Men's Cross Country
Snelling, Lou
Lou Snelling
- Title:
- Head Cross Country/Track and Field Coach
- Email:
- lrsnell@bgsu.edu
- Phone:
- 419-372-7104
In 14 years at the helm of the Bowling Green cross country and track & field programs, Lou Snelling has overseen their restoration and has built a foundation of championship level performance that honors the teams’ rich history and tradition.
When Snelling began his tenure at Bowling Green at the beginning of the 2011-12 season, he set in motion a plan to build a new culture within the programs. While redshirting a high number of talented student-athletes, the programs struggled at times to find consistency in competition.
However, in each season the programs continued to reach milestones and individual marks that had not been seen in many years.
His plan culminated in 2025, as the BGSU track & field team won their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) Indoor title since 1999 and first MAC Outdoor championship since 1981. Additionally, Snelling earned MAC Coach of the Year honors during both seasons as well as the USTFCCCA’s Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year for the outdoor season.
Under Snelling’s leadership during the historic 2025 campaign, the Falcons had seven All-MAC performers during the indoor season and six in outdoor. He also guided Reese Reaman to MAC Indoor Freshman of the Year honors and oversaw a program break a combined eight program records and notch 39 individual top 10 performances in school history.
A program-record six individuals in seven events also qualified for the NCAA East Regional meet in 2025.
Snelling has overseen the development of Kylee Cubbison, who broke a combined five program records during the 2025 season and was named first-team All-MAC during both the indoor and outdoor seasons while competing in the 1,500m at the NCAA East Regional.
The 2024 women’s cross country season also boded well for the Falcons, as they placed fourth at the MAC Championships and 11th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional – their highest placement since 2015. Cubbison earned second-team All-MAC honors while Lexi Panning notched MAC Freshman of the Year.
Cubbison, Regina Rose and Panning each finished in the top 50 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, the most BGSU had in those placements since 1998.
During the 2023 indoor season, BGSU won the MAC distance medley relay title for the third consecutive year, with Zaresha Neal (shot put) and Brianna Richard (triple jump) adding individual titles. Bowling Green finished third at the MAC Indoor Championship, which tied for the program's best finish since 1999 at the time.
The indoor success carried into outdoor season, where the Falcons earned a fourth-place finish at the MAC Outdoor Championship, the program's best under Snelling and highest since 1998 at the time. BGSU captured four individual titles, which was the most in school history. Neal won the discus and shot put, Mateya Haintz notched first in the hammer throw and Cubbison won the 1500m. Neal, Haintz, and Brianna Richard qualified for the NCAA East Regional, where Neal placed 10th in the discus to qualify for the NCAA Championship. At the NCAA Championship, Neal finished 15th in the discus to earn second-team All-America honors, which was BGSU's fifth consecutive outdoor season with an All-American.
The Falcons repeated as MAC distance medley relay champions in the 2022 indoor season, with Neal adding a first-place finish in the shot put. Neal qualified for the NCAA Championships in the event, placing 13th and earning second-team All-America honors.
The outdoor season also boded well for the Falcons, as Kailee Perry's then-school-record time in the 1500m gave her a runner-up finish at the MAC Championships, while Neal won the discus just one week after breaking the school record. Kaila Butler won the hammer throw for the second time in her career, as she and Neal qualified for the NCAA Championship. Butler placed 13th, earning second-team All-American for the third time in her storied career.
The 2021 cross country season marked a fourth-place finish for the Falcons behind All-MAC performances from Katerina Shuble and Sydney Niekamp.
In 2021, following the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor season, the 4x400m relay broke the 29-year-old school record at the Texas Relays. A few weeks later, the 4x100m relay topped the previous school record at the Gibson Invitational. At the MAC Championships, the 4x400m relay team earned a first-place finish, as did triple jumper Brianna Richard. The season concluded with Kaila Butler earning All-American honors for the second time in her career at the NCAA Championships.
During the indoor season, the Falcons won four events at the MAC Championship, with the distance medley relay and 4x400m relay teams earning crowns, as well as Savannah Nevels (200m) and Iyanna Ross (400m). These performances pushed the Orange and Brown to a third-place finish, which was their highest placement since 1999 at the time. The season also saw another record fall, as Kailee Perry broke a 35-year-old record in the 3000m at the GVSU Big Meet.
During the abbreviated 2020 cross country season, the Falcons hosted the MAC Cross Country Championships, with redshirt freshman Perry earning the program's first individual women's title since 1995. She paced BGSU to a third-place finish as a team, a seven-spot improvement from the previous season. Perry, who also won the Falcon Invitational, placed 11th among freshmen at the NCAA Championships as she became the first Bowling Green athlete to qualify since 1998.
At the 2020 MAC Indoor Championships, Ross and Ryen Draper traded school-record times in the 400m, with Ross setting the record in the finals with a third-place finish. The duo, grouped with Savannah Nevels and Jazzlyn Gaiters, shattered the program record in the 1600 relay with their first-place finish. Also adding a first-place finish was Kaila Butler in the weight throw. These performances guided the Falcons to a fifth-place finish, their highest since 1999.
In the 2010’s, Snelling’s programs made impressive strides. In indoor track & field, the program scored just one point in 2012 but improved to a third-place finish by 2018. The outdoor track & field team also made dramatic improvements as they scored 69 points in 2019 – the highest point total for the program in 20 years at the time.
In cross country, the women’s team finished as high as MAC runners-up in 2015 – led by MAC Freshman of the Year Rachel Walny – and the men’s team did the same in 2018. Both programs had been among the bottom finishers in the league prior to Snelling’s arrival. The women’s team went from last in the league to second place in just four years. The men’s team made an identical swing in four years as well.
From 2013-22, the Falcons sent at least one competitor to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. During that timeframe, Brooke Pleger, Aliyah Gustafson, Walny and Butler have all earned All-America status for their efforts on the national stage.
Pleger became one of the most decorated athletes in BGSU history, as she was the first female in BGSU athletics history to be named a three-time All-American. Following both the 2013 and 2015 track & field seasons, she was named the MAC Field Athlete of the Year. She also earned the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year honor in both 2014 and 2015.
During his tenure at BGSU, Snelling’s programs have attained high levels of academic achievement.
In 13 of his 14 seasons, the women’s cross country program has earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors by having a cumulative team GPA of at least a 3.0. In 2023 and 2024, the Falcons has a 3.91 and 3.97 GPA, respectively, both the highest of any women’s cross country team in Division I. The track & field program has achieved this honor in each season Snelling has been at the helm as well.
Additionally, he has coached over 100 Academic All-MAC student-athletes.
Snelling arrived in Bowling Green in 2011 after spending eight seasons at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, where he served as head coach of the cross country team and assistant coach for the men’s and women’s track & field programs.
While at Stephen F. Austin, Snelling led his athletes to a level of success that rivaled any program in the region. During his tenure, his teams won a combined 15 conference championships, and his athletes won 32 individual Southland Conference crowns.
During the 2010-11 season, his teams won four of six possible championships. The Lumberjack women’s teams won the cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field titles – the first conference sweep in school history. That year as well, the men’s track & field team won the SLC outdoor championship for the first time in program history.
In 2013, Snelling was one of just eight coaches recognized to the All-Time Southland Conference Cross Country Honor Roll in recognition of the league’s 50th anniversary.
Prior to his stint at Stephen F. Austin, Snelling spent three years as a volunteer assistant coach for the nationally ranked men’s track and cross country programs at Indiana University. While a Hoosier, he prepared practice and competition schedules for freshmen, facilitated day-to-day responsibilities for the programs and spent time as recruiting coordinator.
During the 2002-03 season, Indiana’s cross country team ranked in the top 20 nationally and produced two All-Big 10 conference runners. The men’s track & field team finished in the top ten during the indoor season, and that team featured the NCAA runner-up in the mile (John Jefferson).
Snelling earned a masters degree in public affairs from Indiana in 2003 and a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from the University of Central Florida in 2000. Snelling competed as a member of the cross country and track teams while an undergraduate student at UCF. As a Golden Knight, he served as team captain and won all-conference awards.
Snelling is married to the former April Vitori, who also competed for the UCF cross country and track teams. The couple has two children, Louie and Madie, and reside in Bowling Green.
 When Snelling began his tenure at Bowling Green at the beginning of the 2011-12 season, he set in motion a plan to build a new culture within the programs. While redshirting a high number of talented student-athletes, the programs struggled at times to find consistency in competition.
However, in each season the programs continued to reach milestones and individual marks that had not been seen in many years.
His plan culminated in 2025, as the BGSU track & field team won their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) Indoor title since 1999 and first MAC Outdoor championship since 1981. Additionally, Snelling earned MAC Coach of the Year honors during both seasons as well as the USTFCCCA’s Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year for the outdoor season.
Under Snelling’s leadership during the historic 2025 campaign, the Falcons had seven All-MAC performers during the indoor season and six in outdoor. He also guided Reese Reaman to MAC Indoor Freshman of the Year honors and oversaw a program break a combined eight program records and notch 39 individual top 10 performances in school history.
A program-record six individuals in seven events also qualified for the NCAA East Regional meet in 2025.
Snelling has overseen the development of Kylee Cubbison, who broke a combined five program records during the 2025 season and was named first-team All-MAC during both the indoor and outdoor seasons while competing in the 1,500m at the NCAA East Regional.
The 2024 women’s cross country season also boded well for the Falcons, as they placed fourth at the MAC Championships and 11th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional – their highest placement since 2015. Cubbison earned second-team All-MAC honors while Lexi Panning notched MAC Freshman of the Year.
Cubbison, Regina Rose and Panning each finished in the top 50 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, the most BGSU had in those placements since 1998.
During the 2023 indoor season, BGSU won the MAC distance medley relay title for the third consecutive year, with Zaresha Neal (shot put) and Brianna Richard (triple jump) adding individual titles. Bowling Green finished third at the MAC Indoor Championship, which tied for the program's best finish since 1999 at the time.
The indoor success carried into outdoor season, where the Falcons earned a fourth-place finish at the MAC Outdoor Championship, the program's best under Snelling and highest since 1998 at the time. BGSU captured four individual titles, which was the most in school history. Neal won the discus and shot put, Mateya Haintz notched first in the hammer throw and Cubbison won the 1500m. Neal, Haintz, and Brianna Richard qualified for the NCAA East Regional, where Neal placed 10th in the discus to qualify for the NCAA Championship. At the NCAA Championship, Neal finished 15th in the discus to earn second-team All-America honors, which was BGSU's fifth consecutive outdoor season with an All-American.
The Falcons repeated as MAC distance medley relay champions in the 2022 indoor season, with Neal adding a first-place finish in the shot put. Neal qualified for the NCAA Championships in the event, placing 13th and earning second-team All-America honors.
The outdoor season also boded well for the Falcons, as Kailee Perry's then-school-record time in the 1500m gave her a runner-up finish at the MAC Championships, while Neal won the discus just one week after breaking the school record. Kaila Butler won the hammer throw for the second time in her career, as she and Neal qualified for the NCAA Championship. Butler placed 13th, earning second-team All-American for the third time in her storied career.
The 2021 cross country season marked a fourth-place finish for the Falcons behind All-MAC performances from Katerina Shuble and Sydney Niekamp.
In 2021, following the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor season, the 4x400m relay broke the 29-year-old school record at the Texas Relays. A few weeks later, the 4x100m relay topped the previous school record at the Gibson Invitational. At the MAC Championships, the 4x400m relay team earned a first-place finish, as did triple jumper Brianna Richard. The season concluded with Kaila Butler earning All-American honors for the second time in her career at the NCAA Championships.
During the indoor season, the Falcons won four events at the MAC Championship, with the distance medley relay and 4x400m relay teams earning crowns, as well as Savannah Nevels (200m) and Iyanna Ross (400m). These performances pushed the Orange and Brown to a third-place finish, which was their highest placement since 1999 at the time. The season also saw another record fall, as Kailee Perry broke a 35-year-old record in the 3000m at the GVSU Big Meet.
During the abbreviated 2020 cross country season, the Falcons hosted the MAC Cross Country Championships, with redshirt freshman Perry earning the program's first individual women's title since 1995. She paced BGSU to a third-place finish as a team, a seven-spot improvement from the previous season. Perry, who also won the Falcon Invitational, placed 11th among freshmen at the NCAA Championships as she became the first Bowling Green athlete to qualify since 1998.
At the 2020 MAC Indoor Championships, Ross and Ryen Draper traded school-record times in the 400m, with Ross setting the record in the finals with a third-place finish. The duo, grouped with Savannah Nevels and Jazzlyn Gaiters, shattered the program record in the 1600 relay with their first-place finish. Also adding a first-place finish was Kaila Butler in the weight throw. These performances guided the Falcons to a fifth-place finish, their highest since 1999.
In the 2010’s, Snelling’s programs made impressive strides. In indoor track & field, the program scored just one point in 2012 but improved to a third-place finish by 2018. The outdoor track & field team also made dramatic improvements as they scored 69 points in 2019 – the highest point total for the program in 20 years at the time.
In cross country, the women’s team finished as high as MAC runners-up in 2015 – led by MAC Freshman of the Year Rachel Walny – and the men’s team did the same in 2018. Both programs had been among the bottom finishers in the league prior to Snelling’s arrival. The women’s team went from last in the league to second place in just four years. The men’s team made an identical swing in four years as well.
From 2013-22, the Falcons sent at least one competitor to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. During that timeframe, Brooke Pleger, Aliyah Gustafson, Walny and Butler have all earned All-America status for their efforts on the national stage.
Pleger became one of the most decorated athletes in BGSU history, as she was the first female in BGSU athletics history to be named a three-time All-American. Following both the 2013 and 2015 track & field seasons, she was named the MAC Field Athlete of the Year. She also earned the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year honor in both 2014 and 2015.
During his tenure at BGSU, Snelling’s programs have attained high levels of academic achievement.
In 13 of his 14 seasons, the women’s cross country program has earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors by having a cumulative team GPA of at least a 3.0. In 2023 and 2024, the Falcons has a 3.91 and 3.97 GPA, respectively, both the highest of any women’s cross country team in Division I. The track & field program has achieved this honor in each season Snelling has been at the helm as well.
Additionally, he has coached over 100 Academic All-MAC student-athletes.
Snelling arrived in Bowling Green in 2011 after spending eight seasons at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, where he served as head coach of the cross country team and assistant coach for the men’s and women’s track & field programs.
While at Stephen F. Austin, Snelling led his athletes to a level of success that rivaled any program in the region. During his tenure, his teams won a combined 15 conference championships, and his athletes won 32 individual Southland Conference crowns.
During the 2010-11 season, his teams won four of six possible championships. The Lumberjack women’s teams won the cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field titles – the first conference sweep in school history. That year as well, the men’s track & field team won the SLC outdoor championship for the first time in program history.
In 2013, Snelling was one of just eight coaches recognized to the All-Time Southland Conference Cross Country Honor Roll in recognition of the league’s 50th anniversary.
Prior to his stint at Stephen F. Austin, Snelling spent three years as a volunteer assistant coach for the nationally ranked men’s track and cross country programs at Indiana University. While a Hoosier, he prepared practice and competition schedules for freshmen, facilitated day-to-day responsibilities for the programs and spent time as recruiting coordinator.
During the 2002-03 season, Indiana’s cross country team ranked in the top 20 nationally and produced two All-Big 10 conference runners. The men’s track & field team finished in the top ten during the indoor season, and that team featured the NCAA runner-up in the mile (John Jefferson).
Snelling earned a masters degree in public affairs from Indiana in 2003 and a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from the University of Central Florida in 2000. Snelling competed as a member of the cross country and track teams while an undergraduate student at UCF. As a Golden Knight, he served as team captain and won all-conference awards.
Snelling is married to the former April Vitori, who also competed for the UCF cross country and track teams. The couple has two children, Louie and Madie, and reside in Bowling Green.
BGSU UNDER LOU SNELLING
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
| Year | MAC Finish (Pts.) | NCAA Regional Finish (Pts.) |
| 2011 | 9th of 9 teams (256) | 24th of 31 teams (640) |
| 2012 | 9th of 9 teams (277) | 28th of 30 teams (899) |
| 2013 | 9th of 9 teams (228) | 25th of 31 teams (675) |
| 2014 | 9th of 9 teams (276) | 26th of 30 teams (793) |
| 2015 | 7th of 9 teams (189) | 23rd of 30 teams (589) |
| 2016 | 5th of 9 teams (107) | 19th of 30 teams (509) |
| 2017 | 3rd of 9 teams (107) | 19th of 26 teams (478) |
| 2018 | 2nd of 9 teams (86) | 10th of 29 teams (315) |
| 2019 | 8th of 9 teams (190) | 21st of 29 teams (560) |
| 2020 | 8th of 8 teams (183) | CANCELED |
| 2021 | 8th of 8 teams (195) | 25th of 30 teams (666) |
| 2022 | 8th of 8 teams (176) | 23rd of 29 teams (607) |
| 2023 | 9th of 9 teams (229) | 26th of 30 teams (741) |
| 2024 | 9th of 9 teams (259) | 30th of 31 teams (840) |
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
| Year | MAC Finish (Pts.) | NCAA Regional Finish (Pts.) |
| 2011 | 12th of 12 teams (379) | 33rd of 33 teams (1,044) |
| 2012 | 8th of 12 teams (206) | 17th of 32 teams (516) |
| 2013 | 6th of 12 teams (156) | 17th of 33 teams (491) |
| 2014 | 4th of 12 teams (127) | 13th of 32 teams (393) |
| 2015 | 2nd of 12 teams (72) | 9th of 31 teams (306) |
| 2016 | 3rd of 12 teams (116) | 15th of 32 teams (382) |
| 2017 | 9th of 12 teams (189) | 17th of 31 teams (482) |
| 2018 | 7th of 12 teams (155) | 15th of 32 teams (461) |
| 2019 | 10th of 12 teams (251) | 26th of 31 teams (671) |
| 2020 | 3rd of 12 teams (90) | CANCELED |
| 2021 | 4th of 12 teams (136) | 14th of 31 teams (432) |
| 2022 | 6th of 12 teams (138) | 18th of 31 teams (515) |
| 2023 | 4th of 12 teams (117) | 13th of 32 teams (361) |
| 2024 | 4th of 12 teams (102) | 11th of 32 teams (318) |
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
| Year | MAC Indoor Finish (Pts.) | MAC Outdoor Finish (Pts.) |
| 2012 | 11th of 12 teams (14) | 12th of 12 teams (1) |
| 2013 | 11th of 12 teams (12) | 10th of 12 teams (23) |
| 2014 | T-8th of 12 teams (38) | 7th of 12 teams (60) |
| 2015 | 9th of 12 teams (35) | 9th of 12 teams (48) |
| 2016 | 8th of 12 teams (39) | 6th of 12 teams (52) |
| 2017 | 4th of 12 teams (44) | 7th of 12 teams (60) |
| 2018 | 3rd of 12 teams (68) | T-7th of 12 teams (58) |
| 2019 | 9th of 12 teams (32) | 7th of 12 teams (69) |
| 2020 | 5th of 12 teams (68) | CANCELED |
| 2021 | 3rd of 12 teams (86) | 7th of 12 teams (74) |
| 2022 | 8th of 12 teams (48) | 8th of 12 teams (61) |
| 2023 | 3rd of 12 teams (74.5) | 4th of 12 teams (91) |
| 2024 | 4th of 12 teams (59) | 9th of 12 teams (47) |
| 2025 | 1st of 12 teams (95) | 1st of 12 teams (130) |
Lou Snelling Post-NCAA Great Lakes Regional Interview (November 15, 2024)
Friday, November 15
Lou Snelling Post-MAC Championships Interview (November 2, 2024)
Friday, November 15
Candace Archer Post-Meet Interview (October 18, 2024)
Monday, October 21
Lou Snelling Post-Meet Interview (October 18, 2024)
Monday, October 21
