By Jim Fenton

CONTOOCOOK, N.H. -- The Bridgewater State University men's soccer team placed 16th at the NCAA Division III East Region Championships Saturday afternoon.

The Bears were led by junior Kyle Ackroyd (Charlestown, R.I.), who finished 57th out of 228 runners at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds.

MIT won the East Region title with 43 points followed by Tufts University (61) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (128).

Ackroyd, an All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference selection for a second year in a row, covered the 8-kilometer course in 26:43.58. A year ago, he was 63rd on the same course.

Junior Mitchell Parent (Cumberland, Maine) was the second BSU runner to finish, placing 86th in a time of 27:22.15.

Sophomore Aydan Fournier (Assonet, Mass.) was 104th in 27:50.16 while junior Alexavier Almeida (North Attleboro, Mass.) placed 123rd in 28:26.26.

The fifth Bridgewater State runner to finish was sophomore Owen Mackenzie (Plainville, Mass.) with a time of 29:01.9.

Two BSU harriers were disqualified.

Keene State senior Jake Velazquez (Keene, N.H.) was the winner in 24:35.22 followed by Bowdoin senior Will Goodard (Sebago, Maine) in 24:41.18 and WPI graduate student Avi Bissoondial (Milbury, Mass.) in 24:41.91.