Perry Finishes First, BGSU Hosts Falcon Invitational

Saturday, November 7

Bowling Green, Ohio

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Falcon Invitational

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

November 07, 2020 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

By: by Tom Cassity, Athletic Communications Intern

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Despite the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 in 2020, the Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country teams opened their respective seasons on Saturday (Nov. 7) at the Falcon Invitational. The men's team earned a fifth place team score, while the women's team earned a team score of third place.

FINAL RESULTS
PHOTO GALLERY

Men's 8k Event

The men's 8k event saw 63 participants in total from Bowling Green, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Central Michigan, and Miami-Ohio. The Eastern Michigan Eagles took the top spot in the race with a team score of 35, with the RedHawks from Miami right behind them with a team score of 43. Toledo took third with a score of 92, narrowly finishing ahead of the fourth place Ohio University Bobcats, who posted a team score of 96. The Falcons finished in fifth with a team score of 126, while Central Michigan finished sixth with a score of 156.

Individual Performances

Sophomore AJ Haffa led the way for the Falcons finishing first for Bowling Green, and 21st overall with a time of 26:18.4
Finishing second for the Falcons was freshman Drew Blazer, who finished 27th overall in his first collegiate race. Blazer finished the 8k with a time of 26:39.9.
Coming in third place for Bowling Green was sophomore Vince Manning, who finished 31st overall. Manning recorded a time of 26:53.2. Right behind Manning was fellow sophomore Joseph Johnson III, who finished fourth for the Falcons and 32nd overall with a time of 26:57.0.
Junior Cesar Arellano finished fifth for the Orange and Brown and 35th overall. Arellano posted a time of 27:01.7.

Post-Race Interview with Coach Juan Carillo

Women's 6k Event

The women's 6k event saw 88 participants in total featuring Bowling Green, Toledo, Ohio, Northern Illinois, Miami-Ohio, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Ball State, and Eastern Michigan (DNP). Toledo would take the spot in the women's race with a team score of 54, while Miami-Ohio finished second with a team score of 63. Bowling Green followed up in third place with a team score of 84, finishing just in front of Northern Illinois in fourth place at 93. Ohio claimed a fifth place finish and a team score of 122, six points ahead of Ball State in sixth and their score of 128. Central Michigan and Western Michigan finished seventh and eighth, with respective team scores of 180 and 196.

Individual Performances

Redshirt freshman Kailee Perry came away victorious in the 6k meet, finishing in a remarkable time of 21:09.5. Her victory comes within earshot of the Falcons' all-time record of 20:25.0, held by Rachel Walny.
Coming in second for the Falcons and ninth overall was junior Sydney Niekamp. Niekamp finished the 6k with a time of 22:18.7.
Finishing third for the Falcons and 21st overall was redshirt freshman Sydnie Firment. Firment posted a time of 22:39.7.
Sophomore Libbie Gleason and junior Katerina Shuble would finish fourth and fifth for Bowling Green, taking places 27 and 29 respectively. Gleason recorded a time of 22:58.8, while Shuble finished with a time of 23:05.4.

Post-Race Interview with Head Coach Lou Snelling

Up Next
The Falcons will be back at the BGXC course again two weeks from today on Nov. 21 for the MAC Championships. Distances for the men and women will remain at 8k and 6k, respectively, with a starting time of 2:00 PM.

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'