16 student-athletes from around the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference have earned All-Region accolades from the U.S. Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as announced by the organization.
Thomas Barinelli, Exondus Barnes, Jacob DeAndrade Matthew Lighten, Corey Stalters and Trevor Wysong of Bridgewater State, Zanthius Collins and Eric Shimiyimana of Fitchburg State and Shane Clark of Worcester State on the men's side received honors. On the women's side, Jayci Andrews, Alison McDonough, Abbi Peterson and Serenity Sands of Bridgewater State, Vicky Marin and Amy O'Sullivan of Westfield State and Riley Sanderson of Worcester State earn this year's accolades.
Senior Matthew Lighten earned All-East Region honors in multiple events to highlight the men's squad. Lighten finished the season first in the region in both the 100-meter dash (10.47) and 200-meter dash (21.28).
Junior Corey Stalters wrapped up the 2022 outdoor campaign as the top javelin thrower in the East Region with a season-best toss of 218 feet, 11 inches (66.74m).
Senior Jacob DeAndrade, sophomore Thomas Barinelli and graduate student Trevor Wysong round out the Bears' All-East Region honorees. DeAndrade completed the outdoor season third in the region in the 100-meter dash (10.66), while Barinelli finished third in the high jump (6'4.75"/1.95m) and Wysong checks in at fourth in the 10,000-meter run (30:39.58).
On the women's side, BSU graduate student Jayci Andrews (Plymouth, Mass.) earned All-East Region honors in both the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles while juniors Alison McDonough (Halifax, Mass.) and Abbi Peterson (Watertown, Mass.) garnered All-East Region accolades in the 100 hurdles and high jump, respectively, and sophomore Serenity Sands (East Bridgewater, Mass.) picked up the award in the high jump.
Andrews was the top ranked hurdler in the East Region for both the 100 (13.88) and 400 hurdles (1:00.28). Peterson finished the season third regionally in the high jump (5'7.25"/1.71m), while McDonough was fourth in the 100 hurdles (14.59) and Sands ranked fifth in the high jump (5'5.75"/1.67m).
For Fitchburg State, Collins and Shimiyimana earned All-East Region honors in the javelin and triple jump, respectively. Collins closed out the year third in the region after registering a top throw of 56.54m (185' 6") at the DIII New England Championships. Shimiyimana also got his mark at the DIII New England Championships with a top jump of 13.96m (45' 9.75") to tie for second in the East.
Clark, a senior who plans to return to use his final year of eligibility for Westfield State, finished the season ranked 30th on the NCAA Division III performance list with a best throw of 56.85 meters (186' 6") which placed him atop the Mideast regional list.
Marin in her first season with the Owls, had a season best time of 15.02 seconds in the 100 hurdles for the third-best mark in the Mideast Region which she achieved at the MASCAC Outdoor Championship in April. O'Sullivan graduated after a standout senior year that saw her place 22nd in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Championships had her best time of the year to earn All-Region at the DIII New England Championships with a time of 35:58.47.
At the 2022 MASCAC Outdoor Championship, Riley Sanderson got her season-best with a throw of 42.66m (139' 11") to not only finish in the top spot in the East but also grab a spot in the NCAA Championships.
The top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region distinction, in addition to each member of the region’s top-3 relay teams. The regions used for this award – East, Great Lakes, Metro, Mid-Atlantic, Mideast, Midwest, Niagara, North, South, and West – match those used during the indoor season as well as the cross country season.
Portions of this release courtesy of Bridgewater State and Westfield State Sports Information and MASCAC