Falcons Headed To Ball State, Miami For Friday Meets

Friday, April 13

Muncie, Ind.

10:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

Ball State Challenge

Photo by: BGSU Marketing and Communications

April 12, 2018 | Women's Track and Field

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

OUTDOOR SCHOOL RECORDS
PERFORMANCE LISTS

Muncie, Ind. and Oxford, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University outdoor track and field team will send its throws unit to Miami and the rest of the team to Ball State for a pair of Friday meets. Both meets have been adjusted due to impending weather on Saturday.

Following a strong outing in the annual Toledo Dual this past weekend, the team is set to begin making its push towards the MAC Championships and the NCAA postseason. With seven Mid-American Conference automatic qualifying marks already reached, the Falcons look to build upon that total this weekend.

GET YOUR BGSU APPAREL TODAY
JOIN THE FALCON CLUB

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 @BG_XCTrack
Instagram – BGFalcons and BG_XCTrack
Facebook – BGSU Athletics
YouTube – FalconAthletics

BALL STATE CHALLENGE
BGSU'S TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
10:00 am - Long jump (Kyla Paster, BeJai Fray)
1:00 pm - High jump (BeJai Fray, Stacey Wolverton)
1:25 pm - 400 relay (BGSU A, BGSU B)
1:55 pm - 1500 (Allison Holahan)
ROLLING SCHEDULE BEGINNING AT 2:35 PM
400 (Chasatea Brown, Hailey Mayes, Mis'cha Sellers, Rickia White, Brianna Tidmore)
100 (Dorresha Green, Savannah Nevels, Kyla Paster, Ryen Draper)
800 (Rachel Stute)
400 hurdles (Paige Geatz)
200 (Chasatea Brown, BeJai Fray, Dorresha Green, Hailey Mayes, Savannah Nevels, Mis'cha Sellers, Rickia White, Ryen Draper, Brianna Tidmore, Cortisha Short)
3000 steeplechase (Kelsie Mothersead)

MIAMI DUALS
BGSU'S TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
12:00 pm – Hammer throw
Shot put following hammer throw
12:00 pm – Javelin following men
Discus following hammer throw

AMONG THE MAC LEADERS
Listed below are BGSU's student-athletes ranked among the top 20 in the MAC in an event.

100 – 14. Cortisha Short 12.15, 18. Ryen Draper 12.29
200 – 12. Cortisha Short 24.98, 15. Ryen Draper 25.08
400 – 10. Ryen Draper 56.78
800 – 14. Jessi Lindstrom 2:17.93, 19. Rachel Durbin 2:21.54
1500 – 7. Jessi Lindstrom 4:38.62, 10. Rachel Durbin 4:39.93
5000 – 3. Rachel Walny 16:27.67 (AQ)
10000 – 9. Elena Lancioni 36:12.59
400 hurdles – 5. Chasatea Brown 1:01.51, 17. Paige Geatz 1:06.66
400 relay – 6. Chasatea Brown, Ryen Draper, Kyla Paster, Cortisha Short 47.26
1600 relay – 8. BGSU 3:53.07
High jump – 6. Stacey Wolverton 1.65m (5-5)
Long jump – 12. Kyla Paster 5.33m (17-6)
Triple jump – 4. Kyla Paster 11.91m (39-1) (AQ), 18. Stacey Wolverton 9.11m (29-10.75)
Shot put – 1. Aliyah Gustafson 16.52m (54-2.5) (AQ), 2. Elizabeth Iversen 15.33m (50-3.5) (AQ), 16. Daija Young 13.07m (42-10.75)
Discus – 2. Aliyah Gustafson 52.42m (172-0) (AQ), 4. Elizabeth Iversen 50.27m (164-11) (AQ), 17. Daija Young 42.64m (139-11)
Hammer – 2. Aliyah Gustafson 55.94m (183-6) (AQ), 4. Elizabeth Iversen 54.23m (177-11), 14. Daija Young 49.26m (161-7)
Javelin – 16. BeJai Fray 36.78m (120-8)

AMONG THE REGIONAL LEADERS
Listed below are BGSU's student-athletes ranked among the top 50 in the East Region in an event. In most events, the top 48 student-athletes will qualify for the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round.

5000 – 21. Rachel Walny 16:27.67
10000 – 49. Elena Lancioni 36:12.59
Shot put – 5. Aliyah Gustafson 16.52m (54-2.5), 23. Elizabeth Iversen 15.33m (50-3.5)
Discus – 17. Aliyah Gustafson 52.42m (172-0), 28. Elizabeth Iversen 50.27m (164-11)
Hammer throw – 46. Aliyah Gustafson 55.94m (183-6)

AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS
Listed below are BGSU's student-athletes ranked among the top 100 in the country in an event.

5000 – 39. Rachel Walny 16:27.67
10000 – 85. Elena Lancioni 36:12.59
Shot put – 13. Aliyah Gustafson 16.52m (54-2.5), 52. Elizabeth Iversen 15.33m (50-3.5)
Discus – 37. Aliyah Gustafson 52.42m (172-0), 66. Elizabeth Iversen 50.27m (164-11)
Hammer – 88. Aliyah Gustafson 55.94m (183-6)

WALNY, GUSTAFSON TO RETURN TO NATIONALS?

Redshirt junior Rachel Walny returns to the Falcons after earning a spot to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships a year ago. She placed 18^th in the 10,000 at the meet and was named honorable mention All-American
Redshirt senior Aliyah Gustafson advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in the shot put two years ago, finishing 24^th and being named honorable mention All-American. Following a tenth place finish in the shot put at this year's NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, she will be an odds-on favorite to advance to another national championship meet.
The last Falcon to advance to multiple Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in her career was Brooke Pleger. Pleger made it to three consecutive national championships from 2013-15, placing third in the hammer throw in each of her final two appearances.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH LOU SNELLING

"The weekend is about next steps, just building upon what we've started. At this point, we're still trying to get some more opportunities in, particularly in their primary events."
"From an individual basis, Aliyah Gustafson took a really big step last weekend and Elizabeth Iversen was really solid as well. Kyla Paster in the triple jump and Chasatea Brown in the 400 hurdles have both also opened up well."

RECAPPING THE INDOOR SEASON

Bowling Green hosted the MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships and finished third at the meet with 68 points. Both the third place finish and the 68 team points were high-water marks for the program since winning the MAC Championship in 1999.
Redshirt senior Aliyah Gustafson was the first Falcon to represent BGSU at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships since 2001, placing tenth at the meet and earning second-team All-American status.
BGSU throws coach Derrick Vicars was named the MAC Assistant Coach of the Year and the Great Lakes Region Assistant Coach of the Year after leading the BGSU throws group to dominant performance after performance. Of the team's 68 points at the MAC Championships, 34 came in the two throws events. BGSU was ranked No. 2 in the country in the weight throw and No. 3 nationally in the shot put.

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.

ALL-ACADEMIC

Following the 2018 indoor season, 12 members of the BGSU Track and Field team were named Academic All-MAC. They were Kaila Butler, Rachel Durbin, Allie Farmer, Paige Geatz, Aliyah Gustafson, Elena Lancioni, Kelsie Mothersead, Mis'cha Sellers, Cortisha Short, Rachel Stute, Brianna Tidmore and Rachel Walny. Durbin, Gustafson and Stute all carry a 4.0 grade point average (both Durbin and Gustafson are working on graduate degrees).
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.