Falcons Return Home Friday For Mel Brodt Collegiate Open

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country teams continue their respective seasons on Friday, Sept. 16, as they host the 34^th Mel Brodt Collegiate Open.

Mel Brodt Collegiate Open
The 2022 Mel Brodt Collegiate Open will be held at the Bowling Green Cross Country Course, on Friday, Sept. 16. The women's 6,000m race will open the meet at 5:30 p.m., and the men's 8,000m race will follow at 6:05 p.m. An awards presentation with BGSU alum and Olympic champion Dave Wottle will conclude the event at 6:45 p.m. Parking is available off alumni drive in a designated grass lot east of Doyt Perry Stadium. View the parking map by clicking the available link below.

To view an event parking map, click HERE.
To view the cross country 6,000m course map, click HERE.
To view the cross country 8,000m course map, click HERE.
To keep up with the event's live finishing results, click HERE.

Against the Field
The Falcons will host athletes from Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Oakland. All four schools will represent the Great Lakes Region in the event. On the men's side, reigning MAC champion Eastern Michigan is currently seventh in the Great Lakes Region, while the Central Michigan and Oakland women are ranked 12^th and 13^th, respectively.

Notable Quotes
"We are excited to host our first home meet of the cross country season this Friday," men's head coach Kelly Leatherman said. "Special guest Dave Wottle and the 100^th Homecoming will elevate the meet and make it special. The men are eager to toe the line against some more MAC competition and compete in the 8,000m race. We hope to walk away with a few new personal bests and momentum heading into the middle part of our season!"

Last Time Out
Bowling Green last took to the course in the Bobcat Invite, hosted by Ohio University, on Friday, Sept. 2. The men's team posted a fourth-place team score, while the shorthanded women placed fifth out of five teams at the meet. Senior AJ Haffa ran a personal best 15:37.0 in the men's 5k en route to a fifth-place overall finish. Senior Katerina Shuble finished second in the women's race with a 5k time of 18:15.2 while running unattached.

2021 Mel Brodt Collegiate Open
The Mel Brodt Open marked the season-opener for the 2021 BGSU cross country teams. The Falcon women placed second of four teams competing, while the men finished third of three teams in attendance. Katerina Shuble placed second in the women's 5k with a personal best 17:42.7 mark. AJ Haffa finished 14^th to lead the men with a 5k time of 15:53.9.

About Mel Brodt and Dave Wottle
BGSU's annual home cross country invitational is named after Mel Brodt, a 1987 inductee of the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame. He served as cross country coach for 25 years and track and field coach for 20 years. During his time with the Falcons, he coached 53 Division I All-Americans, five collegiate record holders, 92 MAC Champions, two MAC Championship teams, and Olympic gold medalist Dave Wottle (1972, 800m).

Dave Wottle is a 1973 BGSU graduate and 1978 BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee who competed in cross country and track and field for the Falcons. Wottle finished second in the mile at the 1970 NCAA championships before having a career year in 1972. He won the 1500m at the NCAA championships and the 800m at the AAU championships before leading an improbable comeback to win gold in the 800m at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Wottle took first place in the mile at the 1973 NCAA championships to round out his college career. Wottle's return to Bowling Green comes 50 years after his gold medal victory and coincides with BGSU's 100^th homecoming celebration.

Up Next
The Falcons will travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to compete in the Paul Short Run on Friday, Sept. 30. The meet will take place on the campus of Lehigh University. Race times will be announced at a future date.

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'

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Players Mentioned

AJ Haffa

Katerina Shuble

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Bowling Green State University Athletics