Cross Country Preparing For 2021 Great Lakes Regional Championships

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green men's and women's cross country teams are making their final preparations for the 2021 Great Lakes Regionals, which will be hosted by the University of Evansville on Friday, Nov. 12.

2021 Great Lakes Regionals
The 2021 Great Lakes Regionals will take place at the Angel Mounds Cross Country Course in Evansville, Ind., on Friday, Nov. 12. The women will race first, running a 6k starting at 12 p.m. EST, and the men will follow with the 10k event at 1 p.m EST. Friday's meet marks the first time this season that the men will compete at the 10k distance. The top runners and teams will receive recognition immediately following the men's race.

Tickets for the event will cost $5 per person with free admission for children ages two and under.

To view the cross country course map, click HERE.
To keep up with the event's live finishing results, click HERE.

Against the Field
Both events will feature every team from the Great Lakes Region, with 33 teams competing on the women's side and 30 racing on the men's side. Eight conferences will be represented in the meet, with seven conference championship teams attending between the two events. These teams include Milwaukee (Horizon League) and Toledo (Mid-American Conference) on the women's side and Butler (Big East), Eastern Michigan (Mid-American Conference), IUPUI (Horizon League), Notre Dame (Atlantic Coast Conference), and Wisconsin (Big Ten) for the men. Nationally ranked women's teams in attendance include #12 Michigan, #13 Wisconsin, #16 Michigan State, and #25 Notre Dame. Four teams are also ranked on the men's side, including #6 Notre Dame, #9 Wisconsin, #12 Michigan, and #28 Butler.

Notable Quotes
"We are excited for the opportunity to race against some of the best competition in the Midwest," men's head coach Kelly Leatherman said. "After the MAC Championships, we refocused as a group and set our eyes on the next opportunity. Bumping up to the 10k championship distance excites us and we are eager to run some fast times on the Evansville Angel Mounds Course."

Last Time Out
The Falcons last took to the course on Saturday, Oct. 30, in the 2021 Mid-American Conference Championships. The women's team took fourth as a team in the 6k race, with seniors Katerina Shuble and Sydney Niekamp earning second-team All-MAC honors. Shuble finished 10^th overall with a time of 21:14.6, earning All-MAC honors for the second straight year. Niekamp recorded a personal best time of 21:21.2, finishing 11^th for her first All-MAC selection. The men's team finished eighth as a team in the 8k event. Senior Cesar Arellano finished 23^rd overall, running the race in 25:23.2 for the best MAC Championship time of his career.

2019 Great Lakes Regionals
Friday marks the Falcons' first time competing in the regional championships since 2019 due to the cancellation of the 2020 Great Lakes Regional Championships during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Falcon men earned the 21^st spot of 29 teams in the 10k race while the women placed 26^th of 31 teams in the 6k event in Madison, Wis. Seven current Falcons competed in the 2019 event, including AJ Haffa, Cesar Arellano, Vince Manning, and Joseph Johnson the III on the men's side and Sydney Niekamp, Katerina Shuble, and Sydnie Firment on the women's side.

Falcon Women Ranked Regionally
The women's team moved into the regional rankings for week six of the USTFCCCA regional rankings. The Falcons are currently 15^th in the Great Lakes Region, moving into the position after a fourth place showing at the Mid-American Conference Championships in Ypsilanti, Mich. Bowling Green is one of four currently ranked Mid-American Conference teams, joining Toledo, Miami, and Akron.

Falcons Look to Earn Spots At Nationals
The Falcons will look to secure team or individual spots in the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships through their performances in the Great Lakes Regionals. 31 teams and 38 additional individuals will be selected for each race, which takes place in Tallahassee, Fla., on Saturday, Nov. 20. The top two teams from each regional race will automatically advance, and another 13 teams across the country will receive at-large bids. 38 additional athletes will qualify individually, including the top four finishers in each regional race who placed in the top 25 regionally and are not part of a team selected to compete in the National Championships. Two additional runners who finished in the top 25 of their respective regions will receive at-large selections from the national pool.

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'

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