Falcon Insider with Derek van der Merwe: September 8
9/8/2023
Important news happening in and around Bowling Green Athletics compiled by Director of Athletics Derek van der Merwe. This Falcon Insider shares upcoming dates to remember and news to be aware of in regards to Bowling Green State University Athletics.
Falcon Family:
The Falcons are back at work and all our teams are striving to proudly represent Bowling Green State University and you. This has been an exciting start to the 2023-2024 sport season. More than 3,500 new students joined our community this fall. President Rodney Rogers called this class our most academically and athletically prepared class in the history of the University. BGSU Athletics has started this year with the mission to reshape our commitment to our student experience on campus. Our department has worked to re-start our Falcon Fanatics student fan group and to enhance the student experiences at our athletic venues. We welcome these 3,500 new students to campus and encourage them to join our passionate fan base of faculty, staff, community members, and business owners, along with over 190,000 alumni around the country that make up Falcon Nation.
We have already had an exciting start to the fall semester. Our men’s soccer program secured a significant victory this past Monday against the University of Michigan. Additionally, our volleyball program emerged victorious against Loyola Chicago and Wright State last weekend in the Hampton Inn Invitational. One particularly thrilling aspect of these early competitions was the remarkable attendance by our students, as well as the enthusiastic support from our community and fans.
This weekend is an important home weekend for three of our teams. Men’s soccer is competing against DePaul tonight at 7 p.m. at Cochrane. Football is going head-to-head with Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Doyt, and then women’s soccer will battle No. 11 Notre Dame on Sunday at 1 p.m. Women’s soccer is aiming to set a new attendance record for their sport at Cochrane, targeting 1,500 in attendance. We invite you to plan your weekend by joining us at these exciting events.
Also, on Saturday, we will recognize former lacrosse and soccer head coach Mickey Cochrane at half-time of the football game. Alumni from both programs are returning to campus to recognize Coach Cochrane’s induction in the 2023 MAC Hall of Fame.
This weekend at football you will notice a few changes in the stadium. I thought I would provide more detail about a few of these changes.
The Sebo Party Deck was repurposed to enhance the experience of Falcon Club Members who chose to purchase seating there. Single-game experiences are also available. Our environment provides a distinctive game day experience for fans, featuring a large screen projection of the game, inclusive food and beverage options with the ticket price, designated balcony areas for socializing, convenient stair access to bleacher seating, and the opportunity to access the North sideline area for an on-field view. This promises to be a unique and memorable experience for all who choose to enjoy it.
The Falcon Club tent will be located in the south end zone. Falcon Club members will have early access to this space, beginning two hours before game time and throughout the competition. The tent provides a range of amenities, including snacks and beverages, televisions for game viewing, additional food options available for purchase, and, for those who arrive early, the chance to interact with the football team as they enter the stadium during the Falcon Warrior Walk.
In the South end zone, we have installed two brand-new group party suites. These suites provide fans with another exceptional field-level viewing experience. They are available for purchase by large groups looking to enjoy a pre-game and in-game tailgating experience. Groups have the flexibility to bring in their own food and beverages, access built-in barbecue and bar areas, and enjoy external seating areas.
For more information about these areas and access, please contact the BGSU Ticket Office at 419-372-0000 or tickets@bgsu.edu.
Finally, on August 23, a group of baseball supporters attended a very special event in Cleveland before the Dodgers-Guardian baseball game. Orel Hershiser, the broadcaster for the Dodgers, took the time to meet with this group and discuss his passion for Bowling Green State University and the Falcons. Orel, who was recently recognized as a 'Dodgers Legend'—one of only seven to receive this honor—has personally dedicated his time and effort to collaborate with an advisory team in order to establish a broader vision for the baseball program.
I want to recognize the committed group of advisory team leaders who have emerged:
- Orel Hershiser, Los Angeles, California
- Dana Dowers, Irvine, California
- David Litzenberg, Waterville, Ohio
- John Mitchell, Palm Coast, Florida
- Andy Tracy, Lewis Center, Ohio
- Jason Kelley, Brecksville, Ohio
- Jim Fisher, Aurora, Ohio
- Roger McDowell, Marietta, Georgia
- John Berti, Miami, Florida
Falcon Athletics will continue to work with the group to identify initiatives to support our program's growth and success.
Ay Ziggy,
Derek van der Merwe
BGSU Director of Athletics
SPECIAL TEAMS ??
— BGSU Football (@BG_Football) September 2, 2023
Trent Simms returns a blocked FG attempt 76 yards for a TD!!! Dontrez Brown on the block ??
?? @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/RLsY7c8YAK
In The Nest: Fifth-Year Falcon Katie Cox a Consistent Contributor to the Success of @BGSU_WSoccer ...#AyZiggy | ??????https://t.co/HfLNkfwORK
— BGSU Athletics (@BGSU_Athletics) September 6, 2023
Upcoming Dates to Remember
• Sept. 9 - Football home opener vs. Eastern Illinois (White Out)
• Sept. 12 - Hocket tickets sent out to fans who have purchased
• Sept. 16 - Football at Michigan
• Sept. 23 - Homecoming Weekend (FB vs. Ohio)
News and Notes
Department
The Falcon Future Kids Club: Membership for the Falcon Future Kids Club for 2023-24 is open. The Future Falcon Kids Club is the official BGSU Athletics fan club for kids. The objective of the Future Falcon Kids Club is to give kids an opportunity to enjoy BGSU athletic programs in a unique way. Sign your child or children up (ages 0-12) for a membership that lasts from August 2023 - July 2024. Membership includes free admission to all regular season home games (excludes any/all conference tournament games or other postseason games) while supplies last for General Admission tickets. For more information, click here.
BGSU Athletics App: The Bowling Green State University athletic department along with partner SIDEARM, launched the BGSU Athletics App. Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new BGSU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices. Through the app, Falcon fans will enjoy a personalized mobile experience with the ability to manage tickets, shop for official BGSU merchandise and receive breaking news and score notifications for the teams they follow. The app is designed with a user-friendly interface that integrates with BGSUFalcons.com to bring the latest BGSU digital content right to your fingertips. Additionally, it includes links to video and audio streams of live games, in-game stats, and team social media feeds. To download the app to your smartphone or tablet, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play and search for "BGSU Athletics."
Mickey Cochrane Honorary Weekend: September 8-10, Bowling Green State University Men’s Soccer and Lacrosse alumni are invited to celebrate Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame Inductee Mickey Cochrane!
- SEPTEMBER 8
Pre-game Tailgate - 5:30 p.m., Cochrane Stadium
Men’s Soccer Game vs. Depaul - 7 p.m., Cochrane Stadium
- SEPTEMBER 9
Alumni Golf Outing - 9:00 a.m., Riverby Hills Golf Club
Football Pre-game Tailgate Tent - 1 p.m.
Doyt L. Perry Stadium Football Game with Halftime Mickey Cochrane - 2 p.m.
Doyt L. Perry Stadium Post-Game Mickey Cochrane Honorary Event - est. 6 p.m., Stroh Center
- Register for the event here: https://connect.bgsu.edu/2023-mc-alumniweekend
Today, as a community we took a moment of silence for Jordan Nichols…Then, we celebrated as a community the @BGSUMSoccer victory over Michigan! #onecommunity #theBGway @bgsu @BGSU_Athletics pic.twitter.com/DAzhskDL4k
— Derek van der Merwe (@vandermerwe63) September 4, 2023
Ziggyville is officially open! pic.twitter.com/Jmejd2Cf6R
— Falcon Fanatics (@FalconFanatics1) September 1, 2023
Make it happen ??#NCAASoccer x ?? @BGSUMSoccer pic.twitter.com/aIibNcyHII
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) September 4, 2023
MAC’s Bob James Memorial Scholarship: Former BGSU gymnast Taylor Jensen earned one of the most prestigious individual awards given by the Mid-American Conference. Jensen was named the 2023 Female MAC’s Bob James Memorial Scholarship Award recipient. In its 35th year, the Bob James Memorial Scholarship Award recognizes one female and one male student who have achieved a minimum grade point average of 3.50 and have displayed good character, leadership, and citizenship. The students are nominated during the year they complete their final eligibility season. The $5,000 post-graduate scholarship is awarded in honor of Bob James, the second commissioner in Mid-American Conference history (1964-71). Click here to read more.
National College Athlete Honor Society: Former BGSU gymnast Taylor Jensen is one of two student-athletes that have been selected as recipients of the Chi Alpha Sigma Nick Mourouzis Postgraduate Scholarship for the 2022-23 academic year, as announced by the National College Athlete Honor Society. Click here to read more.
WCGA Academic Excellence: The Bowling Green State University gymnastics team was one of 54 teams in the country to earn recognition by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) by posting a team grade point average of 3.50 or better for the 2022-23 academic year. The Falcons had 18 student-athletes honored by the WCGA. Lauren Bannister, Lily Harsch, Taylor Jensen and Isabella Rivelli led the way with 4.0 GPAs for the Falcons. Click here to read more.
Wear Orange on Fridays for Falcon Friday!
• Make sure you support Bowling Green Athletics by wearing Orange on Fridays!
Met the BGSU legend and Olympic gold medalist David Wottle today! ??The race is NEVER OVER… Always competing! What the past teaches us every day at BGSU! #reapectthepast #buildthefuture @bgsu @BGSU_Athletics @Pres_Rogers @BGSUtrack @davewottle https://t.co/aeUDjJlhey pic.twitter.com/XAx6PseCM5
— Derek van der Merwe (@vandermerwe63) August 26, 2023
Falcons ?? Bowling Green
— BGSU Athletics (@BGSU_Athletics) August 26, 2023
Tons of fun at Rally BG! pic.twitter.com/9WQqmC4bBQ
Kreischer students learned a little bit about Falcon Friday! @vandermerwe63 and Justin Wilson have out some orange shirts to celebrate. pic.twitter.com/U3atijF0vG
— BGSU Athletics (@BGSU_Athletics) August 26, 2023
BGSU's Taylor Jensen from @BGSUGymnastics has earned one of the most prestigious individual awards given by the Mid-American Conference. Jensen has been named the 2023 female @MACSports' Bob James Memorial Scholarship Award recipient. #AyZiggy ????
— BGSU Athletics (@BGSU_Athletics) August 25, 2023
Football
• Bowling Green State University opened its 105th season of football at Liberty Sept 2.
• Bowling Green is one of four schools with two different international kickers starting in the punting and placekicking roles. Punter Sami Sir (Australia) and placekicker Alan Anaya (Mexico) represent BGSU.
• Anaya made his collegiate debut at Liberty in game No. 1. He was 3-of-3 on PATs and connected on a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter.
• WR Odieu Hiliare has a catch in 36-straight games, which includes his career at Alabama A&M (2019-21). It is the fifth-best active streak in the nation. The Belle Glade, Fla., native has 164 career receptions for 2,171 career receiving yards and 20receiving touchdowns.
• OLB Demetrius Hardamon is the MAC’s leading sack returnee with 6.0 sacks. Hardamon, as the only LB, shares the honors with Braden Fiske (WMU) and Corey Suttle (Miami (OH)).
• ILB Darren Anders needs 18 tackles to become just the third Falcon since 2000 to reach 300 career tackles.
Volleyball
• Amanda Otten named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week after two double-doubles in season debut at Northern Kentucky tournament.
• Alex Laboy was named the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week for the week of September 4. Laboy started the weekend by achieving her first career double-double, recording 19 digs and 11 assists against Loyola Chicago in a five-set match. She continued her outstanding performance against Wright State on Saturday, September 2, by tallying a career-high 23 digs, marking the team's first 20-dig outing of the season.
• Volleyball is back in action this weekend (Sept. 7-9) at the Colorado State Tournament.
Women's Cross Country
• Kailee Perry won the Akron-hosted Tommy Evans XC Invitational on Sept. 1 to open the cross country season as BGSU won the team event.
• Kylee Cubbison finished second to pace the Falcons.Perry clocked in at 17:50.34 and Cubbison finished at 18:04.78 to pace all runners.
Men’s Soccer
• BGSU opened the 2023 season with a 3-2, come-from-behind win over Cleveland State at Cochrane Stadium. Sophomore Andrew Shaffer came off the bench to score the tying and eventual winning goal, with those goals coming less than nine minutes apart.
• For his efforts, Shaffer was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week (Aug. 28).
• Shaffer’s performance against Cleveland State marked the first two-goal game by a Falcon since Sergi Martinez scored twice in his final collegiate contest, a 6-0 win over Northern Illinois last Nov. 6.
• Eli Shope gave the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team the lead midway through the second half, and Brendan Graves and the Falcons' back line made that lead hold up in a 2-1 win over the University of Michigan on Sept. 4.
Women’s Soccer
• The Falcons opened the home portion of the schedule with a 2-0 win over Loyola Chicago at Cochrane Stadium. BGSU is now 40-9-8 in home games since the start of the 2017 season, and the Falcons are 15-5-5 at Cochrane Stadium since Jimmy Walker took the helm in 2020.
• BGSU’s six-game non-conference schedule includes three contests against opponents that are currently ranked. BG will face two of those top-25 foes, Pittsburgh (Sept. 3) and Notre Dame (Sept. 10), on back-to-back Sundays, with the game vs. the Fighting Irish taking place at home.
• The Falcon freshmen have jumped right in and made contributions. One freshman, Lizzie Bultynck (BOLT-nick), scored the team’s first goal of the season, and a total of eight freshmen have seen action in at least one match.
• BGSU had no fewer than seven freshmen on the field at the same time during the final few minutes of the first half vs. Loyola.
Men’s Basketball
• BGSU is one of nine schools in the country with a new head coach for both men's and women's basketball.
• Assistant coach Lourawls Nairn played for the Bahamas and will do so again in next summer's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
• Transfers Marcus Hill and DaJion Humphrey were inside the Top 20 JUCO recruits -- Hill (16), Humphrey (19).
• Season tickets are now on sale. Pick up yours today by clicking here.
Women’s Basketball
• The Falcons’ 2023-24 schedule was announced on Aug. 23 and the non-conference schedule is arguably the toughest in school history. The Falcons will play teams that finished first (South Carolina), second (Indiana) and third (Iowa) in the nation in the final Associated Press poll of 2022-23
• The South Carolina game will take place at the Stroh Center on Dec. 19, and if the Gamecocks are ranked at that time, it would mark just the third time the Falcons have hosted a top-25 team at the Stroh.
• Season tickets are now on sale. Pick up yours today by clicking here.
Softball
• BGSU begins the fall schedule on Saturday, Sept. 16. That fall slate includes home games vs. Tiffin (Sept. 24) and Findlay (Oct. 7).
• The Falcons’ 25-player roster includes nine freshmen and seven sophomores.
