Bowling Green State University Athletics
Kayla Velasquez, Rachel Walny Named Second Team All-MAC
May 15, 2017 | Women's Track and Field
Cleveland, Ohio – Bowling Green senior Kayla Velasquez and redshirt sophomore Rachel Walny have been named second team All Mid-American Conference, based on their performances at the 2017 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Velasquez was the MAC runner-up in the hammer throw on the opening day of competition Thursday. Seeded fourth in the event entering the meet, Velasquez threw a new personal best 191-feet-9 to exceed her seed by two spots. In fact, her distance moves her into second place all-time at BGSU, behind only three-time All-American Brooke Pleger.
All six of Velasquez's throws on the day traveled at least 182-10, a mark only five other competitors reached even once in the meet. After the preliminary flight, she entered finals in second place with a distance of 188-9, improved to 189-6 on her first throw of finals, and then set her new PR on her final throw of the day. BGSU had three of the top seven finishers in the hammer throw, with teammate Kaila Butler placing fourth and Elizabeth Iversen finishing seventh.
Velasquez also competed in discus on the final day of competition and earned another spot on the podium with an eighth place finish.
Walny also finished second on the opening day of the MAC Championships, doing so in the longest event of the competition, the 10,000. She led defending MAC Champion and second team All-American Jordan McDermitt for much of the race before falling behind over the final 600 meters. Walny's time of 34:11.55 was the second-fastest in MAC Championship history and would have broken the meet record by 21 seconds had she won the event. In total, the Falcons had three of the top nine finishers in the event with teammate Rebecca Schott placing fifth and Elena Lancioni ending ninth.
Walny turned around to compete in the 5,000 on the final day of competition and placed fourth overall in that event.
Bowling Green scored 60 points at the MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, a total that has not been exceeded by the program since 1999. The Falcons will await qualifiers for the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round, hosted by the University of Kentucky May 25-27. An initial qualifiers list is set to be announced Thursday and both Velasquez and Walny are in consideration for regional bids.
Velasquez was the MAC runner-up in the hammer throw on the opening day of competition Thursday. Seeded fourth in the event entering the meet, Velasquez threw a new personal best 191-feet-9 to exceed her seed by two spots. In fact, her distance moves her into second place all-time at BGSU, behind only three-time All-American Brooke Pleger.
All six of Velasquez's throws on the day traveled at least 182-10, a mark only five other competitors reached even once in the meet. After the preliminary flight, she entered finals in second place with a distance of 188-9, improved to 189-6 on her first throw of finals, and then set her new PR on her final throw of the day. BGSU had three of the top seven finishers in the hammer throw, with teammate Kaila Butler placing fourth and Elizabeth Iversen finishing seventh.
Velasquez also competed in discus on the final day of competition and earned another spot on the podium with an eighth place finish.
Walny also finished second on the opening day of the MAC Championships, doing so in the longest event of the competition, the 10,000. She led defending MAC Champion and second team All-American Jordan McDermitt for much of the race before falling behind over the final 600 meters. Walny's time of 34:11.55 was the second-fastest in MAC Championship history and would have broken the meet record by 21 seconds had she won the event. In total, the Falcons had three of the top nine finishers in the event with teammate Rebecca Schott placing fifth and Elena Lancioni ending ninth.
Walny turned around to compete in the 5,000 on the final day of competition and placed fourth overall in that event.
Bowling Green scored 60 points at the MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, a total that has not been exceeded by the program since 1999. The Falcons will await qualifiers for the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round, hosted by the University of Kentucky May 25-27. An initial qualifiers list is set to be announced Thursday and both Velasquez and Walny are in consideration for regional bids.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
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