Thursday, April 18
Walnut, Calif.
All Day Events
Bowling Green State University
at
Mt. SAC Relays
Falcons To Split Track Meets This Weekend
April 16, 2013 | Women's Track and Field
The BGSU track and field team will compete in the first of two consecutive weeks of “split squad” competitions this weekend. Brooke Pleger, the second-ranked hammer thrower in the country, will compete in the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. while the rest of the team will compete in the Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by Ohio State.
FOLLOWING THE FALCONS
Fans can follow the BGSU outdoor track and field team all year long through a variety of ways. The official website of BGSU Athletics, BGSUFalcons.com, has preview and postgame stories, full statistics, the schedule, roster, live stats links and much more. On social media, fans are encouraged to follow @BGAthletics on twitter and/or BGSU track and field athletic communications contact Jason Knavel via @jknavel. Follow the team on Facebook by searching for Bowling Green Track.
LAST TIME OUT
Bowling Green competed in a rare mid-week dual meet, hosting Toledo this past Thursday. The Falcons beat their rival in dramatic fashion, posting a 93-90 victory. Heading into the final event, the 4x400 relay, BGSU led by just one point and needed the relay victory to clinch the win. Sure enough, the Falcons won by more than 13 seconds. Due to the poor weather conditions, most results were not impressive but Andrea Alt qualified for the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 10:55.98 in the 3000 steeplechase as she ran the event for the first time in her career.
THE MT. SAC RELAYS
Brooke Pleger will compete in the hammer throw at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. this weekend, one of the most prestigious events in the country. Thousands of competitors will compete and Pleger will either throw Friday or Saturday depending on what grouping she gets placed in.
THE JESSE OWENS CLASSIC
The Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by Ohio State, takes place Friday and Saturday in Columbus. The Falcons will have limited competitors Friday (mostly throwers) and will then compete in most other events Saturday.
RANKING THE MAC
BGSU ranks in the top 20 in the MAC in the following events:
100 – 6. Jeanette Pettigrew, 19. Allison Weimer
200 – 7. Jeanette Pettigrew, 12. Allison Weimer, 18. Taylor Rambo
400 – 11. Allison Weimer, 13. Brittany Sinclair, 15. Taylor Rambo
1500 – 20. Maria Meredith
5000 – 10. Andrea Alt, 12. Jasmine Redman
100 hurdles – 12. Demetra Taylor
400 hurdles – 10. Demetra Taylor, 11. Brittany Sinclair, 12. Natalie Sommerville
3000 steeplechase – 6. Andrea Alt, 17. Megan Monte
Long jump – 20. Dana Gates
Triple jump – 11. Tiera Parker, 19. Lisa Worthey
Discus – 16. Kayla Velasquez
Hammer – 1. Brooke Pleger, 13. Shana Flanary, 14. Kayla Velasquez
YOUTH REIGNS
Of the 24 marks that currently rank among the top 20 in the MAC for BGSU student-athletes, they are represented by 18 freshmen or sophomores (13 freshmen and five sophomores). In fact, of the six marks that rank among the top 10, four are freshmen or sophomores.
PLEGER NAMED MAC FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK TWICE
Brooke Pleger earned the Mid-American Conference's Field Athlete of the Week twice in a row (April 2 and 9) after breaking the school record in the hammer throw in back-to-back weeks. She is the first BGSU Track and Field athlete to be honored by the conference with a weekly award in five years. Interestingly, the last athlete to be honored, Whitney Hartman, is the former hammer throw record-holder.
REGIONAL/NATIONAL RANKINGS
In order to qualify for the NCAA East Region Championship, competitors must be ranked in the top 48 in the region in an event. Currently, Brooke Pleger is the only BGSU student-athlete ranked in the top 50 and she is first in the hammer throw. The top 12 finishers in the East Region in an event will compete in the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor National Championship. Currently, Pleger ranks second in the country in the hammer throw.
MAC RECORD ON THE HORIZON?
After throwing the hammer 219-feet-9 at the Northeast Ohio Invitational, Brooke Pleger has a chance to establish herself as the top hammer thrower in Mid-American Conference history. Akron's Stevi Large won the 2009 National Championship in the event and threw the hammer 213-10 at the MAC Championships that season. Listed below are the top five distances at the MAC Outdoor Championship in the hammer throw.
PLEGER HEADED TO USA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
With her hammer throw of 219-feet-9 at the Northeast Ohio Invitational, Brooke Pleger hit the automatic qualifying mark for the USA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa from June 19-23. The last BGSU athlete to compete in the meet was Joy Echler in the steeplechase in 2001 and before that was shot putter Nikki Lessig in 1994.
DROPPING THE HAMMER
Brooke Pleger's toss of 219-feet-9 places her less than two feet shy of becoming one of the top 10 American collegiate hammer throwers ever. Listed below are the top 10 Americans in collegiate history:
RELAY RECORDS
BGSU's 4x200 relay team of Jeanette Pettigrew, Taylor Rambo, Brittany Sinclair and Allison Weimer made their mark at the Raleigh Relays, setting a new school record with a time of 1:37.70. That time is more than a full second faster than the previous school record of 1:38.94, set in 1995 by Julie Shade, Andrea Lindsley, Clarice Gregory and Kaleitha Johnson. Pettigrew and Weimer were also part of the school record sprint medley relay team that set the school standard in 2011.
ALT-ERING THE RECORD BOOK
Competing in the 3000 steeplechase for the first time in her career, Andrea Alt posted the fifth-best time in school history in the event at 10:55.98 in the dual meet against Toledo. Alt's time was more than 10 seconds faster than the automatic qualifying time for the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Despite the poor weather at the meet, Alt ranks among the top 75 in the region in the event.
VELASQUEZ CATCHING ON
Freshman thrower Kayla Velasquez has shown steady improvement in her first collegiate season and has climbed into the top 20 in the MAC in the discus. She began the season by throwing 122-feet-1 at the Cincinnati Early Bird Relays and then improved to 138-0 two weeks later at Toledo. The next week, she threw 142-11 in Akron to move to at No. 16 ranking in the MAC.
PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Sophomore Natalie Sommerville competed in the 400 hurdles at the MAC Championships a year ago and ran a personal best time of 1:03.58. As this year started, she picked right up where she left off, running a 1:03.50 at the UC Early Bird Relays. She then pushed her personal best even higher, running a 1:03.11 at the Raleigh Relays.
THE NEXT CLASS
BGSU head coach Lou Snelling announced the signing of six student-athletes for the 2013-14 school year. Makenzie Wheat (Aurora, Ind./South Dearborn HS), Aliyah Gustafson (Iowa City, Iowa/City HS), Becca Schott (Montgomery, Mich./Coldwater HS), Brittney Darah (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne HS), Rachel Durbin (Memphis, Mich./Armada HS) and Jody Musser (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson HS) will all compete for the Falcons beginning in 2013-14.
ACADEMIC ALL-MAC
The Mid-American Conference announced its Academic All-MAC performers from the indoor season and Abby Koch and Brooke Pleger made the list. Along with those two Andrea Alt, Jasmine Redman, Maria Meredith, Natalie Sommerville, Allison Weimer and Krystin Reiser earned honorable mention recognition.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
The BGSU track and field team has been named a United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team for each of the past six years. The Falcons had a 3.24 combined grade point average to earn the award in 2012, fifth-best among MAC schools.
FOLLOWING THE FALCONS
Fans can follow the BGSU outdoor track and field team all year long through a variety of ways. The official website of BGSU Athletics, BGSUFalcons.com, has preview and postgame stories, full statistics, the schedule, roster, live stats links and much more. On social media, fans are encouraged to follow @BGAthletics on twitter and/or BGSU track and field athletic communications contact Jason Knavel via @jknavel. Follow the team on Facebook by searching for Bowling Green Track.
LAST TIME OUT
Bowling Green competed in a rare mid-week dual meet, hosting Toledo this past Thursday. The Falcons beat their rival in dramatic fashion, posting a 93-90 victory. Heading into the final event, the 4x400 relay, BGSU led by just one point and needed the relay victory to clinch the win. Sure enough, the Falcons won by more than 13 seconds. Due to the poor weather conditions, most results were not impressive but Andrea Alt qualified for the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 10:55.98 in the 3000 steeplechase as she ran the event for the first time in her career.
THE MT. SAC RELAYS
Brooke Pleger will compete in the hammer throw at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. this weekend, one of the most prestigious events in the country. Thousands of competitors will compete and Pleger will either throw Friday or Saturday depending on what grouping she gets placed in.
THE JESSE OWENS CLASSIC
The Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by Ohio State, takes place Friday and Saturday in Columbus. The Falcons will have limited competitors Friday (mostly throwers) and will then compete in most other events Saturday.
RANKING THE MAC
BGSU ranks in the top 20 in the MAC in the following events:
100 – 6. Jeanette Pettigrew, 19. Allison Weimer
200 – 7. Jeanette Pettigrew, 12. Allison Weimer, 18. Taylor Rambo
400 – 11. Allison Weimer, 13. Brittany Sinclair, 15. Taylor Rambo
1500 – 20. Maria Meredith
5000 – 10. Andrea Alt, 12. Jasmine Redman
100 hurdles – 12. Demetra Taylor
400 hurdles – 10. Demetra Taylor, 11. Brittany Sinclair, 12. Natalie Sommerville
3000 steeplechase – 6. Andrea Alt, 17. Megan Monte
Long jump – 20. Dana Gates
Triple jump – 11. Tiera Parker, 19. Lisa Worthey
Discus – 16. Kayla Velasquez
Hammer – 1. Brooke Pleger, 13. Shana Flanary, 14. Kayla Velasquez
YOUTH REIGNS
Of the 24 marks that currently rank among the top 20 in the MAC for BGSU student-athletes, they are represented by 18 freshmen or sophomores (13 freshmen and five sophomores). In fact, of the six marks that rank among the top 10, four are freshmen or sophomores.
PLEGER NAMED MAC FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK TWICE
Brooke Pleger earned the Mid-American Conference's Field Athlete of the Week twice in a row (April 2 and 9) after breaking the school record in the hammer throw in back-to-back weeks. She is the first BGSU Track and Field athlete to be honored by the conference with a weekly award in five years. Interestingly, the last athlete to be honored, Whitney Hartman, is the former hammer throw record-holder.
REGIONAL/NATIONAL RANKINGS
In order to qualify for the NCAA East Region Championship, competitors must be ranked in the top 48 in the region in an event. Currently, Brooke Pleger is the only BGSU student-athlete ranked in the top 50 and she is first in the hammer throw. The top 12 finishers in the East Region in an event will compete in the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor National Championship. Currently, Pleger ranks second in the country in the hammer throw.
MAC RECORD ON THE HORIZON?
After throwing the hammer 219-feet-9 at the Northeast Ohio Invitational, Brooke Pleger has a chance to establish herself as the top hammer thrower in Mid-American Conference history. Akron's Stevi Large won the 2009 National Championship in the event and threw the hammer 213-10 at the MAC Championships that season. Listed below are the top five distances at the MAC Outdoor Championship in the hammer throw.
| Top Hammer Throws In MAC Championship History | ||
| Distance | Competitor (School) | Year |
| 213-10 | Stevi Large (Akron) | 2009 |
| 206-4 | Shant'e White (Buffalo | 2011 |
| 202-7 | Stevi Large (Akron) | 2007 |
| 199-6 | Stevi Large (Akron) | 2008 |
| 198-10 | Faith Thompson (Buffalo) | 2005 |
PLEGER HEADED TO USA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
With her hammer throw of 219-feet-9 at the Northeast Ohio Invitational, Brooke Pleger hit the automatic qualifying mark for the USA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa from June 19-23. The last BGSU athlete to compete in the meet was Joy Echler in the steeplechase in 2001 and before that was shot putter Nikki Lessig in 1994.
DROPPING THE HAMMER
Brooke Pleger's toss of 219-feet-9 places her less than two feet shy of becoming one of the top 10 American collegiate hammer throwers ever. Listed below are the top 10 Americans in collegiate history:
| Top American Collegiate Hammer Throwers | ||
| Distance | Name (School) | Date |
| 237-10 | Brittany Riley (Southern Illinois) | 4/28/07 |
| 233-1 | Amanda Bingson (UNLV) | 5/26/12 |
| 231-4 | Gwen Berry (Southern Illinois) | 4/30/11 |
| 229-9 | Loress Smith (Colorado State) | 11/30/99 |
| 229-0 | Chelsea Cassulo (Arizona State) | 3/22/13 |
| 227-8 | Jeneva McCall (Southern Illinois) | 3/24/12 |
| 224-7 | Brittany Smith (Illinois State) | 6/7/12 |
| 224-1 | Jessica Pressley (Arizona State) | 5/3/08 |
| 223-4 | Stevi Large (Akron) | 6/12/09 |
| 221-7 | Britney Henry (Oregon) | 4/15/06 |
RELAY RECORDS
BGSU's 4x200 relay team of Jeanette Pettigrew, Taylor Rambo, Brittany Sinclair and Allison Weimer made their mark at the Raleigh Relays, setting a new school record with a time of 1:37.70. That time is more than a full second faster than the previous school record of 1:38.94, set in 1995 by Julie Shade, Andrea Lindsley, Clarice Gregory and Kaleitha Johnson. Pettigrew and Weimer were also part of the school record sprint medley relay team that set the school standard in 2011.
ALT-ERING THE RECORD BOOK
Competing in the 3000 steeplechase for the first time in her career, Andrea Alt posted the fifth-best time in school history in the event at 10:55.98 in the dual meet against Toledo. Alt's time was more than 10 seconds faster than the automatic qualifying time for the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Despite the poor weather at the meet, Alt ranks among the top 75 in the region in the event.
VELASQUEZ CATCHING ON
Freshman thrower Kayla Velasquez has shown steady improvement in her first collegiate season and has climbed into the top 20 in the MAC in the discus. She began the season by throwing 122-feet-1 at the Cincinnati Early Bird Relays and then improved to 138-0 two weeks later at Toledo. The next week, she threw 142-11 in Akron to move to at No. 16 ranking in the MAC.
PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Sophomore Natalie Sommerville competed in the 400 hurdles at the MAC Championships a year ago and ran a personal best time of 1:03.58. As this year started, she picked right up where she left off, running a 1:03.50 at the UC Early Bird Relays. She then pushed her personal best even higher, running a 1:03.11 at the Raleigh Relays.
THE NEXT CLASS
BGSU head coach Lou Snelling announced the signing of six student-athletes for the 2013-14 school year. Makenzie Wheat (Aurora, Ind./South Dearborn HS), Aliyah Gustafson (Iowa City, Iowa/City HS), Becca Schott (Montgomery, Mich./Coldwater HS), Brittney Darah (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne HS), Rachel Durbin (Memphis, Mich./Armada HS) and Jody Musser (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson HS) will all compete for the Falcons beginning in 2013-14.
ACADEMIC ALL-MAC
The Mid-American Conference announced its Academic All-MAC performers from the indoor season and Abby Koch and Brooke Pleger made the list. Along with those two Andrea Alt, Jasmine Redman, Maria Meredith, Natalie Sommerville, Allison Weimer and Krystin Reiser earned honorable mention recognition.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
The BGSU track and field team has been named a United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team for each of the past six years. The Falcons had a 3.24 combined grade point average to earn the award in 2012, fifth-best among MAC schools.
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