears will host the BSU Bears Invitational.