Perry, Haffa Shine For Falcons In Mel Brodt Collegiate Open

Friday, September 16

Bowling Green, Ohio

5:30 PM

Bowling Green State University

Mel Brodt Open

September 16, 2022 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Women's 6K Results Men's 8K Results

By: Pershelle Rohrer, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country teams hosted the Mel Brodt Collegiate Open at the Bowling Green Cross Country Course on Friday (Sept. 16) evening. The men's team earned a third-place team score behind AJ Haffa's third place finish. Kailee Perry finished second as the BGSU women posted a fourth-place team score. The top 15 finishers in each event were recognized by BGSU alum and 1972 Olympic champion Dave Wottle following the meet.

Women's 6K Event
The women's race saw 46 athletes competing from four schools. Bowling Green tallied 75 points to finish fourth as a team. Central Michigan posted 27 points to finish first, while Eastern Michigan (52) and Oakland (65) finished second and third, respectively.

Individual Performances

Kailee Perry finished first for the Falcons and second overall with a 6k time of 21:48.0. The race marked the senior's first time competing this season.
Katerina Shuble finished just behind Perry in third place, crossing the finish line at 21:52.5 while running unattached. The senior secured her second top-three finish of the season with her performance.
Kylee Cubbison was the third Falcon finisher, placing eighth overall while running unattached. The freshman ran her first collegiate 6k in 22:31.1.
Freshman Izzy Best posted a time of 22:42.7 to finish 11^th overall. Best also ran unattached in her first collegiate 6k.
Elise Johnson and Lillie Katsaras placed 12^th and 14^th overall to round out the top Falcon finishers. Johnson completed the race in 22:48.7 while Katsaras posted a time of 22:56.7 while running unattached in her first collegiate 6k.

Coach Lou Snelling's Take
"It was a solid day. We built on our opener two weeks ago. We got to see a few more people in a uniform today, Kailee Perry in particular . . . We had a mixed bag today, some of the team in a uniform and some of the team not. We're just trying to figure some things out in terms of where everyone's at, so obviously the team score reflected that element . . . We had a nice presence in that top 15."

Men's 8K Event
The men's race featured 45 athletes from four schools and the Bowling Green Track Club. Bowling Green collected 60 points for a third-place team score. Oakland and Central Michigan finished first and second, posting 34 and 57 points, respectively. Eastern Michigan placed fourth with 71 points.

Individual Performances

AJ Haffa earned his second straight top-five finish, placing third with a time of 25:48.0.
Charlie Nowinski shattered his personal best 8k time, crossing the finish line at 26:14.6. The sophomore's previous best time was 26:50.6, set in the 2021 MAC Championships.
Sophomore Heriberto Alvarez placed third for the Falcons and 14^th overall with a time of 26:30.1. Alvarez also set a new personal best with the mark.
Cesar Arellano crossed the finish line just over three seconds behind Alvarez to place 15^th. The senior finished the race in 26:33.5
Freshman Hunter Sidle finished 17^th overall to cap off the top-five Falcon finishers. In his first collegiate 8k, Sidle posted a time of 26:37.1.

Coach Kelly Leatherman's Take
"It was a good opener. Overall, our goal was to try and beat MAC competition. We were three points from beating Central [Michigan], which is really exciting, and it gives some opportunity for the rest of the season on where we can go from here. We're running on tired legs – it's early, first 8k – and ultimately, I think the group did a really good job of running together and responding to moves throughout the race."

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'