Zaumeyer, Lee Pace Falcons in 2026 Cross Country Opener

Friday, September 4

Bowling Green, Ohio

10 a.m.

Bowling Green State University

Mel Brodt Collegiate Open

Photo by: Scott W. Grau

September 04, 2026 | Men's Cross Country

Results

By: by Sam Watson, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green began its 2026 season with a dual meet at the Mel Brodt Cross Country Course on Saturday morning, squaring off against Mid-American Conference foe Ohio. BGSU fell 19-41, but showed resilience in its first meet of the season.

Junior Owen Zaumeyer led the team throughout the 5K, pushing through to a fourth-place finish in 15:49.9.

"He ran well," said associate head cross country coach Rachel Rhynard. "He was engaged the whole time and really came on at the end, too."

Following Zaumeyer was freshman Aiden Lee in his collegiate debut. Lee held tough down the final stretch and crossed the line in 15:53.8 to round out the top five.

Luke Lesseuer also had a gritty finish. He entered the final stretch in 10th but surged past an Ohio runner to finish ninth in 16:09.1.

The freshmen finished in succession: Colin Buening (16:14.9) and Gibson Shore (16:22.5) took 12th and 13th, respectively, while Cameron Hohman finished 15th in 16:36.6. Luke Woolard followed shortly after, taking 16th in 16:43.6 to close out the Falcons' scoring.

Wyatt Ulbricht wrapped up the meet for Bowling Green in 17:06.8.

"It was a great way to open up the season. Being at home, it was a new experience for a lot of the guys on this team – they'd never raced a 5K on this course," Rhynard said. "We weren't at full strength today, but for those who did race, our focus was getting back into a competitive environment, and we did that well today."