Falcons Make Final Push This Weekend

GVSU BIG MEET
Date	Feb. 14-15, 2014
Time	Feb. 14, 11:20 am \| Feb. 15, 11 am
Location	Allendale, Mich. \| Kelly Family Sports Center
Coverage	Live Results
Additional Information	Twitter \| Facebook \| Performance List

Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University track and field team will compete in their final event before the MAC Indoor Track and Field Championships as the Falcons will travel to Grand Valley State University for the GVSU Big Meet Friday and Saturday. The event starts at 11:20 am Friday and 11 am Saturday with Invite competition on Friday and Open competition on Saturday.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
The BGSU track and field team can be followed all winter/spring long through a number of ways. Follow the official team Twitter account @BGXCTrack and the official account of the Athletics Department @BGAthletics. Links for live results and live video (as available) can be found on BGSUFalcons.com as meets provide those opportunities.

ABOUT THE GVSU BIG MEET
The GVSU Big Meet is a two-day event, comprised basically of two different meets. Friday is the Invite Competition for those who have met minimum standard qualifications. Saturday is the Open Meet for all others. The tentative schedule of events is listed below:

Friday (Invite, Unless Noted Otherwise)
11:20 am – 5000
2 pm – Weight throw (Sub-elite)
2:20 pm – 600 (Open)
3:30 pm – Weight throw (Elite)
3:30 pm – 60 hurdles prelims
4 pm – High jump
4 pm – 60 prelims
4:30 pm - 400
5 pm – Shot put (Sub-elite)
5:10 pm – 60 hurdles finals
5:20 pm – 60 finals
5:30 pm - Mile
6:30 pm – Shot put (Elite)
6:30 pm – Triple jump
6:30 pm – 800
7:10 pm – 200
7:50 pm – 3000
8:20 pm – 1600 relay

Saturday (Open, Unless Noted Otherwise)
11 am – Long jump / Triple jump to follow
11 am – Weight throw
11 am – Shot put
11 am – High jump
11 am (Rolling Schedule) – Distance medley relay / 3000 / 60 hurdles / 60 / 400 / 800 / 200 / Mile / 1600 relay

LAST TIME OUT
Bowling Green set multiple personal bests and climbed the MAC charts in a handful of events at the two-day Akron Invitational this past weekend. On the first night of competition, Krystin Reiser set a new best in the pentathlon with a score of 3,438 points, getting her close to the school record. Brooke Pleger set a new PR in the weight throw on day two at 62-feet-5.75. Tina Perrine did the same, while Tiera Parker pushed her personal best in the triple jump to 38-feet-4.25.

REGIONALLY RANKED
The Bowling Green State University indoor track and field program received its first regional ranking since the new ranking system began in 2010 by being No. 15 in the Great Lakes Region in the Jan. 28 poll, according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Falcons followed that up by again being ranked No. 15 in the second poll released the next week. The ranking is a strong indicator of the progress being made within the program.

RETURNING POINT SCORERS
While the Falcons boast a lot of youth on the 2014 team, Bowling Green does return a handful of student-athletes who have a successful history at the MAC Championships. Redshirt junior Brooke Pleger placed fifth in the weight throw a year ago and classmate Brittany Sinclair placed sixth in the 400. Sinclair and sophomore Taylor Rambo represent half of the 1600 relay team that set a school record at the MAC Championships and placed fourth last year. On top of those, redshirt senior Jeanette Pettigrew placed second in the 60 in both 2011 and 2012.

MAC QUALIFIERS
A year ago, only then-sophomore Brooke Pleger reached the Mid-American Conference's automatic qualifying mark for an event, doing so in the weight throw. This year, the Falcons have surpassed MAC auto marks in eight events. Two Falcons, Alicia Arnold and Jeanette Pettigrew, have qualified in multiple events. Listed below is all qualifying Falcons with their best marks this year.

Long jump – Alicia Arnold 19-5.25
Shot put – Makenzie Wheat 47-10
Weight throw – Brooke Pleger 62-5.75; Tina Perrine 60-4
60 – Jeanette Pettigrew 7.56
200 – Alicia Arnold 24.42; Jeanette Pettigrew 24.73
Mile – Rachel Durbin 4:54.66

NIFTY SIXTY
Redshirt senior Jeanette Pettigrew has a long and storied history in the 60-meter dash. As a true freshman in 2010, Pettigrew placed sixth at the MAC Championships in the event and then followed that up with second-place finishes in both 2011 and 2012. After redshirting the 2013 season, Pettigrew quickly reminded anyone who may have forgotten about her that she will be one of the favorites again this year. She hit the MAC automatic qualifying mark in the team's opening meet, the Golden Flash Gala, with a time of 7.62 seconds in the prelims and then a 7.56 in the finals. In 2011, she ran the event in a school-record time of 7.40 at the MAC Championships and then went 7.48 in 2012.

THROWING HEAVY OBJECTS LONG DISTANCES
Bowling Green's throwers are one of the strengths of the program and the Falcons have qualified three individuals for the MAC Championships. Junior Brooke Pleger and senior Tina Perrine have both thrown over 60 feet in the weight throw and are ranked in the top five in the MAC in the event. Freshman Makenzie Wheat is making an impact in the shot put and has already reached the MAC automatic qualifying mark with a personal best of 47-feet-10.

UNLEASHING ALICIA
Sophomore transfer Alicia Arnold ran the 200 at the BG Opener for the first time in her Bowling Green career and put together an eye-popping performance. The transfer sophomore from Lake Erie College ran the event in 24.80 seconds (converted to 24.42) to win in fairly easy fashion. Her time is the fastest in the conference this year and surpassed the automatic qualifying time for the MAC Championships.

TRANSFERS OF POWER
Sophomore transfer Alicia Arnold made an immediate impact in strengthening the Falcons in the long jump, leaping 18-feet-5 at the Golden Flash Gala in her first meet with the Orange and Brown. Arnold placed second at the meet and her distance was further than any Falcon jumped a year ago. She bumped that to 19-5.25 at the Tom Wright Open, the second-furthest long jump in program history and the second-furthest in the MAC this year.

Arnold has also run 7.67 seconds in the 60, a time which would have placed her seventh at the MAC Championships a year ago.

Senior transfer Tina Perrine also made her mark at the Golden Flash Gala, tossing the weight throw 56-feet-5.25. That was the Falcons' top result. She has since followed that up with a personal best throw of 60-4 at the Akron Invitational and has met the MAC automatic qualifying mark.

MAC RANKINGS
Bowling Green is ranked in the top four of the Mid-American Conference in four events currently. Alicia Arnold has the top time in the MAC in the 200, while Jeanette Pettigrew ranks third in the 60. Arnold is also fourth in the long jump and Brooke Pleger is ranked the same in the weight throw. Listed below are all the Falcons currently ranked in the top 10 in the MAC:

60 – 3. Jeanette Pettigrew 7.56 (AQ), 7. Alicia Arnold 7.67
200 – 1. Alicia Arnold 24.42 (AQ), 9. Jeanette Pettigrew 24.73 (AQ)
Mile – 6. Rachel Durbin 4:54.66 (AQ)
1600 relay – 9. Bowling Green 3:50.34
Long jump – 4. Alicia Arnold 19-5.25 (AQ)
Triple jump – 6. Tiera Parker 38-4.25
Shot put – 9. Makenzie Wheat 47-10 (AQ)
Weight throw – 4. Brooke Pleger 62-5.75 (AQ), 5. Tina Perrine 60-4 (AQ)
Pentathlon – 7. Krystin Reiser 3,438

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Currently, four Falcons are ranked among the top 100 in the country in an event this year, led by Brooke Pleger, who is No. 48 in the weight throw. The list of BGSU athletes in the top 100 are listed below:

Long jump – 80. Alicia Arnold 19-5.25
Shot put – 95. Makenzie Wheat 47-10
Weight throw – 48. Brooke Pleger 62-5.75, 72. Tina Perrine 60-4

TRIPLE THREAT
A year ago, Tiera Parker surprised the field at the MAC Outdoor Championships by placing eighth in the triple jump and scoring a point at the meet. This year, she is no longer a surprise. The sophomore ranks sixth in the MAC after jumping a personal best 38-feet-4.25 at the Akron Invitational. She has steadily improved throughout the year, setting a new PR three times, while winning the triple jump at the Simmons-Harvey Invite and the Tom Wright Open.

REISING TO THE OCCASION
Junior Krystin Reiser set a new personal best in the pentathlon during the season-opening Golden Flash Gala. With a previous career-best score of 2,857 in the five events that make up the pentathlon, Reiser beat that total by more than 400 points, scoring 3,275. The second time she competed in the pentathlon, she improved to 3,438 points at the Akron Invitational. She is less than 130 points shy of the pentathlon school record of 3,567 points.

CAPTAINS
BGSU head coach Lou Snelling has named three captains for the 2013-14 season. Redshirt sophomore Andrea Alt, redshirt junior Brooke Pleger and redshirt senior Jeanette Pettigrew will guide the Falcons.

SNELLING RECOGNIZED BY SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
A six-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year at Stephen F. Austin, BGSU Head Coach Lou Snelling was named to the All-Time Southland Conference Honor Roll earlier this year. As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the conference honored 65 student-athletes and eight coaches (of which Snelling was recognized) for their historic contributions to the sport.

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