Finally Back: Indoor Track & Field Team Returns To Competition For First Time In 11 Months

Saturday, January 16

Bowling Green, Ohio

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green Opener

Finally Back: Indoor Track & Field Team Returns To Competition For First Time In 11 Months

January 16, 2021 | Women's Track and Field

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant AD for Strategic Communications

Bowling Green, Ohio – It had been 322 days since the BGSU Track & Field team last competed in a meet. And the Falcons answered the bell with a strong showing Saturday at Perry Field House, winning four of the eight events the team competed in. Bowling Green hosted Miami, Northern Illinois and Ball State for the BG Opener.

FINAL RESULTS

TWO FAMILIAR FACES WE HAVEN'T SEEN IN A WHILE

Zaresha Neal missed the entire 2020 indoor season and Chasatea Brown missed most of it with injuries. But both established new personal bests Saturday.
Neal won the shot put as the Falcons swept the top three spots in the event. Neal's distance of 51-feet-6.25 (15.70m) would have placed second as the MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships a year ago.
Brown posted a new personal best time of 9.04 seconds in the 60 hurdles. In the prelims, she posted the second-fastest time to qualify for finals. She then ran 9.09, which tied her previous PR, to place fourth in the finals.

TWO FAMILIAR FACES WE KNOW WELL

Seniors Savannah Nevels and Ryen Draper have been winning races and setting records for the Falcons for a long time, and the pair combined to win a pair of sprints Saturday.
Nevels posted a time of 7.60 seconds, just shy of her PR 7.57, in the prelims of the 60 to qualify for finals in second place. She followed that up with a time of 7.61 seconds to win the finals.
Draper defeated a crowded field in the 200 with a time of 24.97 seconds to bring home the BG Opener title in the event. She posted the only sub 25-second time in the event.

A FRESH FACE WINS AS WELL

Freshman Katherine Mendenhall took little time to earn her first collegiate victory, finishing in a three-way tie for first in the high jump. Mendenhall cleared 5-5 (1.65m) to tie two other competitors for first place.
In succession, Mendenhall leaped over 1.50, 1.55, 1.60 and 1.65m without a miss before failing on three attempts at 1.70m.

MORE IMPRESSIVE SEASON-OPENING PERFORMANCES

Junior Iyanna Ross placed third in the 200 with a time of 25.73 seconds. She also ran anchor on the team's top 1600 relay team, which placed second in 3:56.08.
Redshirt junior Brianna Richard was the runner-up in the triple jump with a distance of 36-9 (11.20m).
While Neal won the shot put, junior Ebonie Whitted was second at 49-5.5 (15.07m) and Katie Seyfang finished third at 48-1.25 (14.66m).

UP NEXT

Bowling Green will return home Friday as the Falcons host their annual dual meet with Toledo, beginning with field events at 5:00 pm and running events at 6:00 pm.

Final highlights from today's BG Opener, where we won four events to start the season! #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/ZZVg28fbjn
— BGSU XC/Track (@BG_XCTrack) January 17, 2021