Chasing Records, Choosing Purpose: Kylee Cubbison's Bowling Green Story
by Sam Watson, BGSU Strategic Communications
7/2/2026
A six-time MAC champion and the program's record-holder in the 1500, 3000 and 5000 meters, Kylee Cubbison closes her Bowling Green career the same way she started it: chasing the next goal.
For most distance runners, a college career is measured in personal bests and championship medals. For Kylee Cubbison, it’s also measured in a 4.0 GPA, a record book bearing her name in multiple events, and a plan for what’s next beyond the finish line.
The graduate of Mifflin County High School in Lewistown, Pa., didn’t even set out to be a runner. She joined track to stay in shape for soccer, the sport she initially hoped to play in college.
"My whole focus was soccer," Cubbison said. "I joined track to do it with my friends and stay in shape. Then it was the team culture and the people involved in track that helped me get into running."
Older teammates pushed her early on, and as she developed, she found herself training alongside the boys’ team, a dynamic she credits with shaping her into the runner she became.
"They helped push me every day, and I’m really grateful I got to train with them," Cubbison said. "I had some great coaches who helped me, I still stay in touch with them."
BGSU wasn’t on her radar to begin with. Then, a letter arrived, conversations with head coach Lou Snelling followed, and a visit to Junior Day changed everything.
"Once I had calls with Coach Snelling, we just kept up the communication,” Cubbison said. “I think Junior Day was my first time coming to BG, and that was the point where BG went up on my list. It was just a great experience, very organized, very professional."
“I think Junior Day was my first time coming to BG, and that was the point where BG went up on my list. It was just a great experience, very organized, very professional."Kylee Cubbison
After an official visit, the decision came into focus. Cubbison signed with Bowling Green, choosing the Falcons over a list of other suitors who recruited her out of Mifflin County, where she’d built a resume that included multiple District 6 medals and school records in the mile and two-mile.
The payoff came quickly. As a freshman, Cubbison won her first Mid-American Conference title in the 1500 meters, a result she didn’t see coming.
"Going into that race I didn’t expect to win at that point," Cubbison said. "I thought, wow, if I could even just get a medal, or get top three, that would be super cool. As the race was playing out, it became more real to me that it was possible to win. When I won, I was definitely shocked. It helped my confidence in a way. Like, wow, if I keep working hard, I can do this. I can get better."
"When I won, I was definitely shocked. It helped my confidence in a way. Like, wow, if I keep working hard, I can do this. I can get better."Kylee Cubbison
That breakthrough set the tone for a career spent climbing BGSU’s record book. Cubbison currently holds the program record in the 1500 meters, a mark she lowered to 4:15.16 at this year’s Bryan Clay Invitational. She also owns school records in the 3000 and 5000 meters. She went on to win the outdoor 1500 title again as a senior, claiming her third career MAC championship in the event, and earned First Team All-MAC honors in the process.
"At first, before I had the records, it was definitely motivating to be like, oh, I want to get a record, I want to break one, I want my name to be up on the board," Cubbison said. "Then, after I already got it, it became more so like, I want to break it because I want to improve, I want to get better. I already have the record now, so let me see how much further I can push it."
Not every race came easily. Cubbison points to the 2023 MAC Cross Country Championships, hosted on Bowling Green’s home course, as one of the toughest of her career.
"I really wanted to get All-MAC for the first time so bad," Cubbison said. "I went out and ran it, but it was definitely one of those races where I was like, that hurt really bad."
Cubbison also became a fixture on BGSU’s distance medley relay, a race she admits brought a different kind of nerves than her individual events.
"Track is a team sport,” Cubbison said. “But when you’re doing the DMR, I would be like, well, how I do this impacts my teammates, and it’s super important to me that I don’t want to let them down. I want to do the best I can for them."
That responsibility paid off in the final DMR of her career, when Cubbison anchored the relay squad and ran down Toledo’s anchor leg to bring home the win.
"That was super exciting," Cubbison said. "When I got the baton, I was a little bit behind, I knew I had to gain ground gradually throughout my leg. Once I caught up to her, I waited until I wanted to go and I finished it up."
"When I got the baton, I was a little bit behind, I knew I had to gain ground gradually throughout my leg. Once I caught up to her, I waited until I wanted to go and I finished it up."Kylee Cubbison
Cubbison’s success was never confined to the track. A health science major, she graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA, a feat managed across four years of year-round competition between cross country, indoor and outdoor track. She credited BGSU’s student-athlete support services and a team culture that treats the classroom with the same seriousness as competition.
"As a team we definitely take academics seriously," Cubbison said. "We all have our academic and career goals that we’re pursuing, and it’s nice to have a supportive group that understands that.”
That balance was recognized at BGSU Athletics’ annual Ziggy’s award show, where Cubbison took home both Female Athlete of the Year and Senior Scholar-Athlete.
"It was nice to feel like I was being recognized for my efforts in the classroom and on the track, because I worked really hard," Cubbison said. "I’m grateful I was chosen for those."
This success didn’t come without challenges. Moving roughly 350 miles from a small town in central Pennsylvania to Bowling Green came with an adjustment, though not the one she expected.
"I think more of the transition was being far away from home and away from my family,” Cubbison said. “The team acted as a support system, and it helped to have friends immediately when I got there."
She also came to appreciate the community surrounding the university, pointing to events like Falcons Back in Action and the Black Swamp Arts Festival.
"I think it really shows Bowling Green's community and the culture of the area, which someone may not necessarily see if they’re only in Bowling Green for a little bit," Cubbison said.
Through four years of training and racing, Cubbison singled out Snelling as the coach who shaped her most.
"He was an important part of my time there. The longer I was there the more we understood each other, and we were able to work things to improve me as a runner and help the team," Cubbison said. "I definitely wouldn’t have had all the success I had without him."
"He was an important part of my time there. The longer I was there the more we understood each other, and we were able to work things to improve me as a runner and help the team. I definitely wouldn’t have had all the success I had without him."Kylee Cubbison
That foundation is still paying off, even as Cubbison’s focus shifts beyond Bowling Green. With her eligibility complete, Cubbison is staying close to the sport while turning toward a new goal: becoming a physician assistant (PA). She’s spending the next year accumulating patient care hours to apply to PA school, training for postcollegiate racing on the side, and volunteering with her former high school’s cross country program back in Lewistown.
"Since I have this year where I’m just trying to get those hours, I’m going to try to race postcollegiately,” Cubbison said. “If I can help people on the high school team, I have people to train with, so that’s kind of what I’m doing right now."
Looking back on four years that produced multiple MAC titles, school records and a perfect GPA, Cubbison hopes her legacy at Bowling Green is simple.
"I think it says that I’m a hard worker and a good runner," Cubbison said. "I hope that the things I did help push others on the team to be better, to break my records, and see how far they can push the program and what they can accomplish."
Her advice for the Falcons she leaves behind is just as direct.
"You have to believe in yourself, anything is possible," Cubbison said. "The people who consistently work hard and show up will reap the rewards."
