Falcons Open Season in North Carolina

Friday, March 27

Raleigh, N.C.

TBA

Bowling Green State University

Raleigh Relays

March 24, 2015 | Women's Track and Field

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

Raleigh Relays Official Website
Live Stats
Performance Lists

Raleigh, N.C. – The Bowling Green State University track and field team opens the outdoor season this weekend at the Raleigh Relays, hosted by North Carolina State University. This will be the third consecutive year in which the Falcons have opened the season at the Raleigh Relays. The meet takes place both Friday and Saturday.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
The BGSU track and field team can be followed all spring long through a number of ways. Social media links are listed below and live results and live video (as available) can be found on BGSUFalcons.com as meets provide those opportunities.

Twitter - @BGAthletics and @BGXCTrack
Instagram – BGFalcons and bg_xctrackandfield
Facebook – BGSU Athletics
YouTube – FalconAthletics

ABOUT THE RALEIGH RELAYS
The Raleigh Relays take place at NC State's Derr Track and will be one of the largest meets the team will compete in this year. Full information can be found at http://www.gopack.com/sports/c-track/15Raleigh-Relays.html. Listed below are the accepted entries for BGSU for each event:

Friday, March 27
9:00 am - 5000 (Andrea Alt, Allison Francis, Mackenzie McMillin, Becca Rae, Jasmine Redman)
10:00 am - Shot put (Makenzie Wheat)
11:00 am - High jump (Raven Porter)
12:15 pm - 100 hurdles (Demetra Taylor)
1:45 pm - 100 (Alicia Arnold, Dorresha Green, Brianna Johnson, Kera Lamotte, Tiera Parker)
2:00 pm - Long jump invitational (Alicia Arnold)
2:30 pm - Discus (Kayla Velasquez)
3:05 pm - 400 (Gabrielle Edwards, Taylor Rambo, Brittany Sinclair, Natalie Sommerville)
4:15 pm - 1600 sprint medley relay
4:45 pm - 1500 (Rachel Durbin, Maria Meredith)
5:00 pm - Discus invitational (Kori Reiser)
9:40 pm - 10000 (Mackenzie McMillin)

Saturday, March 28
12:00 pm - Triple jump (Kyla Paster, Tiera Parker)
12:55 pm - 400 hurdles (Connor Kempf, Brittany Sinclair, Natalie Sommerville, Demetra Taylor)
1:00 pm - Hammer throw (Kori Reiser, Kayla Velasquez)
1:40 pm - 400 relay
2:50 pm - 800 relay
4:00 pm - 200 (Alicia Arnold)

YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Falcons are set to compete 32 times in individual events this weekend. Only four of those opportunities will come from seniors. Juniors will compete 12 times and sophomores will compete 13 times. Three freshmen will face their first outdoor competition in Dorresha Green (100), Allison Francis (5000) and Kyla Paster (Triple jump).

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
"We are excited to get the outdoor season started at one of the best meets in the nation this weekend. Our goals for the season are high. At the end, we would like to achieve at a level that has not happened at Bowling Green for more than 15 years. This weekend is our opportunity to take a step towards doing that in a great environment against some of the best in the country." -- BGSU Head Coach Lou Snelling

REGIONAL DUAL MEET RANKINGS
Bowling Green was ranked No. 13 in the Great Lakes Region by Track and Field News for dual meet rankings. The Falcons are fifth among MAC schools in the rankings.

NATIONAL COMPUTER RANKINGS
BGSU is ranked No. 63 in the country in the preseason USTFCCCA national computer rankings. It is the highest preseason ranking for the program since it was introduced. Last year, the team began the year at No. 64.

THE REGIONAL SCENE
A year ago, five student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Regional Preliminary round across seven different events. Makenzie Wheat (shot put), Brooke Pleger (hammer) and Kori Reiser (discus, hammer) return for the Falcons in 2015. Pleger advanced from the regional preliminary round to the NCAA National Championships, placing third in the hammer throw to earn her second consecutive All-American award.

DROPPING THE HAMMER
The Falcons' deepest and most competitive event over the past few years has been the hammer throw. A year ago, three student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Regional Preliminary Round in the event, led by senior Brooke Pleger, who placed second at regionals and third at the NCAA Division I Track and Field National Championships. Redshirt sophomore Kori Reiser also returns after qualifying for the regional meet as well.

HAMMER TIME
Senior Brooke Pleger has been named an NCAA Division I First Team All-American for two consecutive years, finishing seventh in the country in the hammer throw as a redshirt sophomore and then improving to third a year ago. She is the school's all-time record holder in the event and is one of the top 10 collegiate American hammer throwers in the history of the sport.

WHEAT IS NEAT
Sophomore Makenzie Wheat made a splash as a freshman a year ago, qualifying for the NCAA Regional Preliminary meet in the shot put. She will look to take another step in 2015 in her second year at Bowling Green.

STANDING ABOVE THE REST
Senior Brooke Pleger has dominated the Mid-American Conference in the hammer throw during her career, setting a new MAC Championship record with a toss of 216-feet-3 as a sophomore. But she improved upon that a year ago, breaking her own record at the MAC Championships with a distance of 218-9.

Top Hammer Throws In MAC Championship History
Distance	Competitor (School)	Year
218-9	Brooke Pleger (Bowling Green)	2014
216-3	Brooke Pleger (Bowling Green)	2013
214-6	Brittany Funk (Akron)	2013
213-10	Stevi Large (Akron)	2009
206-4	Shant'e White (Buffalo)	2011

#MACtion
Bowling Green scored 60 points at the Mid-American Conference Championships a year ago, the most for the Falcons since 1999. The Falcons just missed a top half finish at the conference standings in seventh place but it was a big step forward from 23 points at the same meet in 2013 and just one point in 2012. Among those who scored points at the MAC Championships a year ago, the Falcons return Brooke Pleger (first in the hammer throw), Kori Reiser (sixth in the hammer throw and sixth in the discus), Andrea Alt (sixth in the 3000 steeplechase), Alicia Arnold (fourth in the long jump), Makenzie Wheat (eighth in the shot put), Natalie Sommerville (fifth in the 400 hurdles) and Tiera Parker (sixth in the triple jump). In total, those student-athletes accounted for 32 of the team's 60 points. On top of that, Kayla Velasquez placed eighth in the discus in 2013 before redshirting a year ago.

PLEGER NOW AMONG THE COLLEGIATE ALL-TIME GREATS
By throwing the hammer 223-feet at the Toledo Invitational last year, Brooke Pleger became one of the 10 greatest American collegiate hammer throwers of all time. She entered the year ranked No. 14 but supplanted Britney Henry, who threw 221-7 for Oregon in 2006, with her toss at Toledo. Including all collegians, Pleger currently ranks No. 18 all-time. Listed below is the entire top 10 list of American collegians:

Top American Collegiate Hammer Throwers
Distance	Name (School)	Date
237-10	Brittany Riley (Southern Illinois)	4/28/07
233-1	Amanda Bingson (UNLV)	5/26/12
231-4	Gwen Berry (Southern Illinois)	4/30/11
229-10	Chelsea Cassulo (Arizona State)	5/23/13
229-9	Loree Smith (Colorado State)	11/30/99
227-8	Jeneva McCall (Southern Illinois)	3/24/12
224-9	Brittany Smith (Illinois State)	6/5/13
224-1	Jessica Pressley (Arizona State)	5/3/08
223-4	Stevi Large (Akron)	6/12/09
223-0	Brooke Pleger (Bowling Green)	5/9/14

PLEGER ALSO RANKED IN THE CURRENT NATIONAL TOP TEN
Senior Brooke Pleger is currently ranked as the No. 10 hammer thrower in the country by Track and Field News, which includes all athletes regardless of age. She is the only member of the top 10 who is still competing collegiately. Amanda Bingson ranks first in the nation, followed by Amber Campbell, Jessica Cosby Toruga, Gwen Berry and Britney Henry. Brittany Smith is sixth, followed by Jeneva McCall, Kristin Smith, Amy Happanen and Pleger.