The Big Meet: Falcons Head To Michigan For GVSU Track Meet

Allendale, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University indoor track and field team will travel north to compete at Grand Valley State's The Big Meet Friday. Events begin mid-morning and continue well into the evening. The Falcons, who have earned 11 Mid-American Conference automatic qualifying bids heading into the weekend, will focus on securing more spots at the MAC Championships. Bowling Green hosts the MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 23-24 at Perry Field House.

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FOLLOW THE FALCONS
The BGSU track and field team can be followed all winter/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 @BG_XCTrack
Instagram – BGFalcons and BG_XCTrack
Facebook – BGSU Athletics
YouTube – FalconAthletics

THE BIG MEET (GVSU) SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
10:36 am - 5000 (Elena Lancioni)
12:00 pm - High jump (BeJai Fray, Stacey Wolverton)
12:30 pm - Long jump (Peyton Lee)
12:45 pm - 60 hurdles semifinals (BeJai Fray)
1:15 pm – 60 semifinals (Dorresha Green, Savannah Nevels, Kyla Paster, Cortisha Short, Chasatea Brown, Ryen Draper, Peyton Lee)
2:00 pm - Shot put (Daija Young, Zaresha Neal)
2:00 pm – Shot put invite (Aliyah Gustafson, Elizabeth Iversen)
2:00 pm - Weight throw (Kaila Butler, Daija Young, Zaresha Neal)
2:00 pm – Weight throw invite (Allie Farmer, Aliyah Gustafson, Elizabeth Iversen)
3:00 pm - Long jump invite (BeJai Fray)
3:05 pm – 60 hurdles finals
3:15 pm – 60 finals
3:20 pm - 400 (Chasatea Brown, Ryen Draper, Mis'cha Sellers, Brianna Tidmore, Rickia White, Paige Geatz)
4:05 pm - Mile (Megan Aalberts, Rachel Durbin, Jessi Lindstrom)
5:35 pm - 800 (Rachel Stute)
6:10 pm - 200 (Cortisha Short, Mis'cha Sellers)
6:30 pm - Triple jump (Kyla Paster)
7:35 pm - 1600 relay (BGSU)

THE COMPUTERS KNOW
A week ago, Bowling Green reached its highest USTFCCCA National Team Ranking in history at No. 74. Following a spectacular weekend, the Falcons climbed 16 more spots this week to No. 58 in the country. In total, that is an improvement of 46 spots since the preseason. This computer poll began in 2008.

Along with those rankings, BGSU is currently ranks No. 10 in the Great Lakes Region, third among all MAC schools.

ELITE THROWERS
Each week, the USTFCCCA ranks each school on an event-by-event basis based on the top four competitors for each team in that event. Bowling Green is ranked third nationally in the weight throw and fifth in the country in the shot put. The Falcons join Minnesota (No. 1 in both events), North Dakota State (No. 2 in shot put, No. 4 in weight throw), Oklahoma (No. 3 in shot put, No. 6 in weight throw) and Ohio State (No. 9 in both events) as the only programs to be ranked in the top 10 in the country in both throws events.

THE MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE COMING

BGSU will host three meets in Perry Field House during the indoor season, concluding with the Mid-American Conference Championships Feb. 23-24.
Tickets are on sale now by visiting BGSUFalcons.com/tickets
Bowling Green last hosted the indoor track and field MAC Championships in 2011, placing eighth with 45 team points.
Five men's teams and 12 women's teams will descend on Bowling Green for the MAC Championships.
The Falcons already hosted the BG Opener in December and the Tom Wright Classic a week ago.

MAC AUTO BIDS

BGSU has earned 11 Mid-American Conference automatic qualifying marks this year, including six in the two throws events.
The Falcons picked up four auto bids in the weight throw. Aliyah Gustafson, Elizabeth Iversen, Kaila Butler and Allie Farmer all earned automatic entry to the MAC Championships.
In the shot put, both Gustafson and Iversen added second automatic bids.
BGSU also earned two automatic qualifying marks in the long jump. Kyla Paster and BeJai Fray both jumped far enough to earn entry to the MAC Championships.
Paster also recorded an automatic qualifying distance in the triple jump with a career-best leap of 38-feet-10.25.
Peyton Lee, a sophomore transfer from Northern Kentucky, has run the 60 hurdles in 8.52 seconds to earn a MAC auto bid.
Rachel Walny, who qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in the 10,000 a year ago, earned an automatic qualifying bid in the 5,000 with a time of 16:49.69.

BGSU IN THE MAC RANKINGS (TOP 20)
60 – 10. Savannah Nevels 7.67, 16. Dorresha Green 7.71, 19. Kyla Paster 7.74
200 – 9. Savannah Nevels 24.69#, 10. Ryen Draper 24.77#, 14. Peyton Lee 24.99#, 16. Cortisha Short 25.00#
400 – 16. Chasatea Brown 57.02#
Mile – 19. Rachel Durbin 5:01.86#
3000 – 14. Rachel Walny 9:49.85
5000 – 5. Rachel Walny 16:49.69 (AQ)
60 hurdles – 6. Peyton Lee 8.52 (AQ)
1600 relay – 10. Chasatea Brown, Hailey Mayes, Paige Geatz, Brianna Tidmore 3:54.62#
High jump – 13. BeJai Fray 1.64m (5-4.5), 13. Stacey Wolverton 1.64m (5-4.5)
Long jump – 9. Kyla Paster 5.77m (18-11.25) (AQ), 11. BeJai Fray 5.74m (18-10) (AQ), 12. Peyton Lee 5.61m (18-5)
Triple jump – 8. Kyla Paster 11.84m (38-10.25) (AQ), 18. Brianna Richard 11.05m (36-3)
Shot put – 1. Aliyah Gustafson 17.42m (57-2) (AQ), 2. Elizabeth Iversen 15.61m (51-2.75) (AQ), 11. Zaresha Neal 14.01m (45-11.75)
Weight throw – 2. Elizabeth Iversen 20.66m (67-9.5) (AQ), 3. Aliyah Gustafson 19.92m (65-4.25) (AQ), 5. Allie Farmer 18.70m (61-4.25), 7. Kaila Butler 18.36m (60-3) (AQ), 15. Daija Young 16.42m (53-10.5)
Pentathlon – 3. BeJai Fray 3,635, 5. Peyton Lee 3,594
# - Converted time

BGSU IN THE NCAA RANKINGS (TOP 100)
5000 – 52. Rachel Walny 16:49.69
60 hurdles – 97. Peyton Lee 8.52
Shot put – 4. Aliyah Gustafson 17.42m (57-2), 44. Elizabeth Iversen 15.61m (51-2.75)
Weight throw – 15. Elizabeth Iversen 20.66m (67-9.5), 32. Aliyah Gustafson 19.92m (65-4.25), 72. Allie Farmer 18.70m (61-4.25), 92. Kaila Butler 18.36m (60-3)
Pentathlon – 64. BeJai Fray 3,635, 72. Peyton Lee 3,594

THROW FOR DOUGH

BGSU's throws group, one of the top units in the country, will compete in both the shot put and weight throw Saturday. The shot put starts at 2 pm and the weight throw will follow the men's competition, which also begins at 2 pm.
Aliyah Gustafson and Elizabeth Iversen, the top two shot putters in the MAC, will compete in the invitational shot put field. Daija Young and Zaresha Neal will compete in the open division.
In the weight throw, Bowling Green earned three entries into the invitational field from Allie Farmer, Gustafson and Iversen. Kaila Butler, Young and Neal will throw in the open division.

JUMP AROUND

BGSU will compete five times in the three jumping events, with BeJai Fray doing double duty in the high jump and long jump invitational.
Kyla Paster, a MAC auto qualifier in both the long jump and triple jump, will look to improve upon her distance in the triple jump.
Stacey Wolverton will join Fray in the high jump competition.
Peyton Lee, a MAC auto qualifier in the 60 hurdles, will take part in the long jump as she works to improve upon her currently No. 12 ranking in the MAC in the event.

FALCON FAST

BGSU is loading up on the sprinters Friday at the GVSU Big Meet, including seven entries in the 60 and six entries in the 400.
In the 60, freshman Savannah Nevels currently holds the team's best time and ranks No. 10 in the MAC. Both Dorresha Green and Kyla Paster are also among the top 20. All three will be part of the field.
Nevels is also the team's top 200 runner, but she is not slated to compete in the event Friday. Cortisha Short and Mis'cha Sellers will look to improve on their MAC qualifying chances.
Chasatea Brown is the only Falcon ranked among the top 20 in the MAC in the 400 and she will compete in the event, along with five teammates.
BeJai Fray will see action in the 60 hurdles as she looks to hone the event for the pentathlon, where she currently ranks third in the MAC.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU

Rachel Stute will be the team's lone competitor in the 800 this weekend.
Three Falcons will race the mile, including Rachel Durbin, the team's only competitor ranked among the top 20 in the MAC in the event.

GOING THE DISTANCE

Elena Lancioni will run the 5000 Friday as she looks to qualify for the MAC Championships in the event. It will be her first time competing in the event in 2018 but she ran 17:46.43 at the same meet a year ago, a time that would put her comfortably within the MAC's top 20.

FALCONS SIGN FIVE

The BGSU cross country and track & field program announced the signing of five high school student-athletes during the early signing 2017-18 early signing period.
The Falcons are excited to welcome Jazzlyn Gaiters (Worthington, Ohio / Thomas Worthington HS), Iyanna Ross (Columbus, Ohio / Pickerington Central HS), Katie Seyfang (Washington Court House, Ohio / Miami Trace HS), Olivia Clymer (White Lake Township, Mich. / White Lake Lakeland HS) and Katerina Shuble (La Porte, Ind. / La Porte HS) to the family.
Gaiters and Ross are sprinters, while Seyfang is a thrower. Clymer is a distance runner who will also compete in cross country and Shuble competes in mid-distance events and will take part in cross country.

QUOTABLE
"For a lot of our groups, this is the last big weekend. We are trying to get whatever it is we need to get this weekend and that's going to be different for everyone – it could be getting a MAC auto mark, it could be moving up on the national list, it could be getting on the conference top 20 list. Everyone should have a pretty clear idea of what they are trying to accomplish this weekend." – BGSU Track & Field Coach Lou Snelling

GUSTAFSON RAKING IN THE AWARDS

Aliyah Gustafson was named MAC Field Athlete of the Week Jan. 23 after breaking the school's shot put record for the sixth time.
Gustafson was also named the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Jan. 17 after breaking the school's shot put record. Gustafson carries a 4.0 grade point average.

IVERSEN ALSO AWARDED

Elizabeth Iversen followed Aliyah Gustafson by being named MAC Field Athlete of the Week Jan. 30 after setting personal bests in both the weight throw and shot put.
Iversen climbed to No. 15 nationally in the weight throw and was among the top 40 in the country in the shot put.

ALL-ACADEMIC

BGSU's track and field team was named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team for the 2016-17 season, posting a 3.43 combined grade point average.
Current team members Aliyah Gustafson and Rachel Walny, along with graduate Makenzie Wheat, were named USTFCCCA Individual All-Academic award winners.

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Megan Aalberts

Chasatea Brown

Kaila Butler

Ryen Draper

Rachel Durbin

Allie Farmer

BeJai Fray

Paige Geatz

Dorresha Green

Aliyah Gustafson

Elizabeth Iversen

Elena Lancioni

Peyton Lee

Jessi Lindstrom

Hailey Mayes

Zaresha Neal

Savannah Nevels

Kyla Paster

Brianna Richard

Mis'cha Sellers

Cortisha Short

Rachel Stute

Brianna Tidmore

Rachel Walny

Makenzie Wheat

Rickia White

Stacey Wolverton

Daija Young

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