BGSU Heads To Spartan Invite Friday

Friday, September 18

East Lansing, Mich.

11 AM

Bowling Green State University

Spartan Invitational

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

By: Amanda Cutcher, BGSU Athletic Communications

Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country teams head to East Lansing Friday to compete against 38 other colleges at the Spartan Invite, one of the largest meets in the state of Michigan.

ABOUT THE SPARTAN INVITE
The Spartan Invite is at Michigan State University's Forest Akers East Golf Course. The women begin the 6,000-meter race at 11:50 am and the men will compete in the 8,000-meter race at 12:20 pm. For additional information CLICK HERE.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
The BGSU cross country teams can be followed 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

REGIONAL RANKINGS
In the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional rankings, released Monday, the BGSU women's cross country team is ranked No. 11 jumping up one spot from the preseason rankings in the Great Lakes Region – this is the highest ranking in Lou Snelling's tenure at BGSU.

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?
"With this being our second meet of the season and our first 6k, we are still focusing on taking care of the basics in terms of goals. We will get more a sense of where we are at with running most of the team on Friday. We also look forward to running against more competition with both the defending D1 and D2 national team champions in the field." – Head Coach Lou Snelling

"I am excited for Michigan State, it is a great meet on a top notch course. There is a competitive field and I look forward to seeing what our guys can accomplish in their first 8K of the season. We have eight freshmen, it will be an exciting experience as well as a learning experience." – Coach Chuck Wentz

LAST TIME OUT
The Falcons last competed in the Mel Brodt Collegiate Open on Sept. 4. No teams scores were recorded, but the both the men's and women's teams placed four in the top 10. For the women Rachel Walny placed first, followed by Rebecca Rae sixth, Mackenzie McMillin ninth and Jasmine Redman tenth. The men's team had Nathan Kuck place third, followed by Tyler Phillips fifth, Noah Schaub ninth and Jonathan Wenning tenth.

WALNY WINS
Wearing the BG uniform for the first time, redshirt freshman Rachel Walny won the Mel Brodt to start her career. Walny finished the race with a time of 17:20.1. Her time was 17 seconds faster than any other competitor at the meet. She dominated a field that included five of the top 14 runners at the MAC Championships a year ago.

KUCK KICKING UP DUST
Redshirt sophomore Nathan Kuck was the top finisher for the Falcons on the men's side at the Mel Brodt. Kuck improved his time by 17 seconds posting a new 5K personal best of 15:53.2 to place third overall.

MAC RANKINGS
In the MAC preseason poll the BGSU women's cross country team was ranked fourth. The Falcons return seven of the team's top eight finishers from last season. The men were selected ninth by the coaches.