Cross Country Begins 2016 Season at Toledo Invitational

Friday, September 2

Oregon, Ohio

TBA

Bowling Green State University

Toledo Invitational

September 01, 2016 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

By: by Matthew Daley, Athletic Communicationis Assistant

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- The Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country teams will begin their 2016 schedule on Friday, Sept. 2 at the Toledo Invitational. Both races in the event, to be held in Oregon, Ohio, will be 5,000 meters. The men's race will go first at 6:00 pm. Both teams are coming off their best finish at the MAC Championships in many years and seek to build for this year's championship event in this initial race.

Click HERE for official notes, season stats and career performance lists. Click HERE for a course map of Friday's races.

For interviews with Elena Lancioni, Rebecca Schott and Kohl Taberner, please go to the bottom of this page.

THE TOLEDO INVITATIONAL
Bowling Green will square off one-on-one against rival Toledo on Friday, Sept. 2 at Pearson Metropark in Oregon, Ohio. The men's 5,000 meter race will begin at 6:00 pm, and the women's 5,000 meter race in scheduled for 6:30 pm. Parking is available throughout the park, with lots 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 closest to the start and finish lines. Results will be available on BGSUFalcons.com and at Finishtiming.com.

THE COACH SAYS...
"We've had a solid start to the year from a practice standpoint, but we have to take advantage of the opportunities in front of us to continue to build fitness," said BGSU cross country head coach Lou Snelling. "Friday will be our first glimpse into where we are at as a team. Having said that, not everyone will be racing or in a uniform. With it being very early in the season, we are looking to take care of the basics at this first meet nd then build from there."

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The Falcons enter the 2016 season by returning ten members of last year's 14-deep roster. That 2015 team placed second at the MAC Championships, the team's highest finish since 2006. The returners include redshirt sophomore Rachel Walny and junior Elena Lancioni. Walny finished fifth at the MAC Championships and was BGSU's first All-MAC first team runner since 2008. Lancioni finished 24th at the MAC meet. The lone newcomer to this year's squad is Gahanna, Ohio-native Allison Holahan.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
BGSU completed the 2015 season by earning their best finish at the MAC Championships since 2000. Nine of the 13 members of that team return for the 2016 season, including redshirt junior Nathan Kuck, who was the Falcons' top runner in all six races last year. The team also returns junior Kohl Taberner, who joined Kuck with a top-30 MAC finish in 2015. Raymond Berling (Mason, Ohio) and Aaron Peters (Palmyra, Mich.) are the two freshmen on this year's team.

MAC PRESEASON POLL
The MAC released the 2016 preseason coaches polls on Tuesday, Aug. 30. The BGSU women's cross country team received one first-place vote and a vote for the MAC championship, and they were picked to finish second among 12 teams. The men's team was picked to finish seventh.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
You can keep up the Falcons on social media in a number of different ways. On Twitter, follow @BGAthletics and @BG_XCTrack. On Instagram, follow 'bgfalcons' and 'bg_xctrack". You can also find us on Facebook by searching for 'BGSU Athletics' and on YouTube at 'FalconAthletics'.