Thursday, May 7
Toledo, Ohio
TBA
Bowling Green State University
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Toledo Invitational
Falcons Head To Toledo Invitational For Final Tune-Up
May 06, 2015 | Women's Track and Field
Performance Lists
Toledo, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University track and field team will conclude the regular season at the Toledo Invitational Thursday and Friday. The Falcons will use the meet for final preparations and opportunities for the MAC Championships.
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 TOLEDO INVITATIONAL
The Toledo Invitational will take place Thursday and Friday at the University of Toledo Outdoor Track and Fetterman Stadium. Field events will begin Thursday at 3 pm and then again Friday at 9 am. Track events begin Friday at 12 pm. The schedule of events is listed below.
Thursday, May 7
3:00 pm – Hammer throw (men first, followed by women): Kori Reiser, Kayla Velasquez
Friday, May 8
9:00 am – Javelin (men first, followed by women): Libby Burkhart, Sydnee Matthew, Krystin Reiser
11 am – Discus (men first, followed by women): Kori Reiser
11 am – Long jump (men first, followed by women): Africa Strodes (unattached)
11 am – High jump (women first, followed by men): Krystin Reiser, Raven Porter
12:45 pm – 1500: Rachel Durbin
1 pm – Triple jump (men first, followed by women): Raven Porter, Africa Strodes (unattached)
1:10 pm – 100 hurdles: Sydnee Matthew
2:55 pm – 3000 steeplechase: Elena Lancioni (unattached)
3:30 pm – 100: Dorresha Green, Kera Lamotte, Brianna Johnson
4:40 pm – 400 hurdles: Connor Kempf
5:25 pm – 200: Brianna Johnson
THE COMPUTER RANKINGS
Bowling Green remained in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional top 15 at No. 15 this week in the Great Lakes Region. The Falcons are fifth among MAC schools in the region. On a national level, BGSU dropped five spots to No. 58 after peaking at No. 53 a week ago. The Falcons opened the season at No. 63, the team's best preseason ranking since the system was implemented in 2008.
SINCLAIR SIZZLES
Redshirt senior Brittany Sinclair has made a mark for herself in the 400 hurdles and the 400. Sinclair broke the school record in the 400 hurdles at the Virginia Challenge with a time of 58.97 seconds and ranks first in the Mid-American Conference in the event. She is one of only two MAC student-athletes to run the event in under one minute this year – and she has done so twice. In the 400, Sinclair improved her personal best to 55.51 seconds and is currently ranked seventh in the conference in the event.
ONE IN A McMILLIN
Redshirt sophomore Mackenzie McMillin opened some eyes at the Raleigh Relays when she beat her personal best in the 10,000 by more than 100 seconds. She ran the event in 36:14.29 to easily surpass her previous best time of 37:56.61 at last year's MAC Championships. She currently ranks eighth in the conference in the event.
TRIPLE THREAT
Alicia Arnold jumped 19-feet-4 at the Jesse Owens Classic to rank eighth in the MAC in the long jump, less than seven inches behind conference leader Jaclyn Siefring of Akron. Arnold also ranks third in the 100 and sixth in the 200, giving her three events in which she is in position to score at the MAC Championships.
DROPPING THE HAMMER
The Falcons' deepest and most competitive event over the past few years has been the hammer throw and that looks to be a similar strength this year. 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. This year, Pleger not only ranks first in the country, but redshirt sophomores Kori Reiser and Kayla Velasquez are seventh and eighth in the MAC, respectively.
ANOTHER RECORD BITES THE DUST
It seems like redshirt senior Brooke Pleger breaks another record every week as she did each of the past two weeks. At the Ashland Alumni Open two weeks ago, Pleger broke the MAC record and re-established a new school record with a throw of 225-feet-11. She followed that up by throwing 228-feet, another record, at the Jesse Owens Track Classic. Prior to two weeks ago, the MAC record stood at 223-4 set by national champion Stevi Large of Akron in 2009.
DOMINATING ON A NATIONAL SCALE
Redshirt senior Brooke Pleger is not just dominating the MAC in the hammer throw, but the nation as well. Her throw of 228-feet this past weekend is almost six feet further than any other student-athlete has thrown this year in Division I. In fact, she has the eight furthest throws in the country. Only Southern Illinois' DeAnna Price breaks into the top 10 throws as she ranks second nationally with a season-best toss of 222-2.
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 ranks tenth among collegiate hammer throwers in the history of the sport. This year, Pleger ranks first in the nation with a MAC record throw of 228-feet.
MAK ATTACK
Sophomore Makenzie Wheat made a splash as a freshman a year ago, qualifying for the NCAA Regional Preliminary meet in the shot put. This year, she has improved almost every competition, opening the year by throwing 46-feet-11.75 at the Raleigh Relays. She then set a new personal best with a toss of 49-7 at the Toledo Dual and had an identical mark at the Tennessee Relays. She pushed that even further by throwing 50-6 at the Ashland Alumni Open to become just the second student-athlete in program history to throw that far. Wheat currently ranks fourth in the MAC in the shot put.
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.
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. She also set the overall MAC record at the Ashland Alumni Open, throwing 225-11 to surpass Stevie Large's record of 223-4, set in 2009. She pushed that to 228-feet last week.
| 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.
MAC RANKINGS
Bowling Green ranks at the top of the MAC in three events with Brittany Sinclair in the 400 hurdles and Brooke Pleger in the hamer throw. As well, the 400 relay team has the top time in the conference this year. Currently, BGSU is ranked in the top 10 in the conference 16 times and in the top 20 another 16 times. Listed below are all Falcons ranked among the top 20 in the MAC in an event:
100 – 3. Alicia Arnold 11.79, 19. Kera Lamotte 12.23
200 – 6. Alicia Arnold 24.28, 10. Kera Lamotte 24.57, 15. Brittany Sinclair 24.78
400 – 7. Brittany Sinclair 55.51, 9. Taylor Rambo 55.92, 18. Gabrielle Edwards 57.44
5000 – 13. Becca Rae 17:00.45, 15. Mackenzie McMillin 17:01.39
10000 – 8. Mackenzie McMillin 36:14.29
100 hurdles – 16. Demetra Taylor 14.44
400 hurdles – 1. Brittany Sinclair 58.97, 19. Demetra Taylor 1:03.92
3000 steeplechase – 7. Andrea Alt 10:45.79, 13. Becca Rae 11:17.20
400 relay – 1. Bowling Green 45.72
1600 relay – 6. Bowling Green 3:46.84
High jump – 8. Raven Porter 5-7
Long jump – 8. Alicia Arnold 19-4, 15. Raven Porter 18-7.25
Triple jump – 11. Tiera Parker 37-10.75, 12. Kyla Paster 37-9.5
Shot put – 4. Makenzie Wheat 50-6
Discus – 11. Kori Reiser 153-2, 19. Kayla Velasquez 136-9
Hammer throw – 1. Brooke Pleger 228-0, 7. Kori Reiser 183-4, 8. Kayla Velasquez 182-0
Javelin – 18. Libby Burkhart 107-7
Heptathlon – 12. Krystin Reiser 3,979, 13. Sydnee Matthew 13. 3,943
REGIONAL RANKINGS
The top 48 individuals in the East region in each event will advance to the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Fla. May 28-30. Listed below are all Falcons currently ranked among the top 50 in the East region.
400 hurdles – 33. Brittany Sinclair 58.97
Shot put – 23. Makenzie Wheat 50-6
Hammer throw – 1. Brooke Pleger 228-0, 45. Kori Reiser 183-4
400 RELAY NOTE
Bowling Green showed its depth in the sprints this past weekend, breaking the school record in the 400 relay and posting the top time in the Mid-American Conference this year. Brittany Sinclair, Alicia Arnold, Kera Lamotte and Dorresha Green decimated the previous school record of 46.17 seconds by almost a full half second with a time of 45.72. Sinclair was a member of the previous school record relay team when she ran alongside Jeanette Pettigrew, Felicia Jefferson and Allison Weimer at the 2013 MAC Championships.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Brooke Pleger ranks at the top of the national leaders in the hammer throw with a toss of 225-feet-11. Listed below are all Falcons among the top 100 nationally in an event:
400 hurdles – 47. Brittany Sinclair 58.97
Shot put – 58. Makenzie Wheat 50-6
Hammer throw – 1. Brooke Pleger 228-0
WEEKLY HONORS
Senior Brooke Pleger earned her tenth career Mid-American Conference Field Athlete of the Week award Tuesday after throwing the hammer 228-feet at the Jesse Owens Track Classic to break the MAC and school records. She has also been named the MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week this year. Pleger holds a grade point average of 3.624 in nursing.
PLEGER NOW AMONG THE COLLEGIATE ALL-TIME GREATS
By throwing the hammer 228-feet at the Jesse Owens Track Classic, Brooke Pleger cracked the top 10 collegiate hammer throwers of all time. Listed below is the entire top 10 list of collegians:
| Top Collegiate Hammer Throwers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Distance | Name (School) | Date |
| 239-4 | Jenny Dahlgren (Georgia) | 4/13/07 |
| 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 |
| 230-7 | Julia Ratcliffe (Princeton) | 4/19/14 |
| 230-3 | Eva Orban (USC) | 3/14/08 |
| 229-10 | Chelsea Cassulo (Arizona State) | 5/23/13 |
| 229-9 | Loree Smith (Colorado State) | 5/14/05 |
| 229-1 | Candice Scott (Florida) | 4/22/04 |
| 228-0 | Brooke Pleger (Bowling Green) | 5/2/15 |
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.
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Combined
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