Fitchburg State Among Top Four In Pre-Season Poll

Men’s team selected third overall; Women earn fourth place pre-season nomination

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. (August 24, 2012) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s cross country teams were recently ranked among the top four teams in the MASCAC Pre-Season Coaches Poll as selected by the league coaches Friday morning.

On the women’s side, eight-time defending champion Westfield State captured six first place votes to amass 62 points in this year’s poll, while Bridgewater State collected 52 points that included one first place vote for second place. Worcester State, which received the other first place vote, is next in third place with 51 points, while Fitchburg State and Salem State followed in fourth and fifth place, respectively, with 41 and 29 points. Mass-Maritime collected sixth place with 22 points, while Framingham State and MCLA rounded out this year’s poll in seventh and eighth place with 17 and 14 points, respectively. 

The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, the nation’s oldest Division III men’s and women’s playing conference, has a rich and storied tradition of competitive success while celebrating excellence in the classroom. MASCAC member schools include Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, MCLA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University. Two other institutions, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Plymouth State University, are affiliate members of the conference in the sport of men’s ice hockey.