By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's track & field team bids for a sixth straight Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference indoor championship on Sunday.

The Bears are serving as the hosts of the annual meet, which is being held at Wheaton College's Beard Field House in Norton. The opening event is slated for 4:15 p.m.

Westfield State University won the first 14 MASCAC indoor championships from 1999-2012, but since then, BSU has finished first seven out of 10 years, including the last five in a row.

The Bears, who have also won five straight MASCAC outdoor titles, are looking to keep their winning ways going this winter.

"They want to represent well for the school, they want to represent for the team and the legacy they are upholding," said BSU coach Christine Kloiber. "It's very cool that they have pride in that."

BSU compiled 263 points to win the 2024 meet held at Smith College in Northampton with Westfield State a distant second with 139 points.

The Bears won 11 individual events and two relay races to earn their fifth title in a row.

BSU has depth in several events and has three athletes who broke school records this season.

Senior Kevin McBirney (East Bridgewater, Mass.) established new marks in back-to-back weeks.

He finished the 800-meter race in 1:52.54 at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational, held at Boston University last Saturday. He broke the record of 1:53 set in 2018 by Joshua Higgins.

A week before that, McBirney won the 1,000-meter run at the Branwen Smith-King Invitational at Tufts University in 2:29.42. The old mark was 2:29.69 set in 2012 by Andy Sukeforth.

McBirney is 14th nationally in Division III in the 800 and third in the East Region. He won the 800 and mile races a year ago at the MASCAC Championships.

"You follow the plan, you listen, you ask questions, you do the work, you pay attention to details, and you build on each successive year," said Kloiber. "He's reaping the benefits of all his due diligence."

Freshman Alex Huynh (Stoughton, Mass.) set the BSU record in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 7 1/2 inches.

Huynh is ranked 18th in the country and has been the MASCAC rookie of the week four times.

"We're pleased that Alex has taken to everything and has developed so quickly," said Kloiber. "He's worked hard for it."

Also establishing a new Bears' record was junior Ryker King (Wareham, Mass.) with 4,049 points in the heptathlon. The old mark was 3,978 points, set in 2018 by Jamie Carlson.

The Bears return two athletes who won MASCAC individual titles a year ago.

Junior Kyle Ackroyd (Charlestown, R.I.) was first in the 5,000 with a time of 15:54.59 while graduate student Corey Stalters (Norton, Mass.) won the shot put (52 feet, two inches).

Other key performers for BSU this winter include senior Chigozie Adigwe (Lowell, Mass.), who was second in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2024 MASCACs, and sophomore sprinter Matthew Mooney (Douglas, Mass.).

BSU is deep in the sprint events with Mooney, sophomore Shaun Humberd (Plymouth, Mass.), senior Stephen Spofford (Chelmsford, Mass.) and graduate student Mason Matias (New Bedford, Mass.).

"There's a lot of depth in the sprint events," said Kloiber. "Our distance events, we don't have as high a number, but the ones we do have are high quality.

"Our field events, we have strength and development. We graduated five throwers and those in the stage of development are developing very well.

"It's been an exciting year. Our goal this year was to add some depth back in a few events because we had some pretty successful athletes who graduated last year. We've done that. We've had some success across the board in all the various events."

Now the Bears will try for a sixth straight MASCAC title with a team that has both veterans and newcomers to the spotlight.

"Each team's a little bit different,'' said Kloiber. "But there's a consistency with the culture. The camaraderie is very tight.

"They want to work hard and succeed and they know they need to work together to do that. When you trust your teammates, the performances follow."

After the MASCAC Championships, BSU will have a week off before taking part in the Division III New England Championships Feb. 28-March 1 in Boston.