Eleven Falcons Named To Academic All-MAC Team

January 05, 2015 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

By: by Alexx Klein, BGSU Athletic Communications

Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's cross country team set a program record of seven Academic All-MAC members and the men's team added four runners of their own as announced by the Mid-American Conference Monday afternoon.

Redshirt juniors Andrea Alt, Maria Meredith, Jasmine Redman, junior Becca Rae, redshirt sophomore Mackenzie McMillin, sophomore Brent Darah and redshirt freshman Allison Francis all earned a spot on the All-MAC team.

On the men's side, redshirt senior Greg Black, junior Jeremy Richard and redshirt freshmen Travis Jex and Nathan Kuck were named to the team.

Alt holds a 3.760 grade point average in adolescence to young adult education with a specialization in math. Her first meet of the season was BG's home Mel Brodt Collegiate Invitational where Alt finished fourth on the team with an 18:19 over the 5,000-meter distance. At the Louisville Cross Country Classic, she came in just three seconds behind the team's top finisher. Alt was also third to cross the finish line for the Falcons at the MAC Championship meet with a season PR of 21:42. Her 89th overall place finish at regionals was good for fifth on the team.

Meredith has a grade point average of 3.943 in communication disorders. She competed in all of the team meets aside from regionals. At the Toledo season opener, her 19:34 earned her fifth place on the team. Meredith stayed consistent with her 5K times, running a 19:23 at the Mel Brodt and 19:17 at Louisville. She set a season personal best time at MAC Championships of 22:53.

Redman holds a 3.592 grade point average in sport management. In her first race in two cross country seasons, Redman finished fourth on the team with a time of 18:27 at the Louisville Classic. She went on to compete in all remaining races for the Falcons, highlighted by a 21:42 season best time at MACs and third place team finish at regionals.

Rae has a 3.710 grade point average in communication sciences and disorders. She led the Falcons this season, placing first on the team in every meet. Rae led the team with a personal best time of 17:56 in the 5,000-meter distance in the team's first meet of the season, placing fourth overall. Another highlight of Rae's season came at the MAC Championships. Rae finished second team All-MAC and set a personal best time of 21:13. Rae was the team's top finisher yet again at the Regional meet in Wisconsin, placing 64th out of 219 runners. Her place was the best individual finish since 2007 and she was just one second off the fastest time ever recorded by a BGSU athlete at a regional championship.

McMillin holds a 3.835 grade point average in biology. She competed in all of the team meets this season. McMillin placed second on the team with a 5K season best time of 18:02 at the Toledo Opener, as well as second at Mel Brodt, finishing in ninth with a time of 18:04. She placed just one second behind Rae at Louisville. In a field of over 200 runners, McMillin finished 44th with a time of 22:43 at the Indiana State Pre-National meet. At MAC Championships, McMillin beat her previous season best by just under one minute, racing a 21:44.

Darah has a 3.684 grade point average in sport management. Darah recorded an 18:25 in the first meet of 2014 for the Falcons, which was good for third on the team. He came on strong toward the back half of the season, placing 65th overall and third on the team at the Indiana State Pre-National meet. At MAC Championships, Darah set a new personal record of 21:43, which was a 40 second improvement for him. He ran the same time at the regional meet, but finished second on the team and just 16 seconds behind Rae.

Francis holds a grade point average of 3.808 in history and political science. The redshirt freshman had a huge impact on the program this season. She ran a personal best 18:28 at the Louisville Classic and finished fifth on the team. She stayed in the team's top five next meet as well, placing 70th overall at Pre Nationals. Francis saw the biggest time improvement on the team at the MAC Championship meet where she ran a 21:47, crushing her previous personal best by 1:20.

Black has a 3.75 grade point average in his accounting master's program. He held a 3.922 in undergrad in accounting. Black was the lone senior on a young Falcon's squad this season and his leadership on and off the course was crucial to this year's team. In his first meet of the season, Black placed first on the team and fifth overall at the Mel Brodt Collegiate Invitational with an 8K time of 26:40. He finished in the team's top five at every race he competed at this season, including second at regionals.

Richard holds a 3.395 grade point average in biology. The junior saw significant time improvements toward the end of season compared to his 2013 results. His 27:32 at MAC Championships was a 37 second jump from last season. At the regional meet, he shattered his 2013 10K regional time by 1:13 and crossed the line in 34:15. Richard will be the only senior on the team next season.

Jex has a 3.86 grade point average in international studies. He proved to be one of the Falcons' most consistent runners this season, finishing second or third on the team in every race after the season opener at Toledo. At the All-Ohio meet, Jex ran a time of 27:09, which broke his old record by nearly 30 seconds. In his first ever 10K at regionals, Jex ran his 5K high school PR time twice. His high school best was 16:44 and at regionals he ran a 33:22.

Kuck holds a 3.88 grade point average in pre-exercise science. He was the top BGSU finisher at the Toledo Invite season opener, placing seventh overall with a personal best time of 16:07 and was the third fastest freshman in the race. At the All-Ohio Championships, Kuck set a personal record of 27:17, finishing fourth on the team. He broke that record by 42 seconds at MAC Championships, running a 26:35 and placing third on the team.