Perched at the Top! Owls Win Fifth Consecutive Smith Cup

Awarded to top MASCAC institution for best collective sport performance over the course of the year.

Owls captains and seniors pose with Smith Cup trophy.

May 21, 2025

WESTFIELD, Mass. – For an astounding fifth straight year, Westfield State Athletics earned the Howard C. Smith Cup, awarded annually to the member institution that compiles the most points based on placement of each of its programs competing in league championship sports.

Along with claiming the Smith Cup for a fifth consecutive year, Westfield State has been a mainstay for the Cup in the last decade, winning nine of the last ten and 19^th overall. Winning the Smith Cup this year exemplifies remarkable consistency within the Owls athletic programs as this is the first time an institution has won five consecutive Smith Cup's since the 1994 season where Salem State capped a run of seven straight trophies.

With Westfield securing a 19^th Smith Cup in program history, the Owls move into a tie with Salem for the most Smith Cups in MASCAC history since its inaugural 1972-73 season where the Owls earned the first ever Smith Cup.

Westfield State finished the year with 140.667 points out of 160 possible points to claim 87.92 percent of available points. Coming in second is Bridgewater State with 114 points out of 148 possible (70.03 percent) with Worcester State rounding out the top three with 90.167 points (56.35 percent) out of 160 available. The Smith Cup standings are scaled by percentage points in relation to the number of sports each institution participates in.

Consistency was certainly on display this season across Westfield State athletic teams, beginning with a strong fall season where women's cross country and women's volleyball both earned the maximum number of points with women's cross country winning a fourth straight MASCAC Championship while women's volleyball finished a perfect 7-0 to secure the MASCAC regular season title. Owls football held a share of first place among MASCAC institutions in the Smith Cup standings as well with Lou Conte Jr. guiding Westfield to a 4-1 mark against conference foes in his first season as head coach.

The remaining four teams in the fall season finished in outright second place with a pair of programs winning MASCAC Championships in men's soccer and field hockey. Men's cross country and women's soccer, the other two fall sports teams to place second in the Smith Cup standings, both finished as runner-up in their conference championship.

Men's basketball paced Westfield State in the winter season as the Owls won the MASCAC regular season and postseason championship to receive the maximum number of points. Men's ice hockey placed second among MASCAC institutions and women's basketball tied for third in the regular season standings.

The Owls wrapped up a fifth consecutive Smith Cup in the spring season thanks in part to three teams earning outright or shared MASCAC titles. Women's outdoor track and field won the MASCAC Championship meet to earn the highest amount of points while winning back-to-back titles in doing so. Owls softball set the program record for most wins in a season (32) after winning the MASCAC regular season title for the maximum 12 points. Women's lacrosse claimed a share of the MASCAC regular season title with 11 points to further assist the Owls stature at the top of the Smith Cup standings.

Baseball and men's track and field also earned second in their respective sports en route to the Owls 2025 Smith Cup victory.

The Smith Cup is named in honor of former Massachusetts State College Trustee Howard C. Smith, who in 1970, urged the athletic directors of the eight State institutions to hold a series of meetings to discuss the possibility of forming an intercollegiate conference. In June of 1971, Smith's dream became a reality as an affirmative agreement was reached and the MASCAC was created.

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