Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Michigan Open
Falcons Begin Season at Michigan Open
August 30, 2025 | Women's Cross Country
DEXTER, Mich. – The Bowling Green women's cross country team opened its 2025 campaign Saturday at the Michigan Open, competing against Michigan, Akron, Toledo and Siena Heights in the 5k.
The Falcons placed five runners in the top 25, highlighted by Rachel Withrow's third-place finish in 17:44.6.
"That's been a continuation of her spring season," Head Coach Lou Snelling said of Withrow. "She placed second in the MAC last year in the 10k, and there's an overlap there in terms of skill sets. It was cool to see her take such a big step historically, but it tracks with where she was at toward the end of the year."
Rachael Hoover crossed in 18:04.4 to take 11th, while Reese Reaman followed in 18th at 18:22. Regina Rose (18:27.5) and Lexi Panning (18:28) finished back-to-back in 22nd and 23rd.
Emma Hellwege (19:11.8) placed 33rd, with Nora Ritting (19:46.5) in 37th. Amelia Barilla (20:00.9) and Clare Valenza (21:05.6) closed out the lineup in 39th and 41st.
Bowling Green will host its next meet, the Mel Brodt Collegiate Open, on Saturday, Sept. 12.
"September is a big month for us from a work perspective," Snelling said. "We have to put a lot of miles in here, a lot of workouts, some racing sprinkled in with Mel Brodt in two weeks. Largely, it's about getting to October and seeing how we look because that's when things get real. It's nice to get started but obviously we have a lot of work in front of us."
Players Mentioned
