Top 10: The Top Moments In BGSU Athletics In 2020
12/28/2020
TOP 10 OF 2020
It has been a year like we've never seen before. But through it all, the 425 student-athletes at BGSU have been committed and dedicated to doing what it takes to preserve and maintain seasons. And while we've been extremely fortunate to be able to compete as much as we have, our department and student-athletes have continued to excel. Listed below are the top 10 moments of 2020 as voted on by BGSU's Strategic Communications, Brand Advancement and Marketing teams.
We'd like to thank you, our fans, for continuing to support BGSU Athletics like none other in 2020. While we hope we can return to some normalcy at some point in 2021, we also know that the support you've provided will help our student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom and on the field of competition!
No. 10
MAX EFFORT: MAX JOHNSON, BRANDON KRUSE REACH 100-POINT MILESTONES
BGSU's senior class made an impact on the Falcon hockey team since the day it stepped foot on the ice at Bowling Green. With both Max Johnson and Brandon Kruse going over the career 100-point barrier, the Falcons have had a pair of elite scorers for years. Kruse was the first to break through, doing so on Feb. 22 by scoring the game-winning goal against Ferris State on the night BGSU was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the hockey program. Johnson's milestone came on opening night of the 2020-21 season as he scored two goals in a 6-2 win over Adrian on Nov. 13. BGSU is the only program in the country with a pair of active 100-point scorers. Next up? Connor Ford, currently sitting on 96 career points.
?? With Max Johnson and Brandon Kruse now having at least 100 career points each, the Falcons are the only team in the nation with two active 100 point scorers on the roster
— Bowling Green Hockey (@BGFalconHockey) November 19, 2020
?? There are only four active 100 point scorers in the nation and two suit up for Bowling Green#AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/fCJWa3fzXq
No. 9
THE RE-TURNER: JUSTIN TURNER ANNOUNCES RETURN TO BGSU
Following the 2019-20 season, Justin Turner announced his intentions to consider a grad transfer. Ranked as high as the No. 2 grad transfer in Division I basketball, Turner shocked the basketball world when he announced his return to Bowling Green for the 2020-21 season. A fan favorite, he was voted Bowling Green's top student-athlete of the last 20 years in October. He is on pace to break BGSU's all-time scoring record and has the Falcons off to a strong start as they look to return to the NCAA Tournament.
???????????????? ??????????
— BGSU Basketball (@BGSUMHoops) April 13, 2020
Justin “Juice” Turner has announced that he will return to Bowling Green for his senior season.
??: https://t.co/TncWPRMKdO
??????// @Justinturner1__ pic.twitter.com/6uvf08d4nE
No. 8
BGSU BASEBALL SAVED
June 2, 2020 is a day that changed the course of BGSU Athletics for the better. Following an announcement in May that BGSU would eliminate the baseball program as part of a plan to reduce the department budget by $2 million, it took just three weeks for Falcons across the nation to step up to the plate. Baseball alumni and donors committed $1.5 million to begin the process of a long-term funding solution for the program. The announcement reinvigorated the program and set the foundation for legendary coach Danny Schmitz to hand over the reins to Kyle Hallock. Hallock will begin his first season at the helm this spring.
????’???? ????????
— Bowling Green Baseball (@BGSU_Baseball) June 3, 2020
??: https://t.co/PhOP1TQe6W pic.twitter.com/HYM8l6mRnN
????’?? ????????????????...
— Bowling Green Baseball (@BGSU_Baseball) July 24, 2020
Kyle Hallock (@CoachHallock5) has been named Head BGSU Baseball Coach.
??: https://t.co/TJJXW9GFFZ#Operation419 // #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/XMamtVhNVl
No. 7
THE QUEEN OF THE THREE: MADISEN PARKER NATION'S BEST FROM LONG RANGE
Madisen Parker had always been a good three-point shooter, connecting on 35.0 percent of her attempts as a freshman and 35.9 percent as a sophomore. But none of that told the story she'd write as a junior. Parker led the country by making 48.0 percent of her 204 three-point attempts in 2019-20 (and since this is 2020, 46.6 percent after the New Year). Nobody ranked in the top six attempted or made more three-pointers than Parker as she edged out Northwestern's Abi Scheid (47.7 percent) for the crown.
?? Great Moments Of 2019-20 ??
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) June 11, 2020
Madisen Parker of @bgsuwbb was the best three-point shooter in the country this past season, making 48 percent (98-of-204) of her attempts. pic.twitter.com/bPMldBYwfQ
No. 6
TWICE IS NICE: MEN'S BASKETBALL SWEEPS TOLEDO
What's better than beating Toledo? How about doing it twice? January and February seems like decades ago but the Falcons began 2020 with a pair of rivalry wins, defeating the Rockets 85-79 in Savage Arena on Jan. 25 and then putting up the same offensive effort in an 85-83 Stroh Center victory about two weeks later on Feb. 8. The pair were set to meet for a third time in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals on March 12 … but college basketball came to a screeching halt just hours prior to that contest.
?? Great Moments Of 2019-20 ??@BGSUMHoops swept rival Toledo, winning games at home and on the road this year. #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/e0Nn6FzR2t
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) June 16, 2020
No. 5
PARTY CRASHERS: HOCKEY MOVES INTO NATION'S ELITE WITH TOP 10 RANKING
With a streak that began in the early stages of the year (more on that coming later in the list), BGSU Hockey started the 2020-21 season just like they closed out the 2019-20 season. The Falcons won nine of its first 10 contests, including a sweep of national contender Quinnipiac, to make a quick rise up the polls. BGSU began this season just outside of USCHO's top 20 in the preseason poll, but by the time the first in-season poll took place, the Falcons stood at No. 19. The Falcons still sat at No. 13 when they went to Quinnipiac and swept the No. 11 team in the nation. That sweep vaulted the Falcons to No. 9 by the next Monday and now to No. 7 heading into the New Year.
#?7???#AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/5NHsNzeoaU
— Bowling Green Hockey (@BGFalconHockey) December 28, 2020
No. 4
FLY LIKE FALCONS: 1600 RELAY WINS MAC TITLE, SHATTERS SCHOOL RECORD
Ryen Draper, Savannah Nevels, Jazzlynn Gaiters and Iyanna Ross knew they had the potential for big things at the MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 29. BGSU's 1600 relay team had the school record in its crosshairs and was positioned to medal if all went well. The Falcons, though, exceeded most everyone's lofty expectations. The team absolutely shattered the previous school record of 3:45.49 with a gold medal winning time of 3:41.47, more than four seconds faster than any BGSU team had run in history. Entering the meet as the No. 3 seed, the group brought home a MAC Championship in the event for the first time in 28 years.
Ryen Draper, Savannah Nevels, Jazzlynn Gaiters and Iyanna Ross are the first BGSU MAC Champions in the 1600 relay since 1992! They SHATTERED the school record by more than four seconds! pic.twitter.com/fE8gL1U3H1
— BGSU XC/Track (@BG_XCTrack) February 29, 2020
??Great Moments Of 2019-20??
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) May 21, 2020
Ryen Draper, Jazzlynn Gaiters, Savannah Nevels and Iyanna Ross break the school record and bring home the MAC Championship in the 1600 relay for the first time in 28 years! #AyZiggy @BG_XCTrack pic.twitter.com/WgNMW7d0lU
No. 3
RACKING UP THE WINS: FALCONS 17-1-2 IN LAST 20
No team is hotter than the Falcons in 2020. BGSU closed out the 2019-20 season by going 8-0-2, heading in the WCHA Tournament semifinals. The Falcons started the 2020-21 season as if they'd never stopped, going 9-1-0. BGSU is off to its best start since 1986-87 and is also 15-1-0 in its last 16 contests dating back to last season. The team's No. 7 ranking is its highest since the team was No. 6 in 2015. The last BGSU team to lose just once over a span of 20 games? That team opened the season 20-1, had a 23-1-2 stretch at one point, and went on to win the 1984 National Championship.
9?-1?#AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/TppHY3fahw
— Bowling Green Hockey (@BGFalconHockey) December 29, 2020
No. 2
DIVING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS: TALISA LEMKE ETCHES NAME AMONG BG GREATS
From the time she walked onto campus, Talisa Lemke was one of the best divers in the Mid-American Conference. She was the MAC Freshman Diver of the Year in 2016-17, MAC Co-Diver of the Year the next season, and won both the 1-meter and 3-meter MAC Championships as a junior. In 2019-20, she concluded her career at never-before-seen heights. Lemke earned CSCAA All-American status and swept pretty much every MAC award – Most Outstanding Senior, Diver of the Year, Distinguished Scholar-Athlete, First Team All-MAC. Lemke added CoSIDA Academic All-American status and was the MAC's representative for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. It's not an exaggeration to say that Lemke established herself as the standard by which all other MAC divers will be judged.
TALISA. LEMKE.
— BGSU Swim/Dive (@FalconSwimDive) April 8, 2020
ALL. AMERICAN.
The @CSCAA has recognized our diver after her record-breaking senior season! Congratulations T?
?? ??https://t.co/CjtXkU3OVS#AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/OwBgNhZWsr
No. 1
CHASING HISTORY: FRESHMAN KAILEE PERRY WINS MAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Bowling Green had the distinct privilege of hosting the first Mid-American Conference Championship event since the pandemic shut down college athletics - the 2020 MAC Cross Country Championships. And redshirt freshman Kailee Perry made it her personal stomping ground. Perry stunned a field that including the defending MAC Champion to win the 6K race with a time of 20:41. As a team, Bowling Green ran in two races during the fall – Perry was named the USTFCCCA National Runner of the Week both times. As a team, the Falcons climbed seven spots and finished third at the MAC Championships.
Kailee Perry wins our first MAC cross country individual championship since 1998. Highlights of her wire-to-wire win! #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/ZPk0QW6ShP
— BGSU XC/Track (@BG_XCTrack) November 21, 2020
Final highlight package from today's successful day on the course for the MAC Championships. #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/qrBE8OvV73
— BGSU XC/Track (@BG_XCTrack) November 22, 2020
