Bowling Green State University Athletics
Cross Country Ready To Host The 21st Annual Mel Brodt Invitational
September 12, 2007 | Men's Cross Country
Sept. 12, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country teams will host the 21st Annual Mel Brodt Invitational this Saturday starting at 10:45 a.m. on the BGSU campus. The competition named after the legendary Falcon coach will kick-off with the women's 5,000 meter race, which will be followed shortly after with the men's 8,000 meter race scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.
The event will mark the second race of the year for the two squads after hosting rival-Toledo on Aug. 31. BG split the dual-meet with the Rockets as the women (1-0) earned a 25 to 31 win, while the men (0-1) dropped a close 26 to 29 decision.
Freshman Ashley Fischer and sophomore Eddie Kipchoge (Eldoret, Kenya) both earned the top spots in the races. Fischer, in her first collegiate event, came across the tape at 18:22 to win by 24 seconds over sophomore teammate Carly Bates (Palatine, Ill.). Kipchoge then took the men's race with a time of 15:23.
Fischer's effort earned her Mid-American Conference Runner of the Week accolades, as she helped the Falcons earn another top-place finish over the Rockets.
"Ashley is a very talented, hard working and humble young lady," head coach Cami Wells said. "It was great to see her win the MAC Runner of the Week in her first collegiate competition and it is a well deserved honor for Ashley."
The Fremont, Ohio native gave BG a fourth-straight first-place finish over UT, as senior Jamie Roflow had won the event three-straight years, but was unable to compete due to injury. Roflow will be unavailable once again for the Falcons in the Mel Brodt.
However, in the senior leader's absence, the Falcons saw the emergence of some new leaders against the Rockets. Behind Fischer and Bates, freshman Barbara Powers (Bowling Green, Ohio) had a strong first race as a Falcon, as she earned a fourth-place finish. Junior Kara Butler (Okemos, Mich.) also had a solid performance coming in at the seventh position.
With the week off, the women have been working on closing up the time gaps between runners, as some gaps between runners in the rear of the pack almost cost BG against the Rockets.
"We've been working with the women on closing the gaps up between runners especially between our top 4 runners and the rest of the team," Wells said. "We would like to see no more than a minute gap between our top 5 to 7 runners and ideally a 30 to 45 second spread with runner 1-5 or 1-7. "
On the men's side, health issues have been the concern as the Falcons have been slowed by some injuries and illnesses. "The men have been dealing with some injury and illness problems the past few weeks, so we will once again not race a full squad," Wells said. "On their end, we have been concentrating on having the rest of the team step up to pick up the slack and have a good solid team showing Saturday. The men are also working on closing the gaps on the team and learning how to gain more consistency from day to day."
Consistency cost BG in the second-mile of the race with the Rockets, as UT was able to steal spots 2-4 to steal the win. Falcon senior Brad Wells and freshman Max Group would be the highest finishers for BG behind Kipchoge. Wells came in at the fifth position, while Group earned the sixth-spot just 10 seconds behind.
Kipchoge, who earned his fifth-career race win against the Rockets, will be looking to defend his race title in the Mel Brodt. Last season the sophomore ran the 8,000 meters in 24:42 to earn his second-straight win in his first two collegiate competitions.
Despite Kipchoge's efforts though the Falcon men were only able to finish fifth, while the Falcon women finished second after just being edged out by Ohio University for the meet title despite having eight runners in the top 20.
The good news for the Falcons though is that six of those top 20 finishers return this season for the women, while the Falcon men look to have a greater arsenal of talent to compete with the bigger squads.
Coach Wells expects to continue to see a strong effort from both squads as they look to continue on their early season success.
"I expect both squads to compete to the best of their ability and work on their weaknesses and trouble spots from the last race," Wells said. "We still want them though to capitalize on their strengths, staying aggressive and being positive.
About the Legend, Mel Brodt
In its 21st year of competition, the Mel Brodt Cross Country Invitational pays homage to legendry BGSU cross country and track coach Mel Brodt.
One of the finest distance running coaches in the country, Brodt retired from coaching in 1984 after 25 years at the helm of the cross country squad (men's), as well as 20 years as head of the men's track and field team.
During his illustrious career at BGSU, he coached four-straight top 10 squads in the NCAA Championships in cross country from 1969-1972. The Brodt led Falcons also won the 1969 MAC Cross Country Championship and finished in the runner-up spot on seven other occasions.
Brodt's track and field teams won seven major championships, including the 1972 MAC title. BGSU would also take second place in the 1972 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Brodt was inducted into the Ohio Association of Track Coaches Hall of Fame in 1970, and entered the Ohio Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1984. He also was the recipient of the Ed Baker Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to track and field in Ohio, and was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988. Shortly before his death in December of 2002, Brodt would become a member of the U.S. Track Coaches Hall of Fame in October of 2002.
Competing Teams
Ashland Men and Women
Cleveland State Women
Findlay Men and Women
Malone Men and Women
Northwood University
Oakland Men and Women
Ohio Men and Women
Ohio State Women
Ohio Wesleyan Men and Women
Tiffin University-not a full team (men only)
Toledo Men and Women
Youngstown State Men and Women
