Falcons to compete in five meets, including two at home
By: by David Dietrich, BGSU Strategic Communications
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green men's and women's cross country programs have announced the schedule for the 2022 season. The teams have identical schedules this season, competing in five regular season meets, with two being at home.
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The season begins on Friday, Sept. 2, at the Bobcat Invitational. Hosted in Athens, Ohio by Ohio University, the start time of the races will be announced at a later date. After a weekend off, the Falcons return to Bowling Green for the Mel Brodt Open. The first race begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, at the BG XC Course. It will take place during BGSU's 100th Homecoming celebration. The Orange and Brown will look to build on a successful showing at the 2021 Mel Brodt Collegiate Invite, which featured a runner-up finish by Katerina Shuble in the women's race. In the men's race, AJ Haffa paced the Falcons with a personal-best in the 5K.
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BGSU will have another weekend off before closing September at the Paul Short Run. Hosted in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania by Lehigh University, the Falcons will compete on Friday, Sept. 30. Last season, the women's team competed at the Paul Short Run, with six setting personal bests. Of the six, five will return to Bowling Green in 2022. The competition continues on Friday, Oct. 14, with BGSU hosting the Falcon Invite at 4:30 p.m. Last season, Cesar Arellano earned a runner-up finish while Liam Seiple placed 12th with a personal-best in the 8K.
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The regular season concludes on Friday, Oct. 21, at the EMU Fall Classic. Start times will be announced at a later date, with the meet held in Dexter, Michigan. The 2022 MAC Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 29. The meet will be held in Athens, Ohio, with the first race starting at 11 a.m. The Falcons' women's team placed fourth at last year's MAC Championship, with second-team All-MAC selections Katerina Shuble and Sydney Niekamp leading the way. Cesar Arellano paced the men's team with a 23rd-place finish, running his career-best MAC Championship time at 25:23.2.
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Following the MAC Championships, the Falcons will compete at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 11. The regional is hosted in Terra Haute, Indiana, with qualifying runners earning a spot at the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 19. The national championships will be hosted in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
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The full men's cross country schedule can be found HERE. The full women's cross country schedule is located HERE. For updates on start times, be sure to visit BGSUFalcons.com.
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The Mel Brodt XC Course Finish Line, recently completed and ready for the 2022 season Coach Lou Snelling's Take
"Every year we purposefully build our schedule to maximize success at the end of the season and compete at home. This year is no different. We'll be previewing the MAC course in early September and have other meet experiences that will prepare us for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and beyond. Competing at home on the BG XC Course is also an advantage. In my opinion, we have the best cross country course in the conference on campus, steps away from every one of our other facilities. The Mel Brodt Finish Line structure was completed this winter, elevating the course to a new level. We're excited to have our first champions crowned finishing under the new arch."
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'
