Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Cross Country Readies for 2005 Season
August 10, 2005 | Men's Cross Country
Aug. 10, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country teams are beginning preparations for the 2005 season. Head coach Cami Wells welcomes the teams back to campus on Monday (Aug. 15), and two-a-day practices will begin that day. The Falcon squads will host Toledo in a dual meet to open the season on Friday, Sept. 2.
Wells begins her seventh season as the Falcon women's cross country coach, and enters her fourth year as head coach of the men's team.
The men's team will be bolstered by the return of last season's top runner, Rogers Kipchumba, as well as senior co-captain Bryan Jackson, and the return of several other runners after a year's absence also should help the Falcon squad.
"The men's team continues to grow and improve," said Wells. "We made some progress last year. Now, we will look to build on that progress and start to move up the conference ranks. The men have really started to work together as a team, and they have put in a good summer of training in preparation for this fall."
Kipchumba led the Falcons in all eight races last year, and just missed earning All-MAC honors with a 13th-place finish at the league championships. Kipchumba was the individual winner at two of last year's meets, the Central Collegiates and the Falcon Invitational. His finish at the conference meet was the Falcons' highest since the 2001 campaign (Tom Kutter, 12th).
"Rogers had a great year for us in 2004," said Wells. "I expect him to make another strong showing this year, aiming for a spot on the All-MAC First Team and hopefully earning a bid to the NCAA meet in November."
Jackson was a top-five runner for the Falcons in all eight of the 2004 races. He was the second Falcon to cross the line in both the MAC and Great Lakes Regional meets in his first year with the Brown and Orange. He will be a co-captain along with senior Steve Vairetta.
"Bryan is a great team leader, and his dedication to the sport is second to none," said Wells. "He has put in a great deal of work in preparation for this fall and I expect good things to happen for him."
Curtis Farnsel returns for his sophomore season, after finishing in BG's top-five in three of his six meets a year ago. Another sophomore, Aaron Smuda, is back after competing in three meets last fall.
"Curtis has made steady improvement over the course of the last year," said Wells. "I expect him to be a solid top-five runner for us this fall. Aaron has made steady improvement as well, and brought his 5K personal best down to 16:35 during this past track season."
Additionally, three Falcons - senior Kris Lachowski, junior Jeff Wright and sophomore Edgar Ramirez - return after sitting out the 2004 campaign. "Kris, Jeff and Edgar all have been top-five runners for us in the past, "said Wells. "I expect their return to competition this fall to help us add some much-needed depth.
"Kris has been a real leader in workouts and competitions during his career at BGSU. He will be looked upon to be a strong contributor this fall. Jeff had a solid 2003 season for us, and is a welcome returnee to our team. Edgar was a leader for us during his freshman season and a consistent top-two runner for the team. I expect that there will be some transition time following his return to the squad, but he could really make a difference in our team standings at the end of the season."
 Jamie Roflow (right) returns for the Falcon women in 2005 (photo by Amanda Decker)  |
|
The Brown and Orange lost the services of three key seniors from last year's team, including Niki Suitor, the school's record-holder in the 6K, as well as Melissa Krueger and Elise Gould.
"Our seniors last year really took it upon themselves to guide the team on and off the course," said Wells. "They have left some big shoes to fill and will certainly be missed. That being said, we have a very strong base of underclassmen returning this fall."
That group of returnees will be paced by sophomores Jamie Roflow and Stephanie Hillman. Roflow led the Falcons in four of last season's eight races, and earned all-state honors by placing 11th at the All-Ohio Championships. Hillman's freshman season was highlighted by a 21st-place finish at the MAC Championships, where she was the second runner to cross the line.
"Jamie and Stephanie both had highly successful freshman campaigns," said Wells. "Both also had a great deal of success during the track season. Jamie will once again be looked upon to lead the team, and I expect Stephanie to once again be a top runner for us this fall. Both are strong runners, and Stephanie has really started to believe in her ability."
Sophomore Caroline Hillman, Stephanie's twin sister, returns this fall after sitting out the majority of her freshman year due to injury. Redshirt sophomore Bridget Dalic also returns after missing last fall. Two other third-year Falcons, Kim Settle and Andrea Pollack, will look to be in the mix among the top Falcon runners again this year.
"Caroline was injured during the 2004-05 school year, but has the ability to be a top-five runner for us," said Wells. "We will concentrate on her staying healthy and regaining her form this fall.
"Bridget is a tough runner who is looking to build upon the cross country success she had in the fall of 2003. She redshirted last fall, but was a solid top-three finisher for us in 2003. She has a successful track campaign last year, and will again be looked upon to be a strong contributor to this year's team.
"Kim and Andrea both have been top-five runners for us in the past and will be expected to be there again this fall. Kim established herself as a strong top-five runner last season. She was slowed by illness the last few meets of the season but she is back to form.
"Andrea suffered an injury in the spring of 2004 which hampered her 2004 cross-country season. She was a solid top-three runner for us in 2003, and is healthy again. We will look to both Andrea and Kim to be strong contributors for us this year."
Settle will co-captain the Falcon women along with senior Emily Jackson.
Seniors Leslie Carden and Caroline Kipchaba also are back for the Brown and Orange in 2005, looking to close out their careers on successful notes.
Among the newcomers to BG in 2005 are Brett Finnan (Lockport, N.Y.) and Craig Gibson, Jr. (Massillon, Ohio) on the men's side and Kylie Korsnack (Bowling Green, Ohio) and Colleen Moran (Poland, Ohio) to the women's team. Finnan led his high-schol team to a No. 16 national ranking last season. Local product Korsnack was a member of BGHS state championship teams of 2003 and 2004, while Moran was a multiple all-league runner in both cross country and track.
Both teams open the campaign with back-to-back home races. In addition to the dual meet with the Rockets, the Falcons will host the Mel Brodt Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 10. BGSU's only other September meet will be a trip to Palo Alto, Calif., to run at the Stanford Invitational (Sept. 24) for the second-straight year.
BGSU then returns to the state of Ohio for the next two races. The Brown and Orange will compete at the All-Ohio Championships in Delaware, Ohio, on Oct. 7, before hosting the second annual Falcon Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 15. The Falcon Invite is the final regular-season race.
Two weeks later, BG heads to DeKalb, Ill., as Northern Illinois University will host the MAC Championships on Oct. 29. The Great Lakes Regional will take place in Bloomington, Ind., on Nov. 12, with the NCAA Championship also in the state of Indiana (Terre Haute) on Monday, Nov. 21.
