Men's Cross Country Takes Third At John McNichols Invitational

Saturday, September 15

Terre Haute, Ind.

9:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

John McNichols Invitational

September 15, 2018 | Men's Cross Country

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - It was yet another successful day for the men's cross country program as they traveled to Terre Haute, Ind. for the John McNichols Invitational. This was the Falcons' first 8k event of the year, but that did not hold them back from remaining near the top of the competition.

The Field
The John McNichols Invitational attracted eight teams to participate in the event. The competition included the Big Ten's Purdue, as well as MAC opponent Akron, among others. In all, there were 94 runners participating, making for the largest event to date for the season that BGSU has been a part of.

Men's 8k Event

Noah Schaub was once again the first Falcon to cross the finish line. He came across in seventh place with a time of 25:14.9, including a pace of 5:05. In all three of this year's races, Schaub has been the first BGSU runner to finish, setting the pace for the rest of the team.
The next runner in orange and brown to cross was Tyler Phillips. Phillips finished with a time of 25:29.9, which was good for a 12th place finish. Throughout the year, Phillips has consistently been toward the top of the competition, and that carried into the team's first 8k event.
In his first collegiate 8k race, freshman Cesar Arellano was the third Falcon to finish, placing in 35th. His time of 26:22.3 will set the bar for him to beat moving forward in his career. Arellano has kicked off his freshman campaign with a strong start and will hope to carry that momentum throughout the season.
Only a few spots behind in 38th was fellow Falcon, Kyle Hibinger. This was also Hibinger's first 8k event at the collegiate level, and he set the tone for the future with a time of 26:24.2. He has been able to keep pace with other BGSU runners in multiple races, making for many close finishes between teammates.
The Falcons had two more freshman compete in their first 8k event. Nathan Bostelman and Abel Nijakowski both completed their first 8k races at the John McNichols Invitational.
Also competing for the Falcons included Jonathan Voth, Raymond Berling, Paul Garbarino, Gabe Garbarino, and Jonathan Wenning.

As a team, the Falcons were able to capture a third place finish out of the eight teams receiving scores. BGSU's score of 97 was only 2 points shy of hosting Indiana State, who came in second place. Purdue came away with first place with an incredible score of 24. The Falcons had all runners finish in the top 55, including two in the top 15. Being the first 8k race of the year, this made for a strong start to the season for BGSU, giving them confidence and momentum moving forward.

Quotes of the Coach
The main focus for the week was previewing the course for regionals and the showing today was a good sign for things to come. "We competed well and wanted to finish in the top 3, which we did," said Coach Juan Carrillo. "It was a good experience for all the guys because that's where regionals is going to be." As a whole, there was a lot of positives, but there is always room for improvement. "We still need to work on some things to close the gap between our number 1 and 5 guy and that's what we're going to work on these next couple of weeks," said Carrillo.

Up Next
Currently scheduled next for the Falcons is the Louisville Cross Country Classic on Saturday, Sept. 29. The women's team will be back in action alongside the men for this meet. The men's race is set to begin at 9:00am, while the women's will start at 1:00pm.

Follow The Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons cross country teams throughout the season on social media.
Twitter – @BGAthletics and @BG_XCTrack
Instagram – 'bgfalcons' and 'bg_xctrack'
Facebook – 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube – 'Falcon Athletics'