BGSU Men, Women Place 5th at Mel Brodt Open

Friday, September 15

Bowling Green, Ohio

5:30 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Mel Brodt Collegiate Open

Photo by: Leesa Moore

September 15, 2023 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Support Our Student Athletes Final Results

By: by Sam Hughes, BGSU Athletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University Falcons mens' and womens' cross country teams hosted 11 teams as part of the Mel Brodt Collegiate Open on Friday (9/15). "There is deep history within the cross country program with Mel Brodt through the success in the 70s and it's great to honor that" said head coach Lou Snelling.

Cubbison Shines at Home for Falcons
The Falcons placed 5^th as a team (126 points) in a meet where Cubbison finished 50 seconds faster than the previous year at the Mel Brodt Open. Cubbison crossed the finish line at 21:41.5, lunging across the line to take 13^th in the field. Kailee Perry held 14^th place as the first Falcon through 2 miles but fell to become the second finisher on the team, ultimately placing at 23^rd, through the personal best performance at the Open by Cubbison.

Falcon Performances

Kylee Cubbison crossed the finish line first for the Falcons at 21:41.5 (13^th).
Kailee Perry was the second Falcon to finish at 22:07 (23^rd).
Regina Rose and Katerina Shuble logged times of 22:23.4 (29^th) and 22:28.2 (30^th) respectively.
Elise Johnson and Kristin Groppe finished five places apart at times of 22:48.5 (43^rd) and 22:56.7 (48^th).
Raegan Burkey and Alyssa Ellerbrock round out the Falcons at 23:23.7 (63^rd) and 23:49.1 (73^rd).

Falcons Race Aggressive at Home
The Falcons emerged aggressive from the gun which ultimately placed the mens squad at 5^th with 165 points on the day. Heriberto Alvarez maintained 5^th place in the field through 3 miles, setting the pace for the Falcons. "Herbie gets out aggressive in races, and there will be a point where fitness wise, he will have enough in the tank to keep his times more in check" said Coach Snelling following the races. Alvarez would ultimately finish in 25^th with a time of 25:59.59. The Falcons emerged in a bunch at the finish with Sweet, Haffa, Gagliardi, and Bentley finishing within 19 spots.

Falcon Performances

Heriberto Alvarez marks the first Falcon to finish at 25:59.59.
Anthony Sweet, AJ Haffa, Christian Gagliardi and Micah Bentley finish at 26:13.28 (32^nd) and 26:34.24 (45^th), 26:45.36 (49^th), and 26:46.70 (51^st) respectively.
Luke Woolard round out the mens squad at 27:55.13 (82^nd).

Coaches Thoughts
"We had some really good things happen and we also had some challenging moments. The conditions were great, the course was in phenomenal shape as seen through the times. But we look forward to hosting the MAC Championships in front of the home crowd in a few weeks."

Up Next
The Falcons return to action on 9/30 as the two teams travel separate ways with the men heading to the Louisville Classic in Louisville, KY, while the women take part in the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, PA.

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'