Cross Country Teams Open At Toledo Invite

Friday, August 29

Oregon, Ohio (Pearson Metropark)

5:45 PM

Bowling Green State University

Toledo Invitational

Redshirt junior Andrea Alt looks to be a major contributor to the women's team this season.

August 28, 2014 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

By: by Alexx Klein, BGSU Athletic Communications

Pearson Park Course Map

Toledo, Ohio. – The Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country programs will compete in the Toledo Invitational Friday at Pearson Park, hosted by the University of Toledo.

RACE DETAILS
The men's race begins at 5:45 pm and the women toe the line at 6:15 pm, both racing 5,000-meters. Pearson Metro Park is located in Oregon, OH. Full course map is available by CLICKING HERE.

ALT LEADS THE WAY
Andrea Alt finished as Bowling Green's top runner in four of the five meets she competed in this year, finishing 65th out of 227 runners at NCAA Regionals, second overall at the All-Ohio Championships and 18th at the Mel Brodt Invitational in Bowling Green. In the team's meet at Indiana State, she placed 22nd overall, setting a new personal best time of 21:46.02 over 6,000 meters. The redshirt junior has developed into the anchor of the Falcon cross country team.

RAE-CING TO THE FRONT
Junior Rebecca Rae was a pleasant surprise at the 2013 MAC Championships, finishing as the team's top runner for the first time in her career. She set a new personal best time of 22:01.61 in the 6,000-meter distance to place 21st overall. She had been the team's No. 2 runner in the Mel Brodt Invitational and the Indiana State Pre-National Meet.

BLACK PROVIDES SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Redshirt senior Greg Black was the Falcons' top finisher twice last year, once at the EMU Open to begin the season and then again in the EMU Fall Classic. He competed in six of the team's seven meets and provides experience and senior leadership to a young men's squad.

YOUTHFUL
Only two out of 11 runners return this season from the men's team (Black and Jeremy Richard). On the women's side, six of the 16 runners are freshmen or redshirt freshmen, and another five are sophomores of redshirt sophomores. The women will be without any seniors this season.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
In the USTFCCCA preseason poll, the BGSU women were ranked No. 15 in the Great Lakes Region. This is the team's first regional ranking of the four-year Lou Snelling era.

STRONG ACADEMICALLY
The women's team tied a program record with three Academic All-MAC members in 2013 and the men's cross country team added two more as announced by the MAC last season. Three more women and three more men earned honorable mention status on the teams.