Falcons Just Do It In 2015

November 24, 2015 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Bowling Green, Ohio – In 2015, the Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country programs had goals to build upon the success they have achieved recently. Both teams were able to continue the forward momentum as the women were Mid-American Conference runner-ups and the men posted their best finish at the same meet in 15 years.

With high hopes, the teams opened the season at home for the 5,000-meter Mel Brodt Collegiate Open.

Redshirt freshman Rachel Walny showed the conference exactly how strong she would be all year, winning the women's race with a time of 17:20.1. The time was 37 seconds faster than any BGSU student-athlete ran a year ago and was 17 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. The top runners for the women at the meet were senior Becca Rae, junior Mackenzie McMillin, senior Jasmine Redman and redshirt sophomore Rebecca Schott.

For the men, redshirt sophomore Nathan Kuck crossed the finish line first for the Falcons, posting a new personal best time of 15:53.2. The top runners for the Falcons were freshmen Tyler Phillips, Noah Schaub and Jonathan Wenning, all finished in the top 10.

Next up for the Falcons was the Spartan Invitational. While there were no team scores, the teams proved to be great competition. The men ran their first 8,000-meter contest and the women competed in their first 6,000-meter race.

Walny once again finished first for BG and third overall with a time of 21:26. She would follow behind two Michigan State runners, each of whom has earned All-American status during their careers. Following Walny would be Rae, McMillin and redshirt senior Andrea Alt.

Kuck would be the first Falcon to finish the 8K with a time of 26:18, setting a new personal best and capturing 48th out of a field of 390 runners. Behind Kuck were Schaub and sophomore Nick Voth.

The men's and women's teams would travel to different states for their third meet of the season. The women would travel to Bethlehem, Pa. for the Paul Short Run and the men to Cedarville, Ohio for the All-Ohio Championships. Team scores were recorded for the first time at both meets.

As a team the women achieved a sixth place finish out of 35 teams with 225 points at the Paul Short Run. The Falcons defeated Buffalo, the only MAC school at the meet as well as two schools from "Power 5" conferences in South Carolina and Rutgers.

Walny, who trailed the top runner by just nine seconds, was the first to cross the finish line for BG, placing sixth with at time of 20:36, a new personal best. The top five Falcons were Walny, Rae, Redman, McMillin and Alt.

The men's 1-5 runners were separated by a spread of just 21 seconds at the All-Ohio Championships, posting a one-minute improvement from the previous week. As a team, the men placed ninth out of 10 teams in Division I.

Kuck, again led the Falcons, improving his time by 31 seconds and finishing 71^st overall. Sophomore Jacob Schenten, Voth and freshmen Kyle Repetto, Wenning, Jonathan Anderson, Zane Sturts, Dakota Brunsman and Paul Garbarino would all cut down their times giving them new personal bests.

The Falcons then traveled to Louisville, Ky. for Pre-Nationals. The men's and women's teams would see some of the best competition thus far with a majority of the teams being regional ranked. It was no surprise that Walny and Kuck would lead their teams at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park.

Walny crossed the finish line first for the BG, placing 20th overall and recording a personal best time of 20:28.1 in the 6K race. She defeated top runners from Western and Eastern Michigan. The top five runners for the women were Walny, Rae, McMillin, Alt and redshirt sophomore Allison Francis.

The men's 8K followed the women's competition and Bowling Green placed 24th. Kuck placed 32^nd overall and first for the Falcons with a time of 24:47.4, improving his time by one minute. The top five for the Falcons were Kuck, Wenning, Anderson, sophomore Kohl Taberner and Shaub. The first four finishers all recorded personal best times.

At the Mid-American Conference Championships the women's team claimed second place, while the men's team would post its top team result since 2000, placing seventh.

Walny, who finished fifth overall with a time of 21:06.90, continued her phenomenal freshman season by posting the best performance at a MAC Championship for a BGSU runner since 2006. She posted the fastest BGSU performance ever in a 6K MAC Championship race. McMillin followed in 10th place with a time of 21:33.0 and both runners earned All-MAC honors.

As a team the women had their top finish in head coach Lou Snelling's tenure at BGSU, equaling a second-place finish in 2006. Along with Walny and McMillin were Redman, Alt and sophomore Elena Lancioni.

The men's team took seventh place and ended with 189 team points to defeat Kent State and Toledo. The Falcons climbed two spots from last year with three freshmen and two sophomores.

On the men's side, Kuck captured a 17th place finish with a time of 25:23.39. Scoring for BG was Taberner, Wenning, Repetto and Schaub. The difference maker for the Orange and Brown was Wenning, who finished 12 places ahead of Kent State's third runner.

The Falcons closed out their seasons at the NCAA Regionals held in Madison, Wisc.

The women's team posted its best finish in 17 years and climbed four spots from 13th place a year ago. This was the first time reaching the top 10 in the region since 1998. The top five runners for BG were Walny, Redman, Alt, McMillin and Lancioni.

Walny finished 24^th overall with a time of 21:03.9, earning All-Region honors. Walny's finish was the first top 25 result since Wendy Licht Ordway ended 10^th in 1998.

The men's team ran in their first 10,000-meter race of the season. The team had its best result at Regionals since 2011. For the second consecutive meet, BG defeated Toledo and Kent State. The top runners for the Falcons were Kuck, Taberner, Wenning, Schaub and Repetto.

Improving his time by two minutes since last year's regional race was Kuck, finishing first for the Falcons and 78th overall with a time of 32:34.5.