Thursday, April 11
Bowling Green, Ohio
2:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Toledo
Photo by: Brad Phalin, BGSU Marketing and Communications
Battle Of I-75 Hits The Track
April 09, 2013 | Women's Track and Field
The BGSU track and field team will host a meet Thursday for the first time since 2011, facing Toledo in a dual meet at Whittaker Track. Field events begin at 2 p.m. and running events will start at 2:55 p.m.
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
Brooke Pleger continued her ascension towards the top of the national hammer throwers, breaking her own school record with a toss of 219-feet-9. That throw moved her into second in the country and helped her win the hammer throw at the Northeast Ohio Invitational, hosted by Akron. The Falcons also got strong results from Jeanette Pettigrew and Allison Weimer at the meet as Pettigrew met the MAC automatic qualifying standards in both the 100 and the 200. Weimer won the 400 with a career-best time of 56.25 seconds to edge out teammate Taylor Rambo, who placed second in 56.83.
THE I-75 RIVALRY
Bowling Green and Toledo have not faced each other in a traditional dual meet since 2000 when Toledo posted a 156-134 victory. The Falcons posted their last win the year before that, picking up a 156-100 win in 1999. BGSU holds a 9-4 edge in the all-time dual meet series with Toledo, a series that began in 1987.
RANKING THE MAC
BGSU ranks in the top 20 in the MAC in the following events:
100 – 6. Jeanette Pettigrew, 13. Allison Weimer, 19. Kera Lamotte
200 – 4. Jeanette Pettigrew, 7. Allison Weimer, 14. Taylor Rambo
400 – 8. Allison Weimer, 11. Brittany Sinclair, 13. Taylor Rambo
1500 – 17. Maria Meredith
5000 – 8. Andrea Alt, 10. Jasmine Redman, 16. Kendra Kezur
100 hurdles – 11. Demetra Taylor
400 hurdles – 9. Demetra Taylor, 10. Brittany Sinclair, 11. Natalie Sommerville
Long jump – 19. Dana Gates
Triple jump – 10. Tiera Parker, 18. Lisa Worthey, 20. Dana Gates
Discus – 16. Kayla Velasquez
Hammer – 1. Brooke Pleger, 13. Shana Flanary, 14. Kayla Velasquez
YOUTH REIGNS
Of the 25 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 nine marks that rank among the top 10, six are freshmen or sophomores.
PLEGER NAMED MAC FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Brooke Pleger earned the Mid-American Conference's Field Athlete of the Week April 2 after breaking the school record with her hammer throw of 212-feet-6. 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.
GOLDEN GATES
Competing in her first season at Bowling Green, junior transfer Dana Gates continues to show steady improvement in the jumping events. In the long jump, she established her BGSU personal best in the season-opening meet at Cincinnati with a jump of 16-feet-5.25. She followed that up with a jump of 16-11.5 and then reached 17-6 last week in Akron. In the triple jump, she started the year with a mark of 30-11.75 and has improved to 31-5.25 heading into this week.
MOVIN' ON UP
Much as Dana Gates has improved her jumps each meet, Alicia Jefferson has improved in the sprints each time out. She started the year with a personal best 26.00 in the 200, climbing to 25.59 at Toledo two weeks ago and then reaching 25.40 in Akron this past week. She also set a personal best time of 12.66 in the 100 at Toledo and then improved to 12.54 this past weekend.
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. Last weekend, she threw 142-11 in Akron to move to at No. 16 ranking in the MAC. She is less than five feet from climbing into the top 10.
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 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
Brooke Pleger continued her ascension towards the top of the national hammer throwers, breaking her own school record with a toss of 219-feet-9. That throw moved her into second in the country and helped her win the hammer throw at the Northeast Ohio Invitational, hosted by Akron. The Falcons also got strong results from Jeanette Pettigrew and Allison Weimer at the meet as Pettigrew met the MAC automatic qualifying standards in both the 100 and the 200. Weimer won the 400 with a career-best time of 56.25 seconds to edge out teammate Taylor Rambo, who placed second in 56.83.
THE I-75 RIVALRY
Bowling Green and Toledo have not faced each other in a traditional dual meet since 2000 when Toledo posted a 156-134 victory. The Falcons posted their last win the year before that, picking up a 156-100 win in 1999. BGSU holds a 9-4 edge in the all-time dual meet series with Toledo, a series that began in 1987.
RANKING THE MAC
BGSU ranks in the top 20 in the MAC in the following events:
100 – 6. Jeanette Pettigrew, 13. Allison Weimer, 19. Kera Lamotte
200 – 4. Jeanette Pettigrew, 7. Allison Weimer, 14. Taylor Rambo
400 – 8. Allison Weimer, 11. Brittany Sinclair, 13. Taylor Rambo
1500 – 17. Maria Meredith
5000 – 8. Andrea Alt, 10. Jasmine Redman, 16. Kendra Kezur
100 hurdles – 11. Demetra Taylor
400 hurdles – 9. Demetra Taylor, 10. Brittany Sinclair, 11. Natalie Sommerville
Long jump – 19. Dana Gates
Triple jump – 10. Tiera Parker, 18. Lisa Worthey, 20. Dana Gates
Discus – 16. Kayla Velasquez
Hammer – 1. Brooke Pleger, 13. Shana Flanary, 14. Kayla Velasquez
YOUTH REIGNS
Of the 25 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 nine marks that rank among the top 10, six are freshmen or sophomores.
PLEGER NAMED MAC FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Brooke Pleger earned the Mid-American Conference's Field Athlete of the Week April 2 after breaking the school record with her hammer throw of 212-feet-6. 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.
GOLDEN GATES
Competing in her first season at Bowling Green, junior transfer Dana Gates continues to show steady improvement in the jumping events. In the long jump, she established her BGSU personal best in the season-opening meet at Cincinnati with a jump of 16-feet-5.25. She followed that up with a jump of 16-11.5 and then reached 17-6 last week in Akron. In the triple jump, she started the year with a mark of 30-11.75 and has improved to 31-5.25 heading into this week.
MOVIN' ON UP
Much as Dana Gates has improved her jumps each meet, Alicia Jefferson has improved in the sprints each time out. She started the year with a personal best 26.00 in the 200, climbing to 25.59 at Toledo two weeks ago and then reaching 25.40 in Akron this past week. She also set a personal best time of 12.66 in the 100 at Toledo and then improved to 12.54 this past weekend.
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. Last weekend, she threw 142-11 in Akron to move to at No. 16 ranking in the MAC. She is less than five feet from climbing into the top 10.
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 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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Wednesday, May 21
Lou Snelling Post-Meet Interview (December 7, 2024)
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Saturday, January 13