By Jim Fenton

LEOMINSTER, Mass. -- The 2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men's cross country championship race was a disappointing time for Kevin McBirney (East Bridgewater, Mass.).

The Bridgewater State University runner was unable to finish the meet at Fort Devens as he struggled with the unseasonable heat.

One year later, McBirney, now a senior, made the MASCAC Championships a memorable time.

McBirney won the 8-kilometer race at the Doyle Conservation Center on Saturday afternoon, leading BSU to its third conference title in five seasons.

The Bears have now won nine MASCAC championships, the last one coming in 2022.

BSU had five runners finish in the top seven and finished with 23 points, ahead of defending champion Westfield State University with 56 points.

McBirney earned All-MASCAC honors for the second time in his career as well as Runner of the Year accolades for winning the race. MASCAC honors will be officially announced next week. 

McBirney placed fourth as a freshman in 2021 with a time of 26:32.28, then missed the 2022 season with an injury.

He was one of the leading MASCAC runners a year ago, only to have the heat slow him at the championship meet.

This season, McBirney has been the MASCAC runner of the week four times, bringing his total to eight in his career.

McBirney finished in 26:20.99 to top the field of 77 runners with second-place Taban Manyok (Lynn, Mass.) of Fitchburg State University completing the course in 26:25.66. Sophomore Nathan Sylven (Wrentham, Mass.) of Westfield State was third in 26:35.05.

The second BSU runner to finish was junior Kyle Ackroyd (Charlestown, R.I.) in 26:35.08 for fourth place after being the second-place finisher a year ago.

BSU sophomore Aydan Fournier (Assonet, Mass.) was fifth overall in 26:42.95 and junior Mitchell Parent (Cumberland, Maine) was sixth in 26:46.72.

Senior Kenny Goodwin (Chelmsford, Mass.) was seventh in 26:53.89.

Ackroyd, Fournier, Parent and Goodwin joined McBirney on the all-conference team. Ackroyd and Parent were also on the All-MASCAC team in 2023.

BSU's Alexavier Almeida (North Attleboro, Mass.) finished 12th in 2726.25 while freshman Alex Flores Chavarria (Chelsea, Mass.) took 20th in 28:26.70.

The other finishers for BSU were freshman Jaycob Carpenter (Plymouth, Mass.), who was 25th in 28:54.19; sophomore Owen Mackenzie (Plainville, Mass.), who was 27th in 28:55.81; and sophomore Nicholas Rodden (Plymouth, Mass.), who was 29th in 29:10.30.

Fournier, Parent, Goodwin, Flores Chavarria, Mackenzie and Rodden all recorded personal-best times.

Fitchburg State was third followed by Framingham State, Worcester State and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

BSU will take part in the NCAA East Region race on Nov. 16 at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds in Contoocook, N.H.