Thursday, May 9
Akron, Ohio
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Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships
Falcons Eye MAC Championship This Week
May 07, 2013 | Women's Track and Field
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The BGSU track and field team will take part in the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning Thursday at Akron. Competition begins at 10 a.m. Thursday with the hammer throw and will start again at 10 a.m. Friday. Saturday's final day of competition begins at noon.
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
BGSU competed at the Toledo Invitational Thursday and Friday with a limited squad, but the Falcons posted some strong marks. The 4x400 relay team had a season-best time of 3:44.58, which was less than a second shy of the school record and was the third-best time in the MAC this year. Along with that, Dana Gates leaped over 18-feet for the first time this year with a long jump of 18-1. Kayla Velasquez pushed her career-best in the hammer throw to 162-10 and ranks among the top 15 in the MAC in that event.
THE MAC CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP
Listed below is the MAC Championship schedule for all BGSU athletes. Times and entries are scheduled to change.
Thursday
10 am / Hammer throw – 1. Brooke Pleger, 12. Shana Flanary, 14. Kayla Velasquez
1 pm / Heptathlon – 8. Krystin Reiser
7:45 pm / 10000 – 15. Abby Koch, 17. Kendra Kezur
Friday
12:15 pm / Heptathlon – 8. Krystin Reiser
2 pm / 1500 prelim – 18. Maria Meredith
2:55 pm / 100 hurdles prelim – 12. Demetra Taylor
3:30 pm / 400 prelim – 12. Allison Weimer, 16. Brittany Sinclair, 18. Taylor Rambo
3:45 pm / Long jump – 18. Dana Gates
4 pm / 100 prelim – 7. Jeanette Pettigrew
5:20 pm / 400 hurdles prelim – 11. Demetra Taylor, 12. Natalie Sommerville
6 pm / 200 prelim – 7. Jeanette Pettigrew, 15. Allison Weimer, 17. Taylor Rambo
6:40 pm / 3000 steeplechase – 8. Andrea Alt, 19. Megan Monte
Saturday
12:05 pm / Discus – 19. Kayla Velasquez
12:10 pm / Triple jump – 12. Tiera Parker
2:10 pm / 4x100 relay – 9. Jeanette Pettigrew, Allison Weimer, Brittany Sinclair, Kera Lamotte
2:30 pm / 1500 final – 18. Maria Meredith
2:50 pm / 100 hurdles final – 12. Demetra Taylor
3:10 pm / 400 final – 12. Allison Weimer, 16. Brittany Sinclair, 18. Taylor Rambo
3:30 pm / 100 final – 7. Jeanette Pettigrew
4:10 pm / 400 hurdles final – 11. Demetra Taylor, 12. Natalie Sommerville
4:30 pm / 200 final – 7. Jeanette Pettigrew, 15. Allison Weimer, 17. Taylor Rambo
5:05 pm / 5000 – 10. Jasmine Redman, 16. Abby Koch, 17. Andrea Alt
6 pm / 4x400 relay – 3. Taylor Rambo, Felicia Jefferson, Brittany Sinclair, Allison Weimer
RAISED EXPECTATIONS
While the BGSU track and field team scored just one point in the MAC Outdoor Championships a year ago, expectations are much higher for this year's team. Based on seeding, the Falcons would be expected to score 22 points this year. In fact, Brooke Pleger is the favorite to win the hammer throw. The last Falcon to earn a MAC title at the outdoor championship was Jamie Roflow in the 5000 in 2007. Lisa Keegan was the last BGSU hammer throw MAC champion, doing so in 1999.
PLEGER NAMED MAC FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK THREE TIMES
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 and then it again on April 30. 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 ranked second 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 fifth 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.
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.
BGSU In the Nest : Track and Field
Tuesday, June 10
Lou Snelling Post-MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Interview (May 17, 2025)
Wednesday, May 21
Lou Snelling Post-Meet Interview (December 7, 2024)
Wednesday, December 11
BG TF : Coach Snelling Postmen
Saturday, January 13