Moments of the Decade: Seven Team Win First Tournament Championships in 2010s

We continue our look back at Worcester State University Athletics’ top moments of the 2010s by celebrating the seven teams that won their first conference tournament championships in the decade. 

Women’s Indoor Track & Field - First MASCAC Championship: February 13, 2010

The first team to win a conference championship in the 2010s was the Worcester State women’s indoor track & field team, outscoring Westfield State by 18 points to win its first ever title. Sophomore Mercedes Arnold finished first in the long jump (5.38 meters) and the triple jump (11.15 meters), while freshman Brianna Wise added the top finish in the 55-meter dash (7.44) and 200-meter dash (26.35). Wise's 200-meter time set the meet record, while her finish in the 55-meter smashed the MASCAC record held by teammate Nikki Lemelin, when she competed for Salem State in 2008. 

The other conference champions included freshman Leah Walczak in the 400 with a time of 1:00.47 while classmate Cathy Chude took first in the 55 meter hurdles (8.86 seconds). Chaude also ended the meet placing second in the shot put (11.37 meters) as her time in the hurdles eclipsed the MASCAC mark in the event. The women’s track & field team was just getting started in the calendar year however.

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field - First MASCAC Championship: April 24, 2010

Just two months after the women’s indoor track & field team’s MASCAC Championship, the outdoor team duplicated the feat with its first championship. Arnold eclipsed her own program record in the long jump (5.61 meters) and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships to lead her team to the championship. The leap is still the Worcester State program record to this day.

Arnold also helped the 4x100 relay team break the program mark as classmates Lemlin, Sarah Rafferty, and Alicia Ryan clocked the top spot in the MASCAC with a time of 49.65, breaking the previous time that was set at the 2009 championships. Arnold capped off her day by taking second in the triple jump (11.06 meters).

The 4x400 relay team also had a solid time as Rafferty, along with Walczak, Natalie Marchi, and Kaylee McElroy tallied a time of 4:16.90, good for first in the MASCAC. McElroy placed first in the 100-meter hurdles (16.52) and second in the 400-meter hurdles (69.02) while Wise was second in the 200-meter dash (26.56), third in the 100-meter dash (13.04), and fourth in the long jump (5.06 meters). Walczak added two more conference championships, finishing first in the 400-meter (59.77) and high jump (1.54 meters).

Softball - First MASCAC Tournament Championship: May 8, 2011

The Worcester State softball team won six MASCAC Regular Season Championships between 1977 and 1997, before the league introduced its postseason tournament in 2001. On the 10th anniversary of the first MASCAC Softball tournament in 2011, the Lancers took home the title.

Worcester State went 12-2 in the MASCAC in 2011, and 29-11 overall. In its three-game MASCAC Tournament run, Worcester State outscored its opponents 17-1, capped off by a 2-1 win over Westfield State in the conference title game.

After Westfield took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a bunt base hit, pitcher Michaella Mahoney settled right in. She was dominant on the day, allowing just three hits and no earned runs while striking out six en route to the complete game victory.

Worcester State got all the offense it would need in the bottom of the third inning, when Aimee Lamoureux roped a two-run, two-out triple to right-center field, giving Worcester State a 2-1 lead. The lead would hold up, and the Lancers would go on to earn the MASCAC’s automatic berth to NCAA Tournament. It was the first of Worcester State’s two tournament championships in the decade, winning again in 2016.

Worcester State would go on to win one game in the double-elimination tournament, a 10-2 victory over Husson, but bowed out of the Big Dance with a loss to Coast Guard.

Men’s Indoor Track & Field - First MASCAC Championship: February 11, 2017

After nearly six years without any Worcester State teams winning their first championship, the men’s indoor track & field team broke the spell with a title in 2017. The Lancers won five MASCAC individual titles on the day, as well as two school records.

Throwers Sam Weeks and Marcus Vieira were named the MASCAC champions in the shot put and weight throw events, respectively. Weeks threw for a distance of 15.83 meters in the shot put, while Vieira marked a top throw and a school record in the weight throw at 17.93 meters. 

Senior Marc George claimed the top spot in the MASCAC in the 600 Meters as he finished in a time of 1:22.46, setting what still stands as the Worcester State program record. Jalil Gibson was named the MASCAC 55-meter dash champion as he completed the event in 6.56 seconds. Teammate Jared Barros followed with second place in the MASCAC as he marked a time of 6.64. Not only did Barros strive in the 55-meter, but he also claimed a MASCAC title in the 200-meter dash in a time of 23.11 seconds.

Two months later, the team would also go on to win a championship in its outdoor season, the first MASCAC Championship for the men’s outdoor track & field team since 1976.

Women’s Cross Country - First MASCAC Championship: October 28, 2017

The Worcester State University women's cross country team won its first ever MASCAC Championship in 2017 as four players were ranked in the top 10 on the 5K course at Stanley Park, led by Mia Rogers in second place with a time of 18:56.54.

Justine Murdocca landed in sixth place, while Elisabeth Olson followed up in seventh with times of 19:50.81 and 19:59.01 respectively. Kelsey Bedard was the meet’s ninth place finisher, while freshman Shaylee Puleo placed 11th and was named the MASCAC Rookie of the Year.

Rogers, Murdocca, Olson, and Bedard were named to the MASCAC All-Conference team for finishing in the top 10 of the race. 

It would be the first of two consecutive championships for the Lancer women’s cross country team, who won the title again in 2018 behind MASCAC Runner of the Year Olson.

Women’s Volleyball - First MASCAC Tournament Championship: November 4, 2017

The third and final team to win its first MASCAC Tournament Championship in 2017 was the Worcester State women’s volleyball team. The Lancers secured the title with a 3-1 victory over Framingham State.

The Lancers pulled away in the first set to take the early advantage in the match. Midway through the set, Worcester State held a narrow 12-11 lead, before a 10-1 run saw the Lancer run away to the early lead. Framingham State had seven attack errors on the run, while junior Emily Carens had two kills. Worcester State would take the set by a score of 25-20.

Framingham State battled back to level the match by taking set two by a score of 25-21 to make the match a best of three, but the Lancers wouldn’t again look back. 

In set three, the Lancers ran out to a 10-3 lead after an assisted block by Amari King and Marissa Proia. Worcester State would lead by as many as nine points in the set, eventually pushing the Rams to the brink with a 25-17 victory in the set. Carens had five kills in the set on just eight attempts to help Worcester State retake the lead.

Worcester State continued its dominance in set four to close out the championship. The Lancers used a 5-0 run midway through the set to take a 17-7 lead that would prove insurmountable. Moments later, the championship was sealed on a Carens kill.

Carens and King each finished with 13 kills to lead the Lancers in the title match, with Lauren Murphy and Stephanie Chapin finishing with nine and eight respectively. Setter Allie Nolan finished with 40 assists and was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Defensively, Megan Leavens finished with 24 digs, while Katrina Kangwijaya recorded 18 and King added 17 for the double-double. Murphy finished the match with an impressive 10 blocks.

Worcester State would go on to face nationally-ranked Emory in the NCAA Tournament, falling in three sets. The Lancers repeated as champions in 2018. The team previously won the MASCAC Championship three consecutive years from 1984 to 1986, however the postseason tournament was not introduced until 2000.

Field Hockey - First LEC Championship: November 9, 2019

The Worcester State University field hockey team capped off its winningest season in program history in the fall with an impressive 6-0 victory over Keene State in the Little East Conference Championship Game. 

Keene State entered the contest having won the last six LEC Championships, while Worcester State was making its first appearance in the title game in 18 years. In their only regular season meeting, the Owls nipped the Lancers 3-2 in overtime.

Worcester State wasted no time at all getting on the board, as All-American selection Rachel Hopkins put the host Lancers on top off a penalty corner just 45 seconds into the contest. Just over six and a half minutes later, Alexa Bobbin netted her third goal of the season to put the Lancers ahead 2-0. Early in the second quarter, forward Olivia Antonelli found the back of the net on a penalty stroke, putting the Lancers up 3-0 heading into the half.

The Lancers didn’t let their foot off the gas after emerging from the halftime break, as Hopkins scored her second goal of the day midway through the third quarter. Sarah Duff added a tally of her own minutes later, and in the first minute of the fourth quarter, Hopkins completed her hat trick to give the game its final score of 6-0. 

Hopkins was named Tournament MVP, while her sister Jess Hopkins recorded a three-save shutout in the championship. The Lancers earned their first bid to the NCAA Tournament, but fell to Messiah College in the First Round. 

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