BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's outdoor track & field team has been picked to finish in second place at the 2024 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Championships as the MASCAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches Poll was released today by conference director of media relations, Emily Loux.

The Bears received 22 points in the poll with a pair of first-place votes. Westfield State University topped the poll with 24 points including four first place votes. Worcester State University rounded out the top three teams with 15 points.

Bridgewater has claimed each of the last three MASCAC outdoor titles and ten overall.

During the 2023 MASCAC Outdoor Championships, the Bears won seven individual events and two relays. Second-year head coach Christine Kloiber will look to graduate students Jailene Escalera (Rockland, Mass.) and Alison McDonough (Halifax, Mass.); seniors Nicole Major (Andover, Mass.) and Serenity Sands (East Bridgewater, Mass.); juniors Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) and Tristen Gomes (Middleboro, Mass.); and sophomore Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) to lead the team to their second straight MASCAC indoor title and fifth in team history.

Escalera and McDonough each won multiple MASCAC individual titles at the outdoor championship meet in 2023. Escalera placed first in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash while McDonough won the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump.

McDonough, who was the Bears' leading scorer at the outdoor championship meet last April, is a three-time national qualifier as she competed in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in 2022 and 2024 as well as the 100-meter hurldes at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships last spring.

Escalera, McDonugh and Abrantes were part of the MASCAC champion 4x100-meter relay squad last spring. Abrantes also won the MASCAC title in the 400-meter dash and competed on the Bears' MASCAC champion 4x400-meter relay team along with Major.

Gomes rounds out the Bears' returning conference champions from the 2023 outdoor campaign as she captured the triple jump title.

Sands is a three-time NCAA qualifier in the high jumper, earning All-American honors with a fourth place finish earlier this month at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships held at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. She also competed at the NCAA outdoor championships in 2022 and 2023.

Cass qualified and competed last fall at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. She also won the mile and the 1,000-meter run at the MASCAC indoor championships in February.

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