Student-Athlete Profile: Naomi Cass & Kevin McBirney
Runners Naomi Cass and Kevin McBirney both led the Bears Cross Country team at the 50th UMASS Dartmouth Invitational on Sunday, September 17.
Cass is a sophomore who has been a part of both the Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams. Cass had her personal best last season at the UMASS Dartmouth Invitational with a time of 21:19:05. She bested it during this year’s iteration of the same race with a 18:40:38. This earned her the honor MASCAC Runner of the Week for the first time in her career. When The Comment asked what her goals were for the season, Cass responded, “To break the 5K mark, and I did that in my first meet.”
Cass is a graduate of Westport High School where she competed in Girls Soccer and Track & Field, which is a co-op team with Bishop Connolly out of Fall River. She also competed in basketball, gymnastics and dance outside of school. Last season was her first season doing cross country with BSU.
McBirney is a junior who has run with the Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams since his freshman year. McBirney was the Bears top runner at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, where he broke the 26-minute mark in an 8K for the first time in his career. Like Cass, he was also named MASCAC Runner of the Week for his performance. He won the MASCAC Rookie of the Week twice in 2021 for Cross Country. He also captured first place at the 9th Annual Wheaton & Babson Season Opener 5K with the time of 16:10.80. He says that his goal for the season is to advance to nationals, which is in Newville, PA on November 18.
McBirney is a graduate of East Bridgewater High School where he competed for the Boys Cross Country, Basketball and Track & Field teams. He was also on Varsity Basketball for his junior and senior years. He joined Cross Country two weeks before preseason training in August 2021.
The next meet for both teams will be at the Suffolk Invitational in Boston on Saturday, October 14.
