Falcon Cross Country Teams Shine At MAC Championships

Saturday, October 31

Akron, Ohio

11 AM

Bowling Green State University

MAC Championships

October 31, 2015 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Men's Results
Women's Results

Canton, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's cross country team was the runner-up at the Mid-American Conference Championships Saturday, while the men's cross country team posted its top team result at the meet since 2000, placing seventh at GlenOak Community Park.

For the women, it was the top finish in head coach Lou Snelling's tenure at BGSU, equaling a second-place finish in 2006. The men climbed two spots from a year ago with three freshmen and two sophomores scoring at the meet for the Falcons.

"This was our best team finish in a long time," Snelling said. "We went after it and I'm proud of the girls."

Redshirt freshman Rachel Walny continued her tremendous rookie campaign and placed fifth overall with a time of 21:06.90. Redshirt junior Mackenzie McMillin followed in 10^th place with a time of 21:33.0 and both runners earned All-MAC honors.

Walny was also named the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year after posting the best performance at a MAC Championship for a BGSU runner since Kim Settle ended fourth in 2006. She posted the fastest BGSU performance ever in a 6,000-meter MAC Championship race.

Eastern Michigan won the meet with 55 points, while BGSU followed with 72, edging Central Michigan by just one point for runner-up status. Western Michigan was fourth, followed by Buffalo, Miami, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Kent State, Akron and Ball State.

After Walny and McMillin, seniors Jasmine Redman and Andrea Alt finished in 16^th and 17^th place, while sophomore Elena Lancioni was the final scorer for the Falcons in 24^th place.

On the men's side, redshirt sophomore Nathan Kuck, who has been the front runner for BG all season, crossed the finish line first for the Falcons and 17th overall with a time of 25:23.39. Over the 8,000-meter men's race, Bowling Green ended with 189 team points to end ahead of Kent State (202 points) and Toledo (227 points). Eastern Michigan won the men's championship with 26 points, followed by Akron, Miami, Central Michigan, Ohio and Buffalo.

"It was a good showing considering how young we are," men's coach Chuck Wentz said. "Our older men set the tone and the younger guys followed. I was really impressed with that."

Sophomore Kohl Taberner was the second-fastest Falcon, placing 29^th in 25:45.6. Freshmen Jonathan Wenning, Kyle Repetto and Noah Schaub rounded out the scoring student-athletes. The middle of the Falcon lineup was the big difference in earning a seventh-place as freshman Jonathan Wenning finished 12 places ahead of Kent State's third runner, making up almost the entire difference in the 13-point edge that BGSU enjoyed. Freshmen Kyle Repetto and Noah Schaub closed out the scoring for the Falcons.

The men's and women's cross country teams will be off for two weeks before heading to Madison, Wis. for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Nov. 13.