Falcons Hope to Challenge for MAC Title
Mon, Aug, 31 | Women's Cross Country
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – At the 2008 Mid-American Conference cross country championships, the Bowling Green State University cross country team finished fifth out of twelve teams. The fifth place finish doesn't sound too bad, but it wasn't what coach Cami Wells or the team were hoping for.
In 2009, the Orange and Brown are looking to improve on that finish from a season ago.
“The goal for the women's team is to improve on our finish from last year,” Wells said. “Fifth place was kind of a tough pill to swallow because we felt like we should have been fourth place or higher.”
The Falcons will be without four senior runners who raced in the MAC championship last season, but Wells feels like the returners will be able to step up to the task.
“We've got a good strong squad coming back,” Wells said. “I was very pleased with the first week of practice.
“We did lose some seniors last year, but we have a very strong junior and senior class coming back this year.”
Seniors Carly Wells and Andrea Pereira de Almeida and junior Ashley Fischer all ran in the MAC Championship for the Falcons a year ago.
Wells finished 21st with a time of 18:01, Pereira de Almeida crossed the finish line in 18:33 ending up 52nd, while Fischer ended with a time of 18:59.
A big problem for the Falcons last fall was the injury bug, which hindered the performance of some of the team's top runners including junior Barbara Powers and Fischer.
“They were both very strong their freshman year and had some injuries last year,” Wells said of the two junior runners. “They are both back strong and have looked good in preseason practice.”
Another runner who has made and impression during preseason practice is junior Heather Conger.
“Heather Conger has improved tremendously,” Wells said. “She was one of our best middle distance runners, but this is the best she has ever looked in cross country season coming in.”
Freshman Abby Koch appears to be in good shape entering her freshman season.
“Abby Koch looks very strong as I expected she would be.” Wells said. “She was one of the top cross country, track athletes at the state last year.”
Koch finished eighth at the Ohio Division I State Cross Country Meet a year ago and has a personal best time of 18:14 in the 5K.
Currently the team remains virtually injury-free aside from some minor bumps and bruises and Wells realizes staying healthy will be the main factor in how well the Falcons perform his fall.
“Aside from minor injuries right now, everything is going smoothly as far as our health and that's the biggest obstacle we always face in cross country,” Wells said.
The other obstacle will be the Mid-American Conference, which appears to be loaded this season. Miami, which was voted as the pre-season champion by the MAC coaches, returns seven of its eight runners from last year's team. The RedHawks easily won the championship beating second-place finisher Akron by 42 points. Akron, Ohio and Toledo were picked to round out the top four and Bowling Green was predicted to finish eighth.
“The conference is going to be very strong again this year,” Wells said. “The top hasn't changed a whole lot, most people return their top runners, so it will be mostly the same teams racing competing up there for those top spots.”
The Falcons will begin their season at a dual with rival Toledo on Friday, September 4 with the women set to take off at 7:30 p.m. The season will culminate with the MAC Championship on October, 31 at Ohio University.
A complete Bowling Green cross-country schedule can be viewed by clicking HERE.
In 2009, the Orange and Brown are looking to improve on that finish from a season ago.
“The goal for the women's team is to improve on our finish from last year,” Wells said. “Fifth place was kind of a tough pill to swallow because we felt like we should have been fourth place or higher.”
The Falcons will be without four senior runners who raced in the MAC championship last season, but Wells feels like the returners will be able to step up to the task.
“We've got a good strong squad coming back,” Wells said. “I was very pleased with the first week of practice.
“We did lose some seniors last year, but we have a very strong junior and senior class coming back this year.”
Seniors Carly Wells and Andrea Pereira de Almeida and junior Ashley Fischer all ran in the MAC Championship for the Falcons a year ago.
Wells finished 21st with a time of 18:01, Pereira de Almeida crossed the finish line in 18:33 ending up 52nd, while Fischer ended with a time of 18:59.
A big problem for the Falcons last fall was the injury bug, which hindered the performance of some of the team's top runners including junior Barbara Powers and Fischer.
“They were both very strong their freshman year and had some injuries last year,” Wells said of the two junior runners. “They are both back strong and have looked good in preseason practice.”
Another runner who has made and impression during preseason practice is junior Heather Conger.
“Heather Conger has improved tremendously,” Wells said. “She was one of our best middle distance runners, but this is the best she has ever looked in cross country season coming in.”
Freshman Abby Koch appears to be in good shape entering her freshman season.
“Abby Koch looks very strong as I expected she would be.” Wells said. “She was one of the top cross country, track athletes at the state last year.”
Koch finished eighth at the Ohio Division I State Cross Country Meet a year ago and has a personal best time of 18:14 in the 5K.
Currently the team remains virtually injury-free aside from some minor bumps and bruises and Wells realizes staying healthy will be the main factor in how well the Falcons perform his fall.
“Aside from minor injuries right now, everything is going smoothly as far as our health and that's the biggest obstacle we always face in cross country,” Wells said.
The other obstacle will be the Mid-American Conference, which appears to be loaded this season. Miami, which was voted as the pre-season champion by the MAC coaches, returns seven of its eight runners from last year's team. The RedHawks easily won the championship beating second-place finisher Akron by 42 points. Akron, Ohio and Toledo were picked to round out the top four and Bowling Green was predicted to finish eighth.
“The conference is going to be very strong again this year,” Wells said. “The top hasn't changed a whole lot, most people return their top runners, so it will be mostly the same teams racing competing up there for those top spots.”
The Falcons will begin their season at a dual with rival Toledo on Friday, September 4 with the women set to take off at 7:30 p.m. The season will culminate with the MAC Championship on October, 31 at Ohio University.
A complete Bowling Green cross-country schedule can be viewed by clicking HERE.