Walny And Kuck Lead The Falcons At Pre-Nationals

Saturday, October 17

Louisville, Ky.

9:30 AM

Bowling Green State University

Pre-Nationals

October 17, 2015 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Men's Results
Women's Results

Louisville, Kentucky – The Bowling Green State University women's and men's cross country teams, led by redshirt freshman Rachel Walny and redshirt sophomore Nathan Kuck, competed at Pre-Nationals Saturday morning at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. Both squads went up against major powerhouses, as well as former national champions.

The women's team was the first to race and participated in the 6,000-meter red seeded heat, facing 45 schools all regionally ranked, as well as some nationally. As a team, the BGSU women placed 39th overall.

Individually, Walny crossed the finish line first for the Falcons yet again, placing 20th overall and recording a personal best time of 20:28.1 across the 6K course. Walny was the top finisher among Mid-American Conference racers, defeating the top runners from Western and Eastern Michigan.

The top five runners for the women's team were Walny, senior Becca Rae, redshirt junior Mackenzie McMillin, redshirt senior Andrea Alt and redshirt sophomore Allison Francis.

"Rachel took another big step this weekend and positioned herself for a great MAC meet," Head Coach Lou Snelling said. "As a team it was a mixed bag, we will have to be better in two weeks."

The men's 8,000-meter black unseeded race followed the women's competition. Bowling Green placed 24th out of a field with more than half of the teams holding regional rankings.

"We ran well against top competition," Men's Coach Chuck Wentz said. "Nathan [Kuck] had a breakout race and our young guys stuck together. They raced tough."

Kuck, who continues to improve with each race, placed 32nd overall and first for the Falcons with a personal best time of 24:47.4. Kuck improved upon his previous personal record set last week at All-Ohio Championships by one minute.

The top five runners for the Falcons were Kuck, freshmen Jonathan Wenning and Jonathan Anderson, sophomore Kohl Taberner and freshman Noah Schaub. The first four finishers for BGSU all recorded personal best times.

The Falcons will be back in action Oct. 31 at the MAC Championships in Akron, Ohio.