Four Falcons Named To Academic All-MAC Team

Cleveland, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference released the 2011 Indoor Track and Field Academic All-MAC Team on Friday (April 8), and four Bowling Green State University athletes were voted onto the team. The Falcons tied with Akron and Central Michigan for the most athletes on the team.

To qualify for nomination, an athlete must carry a 3.2 grade point average, must have participated in at least half of a team's meets, and cannot be in their first year as a freshman or transfer with their current school.

Bowling Green's 2011 Academic All-MAC team members are Heather Conger, Megan Kelsey, Brittani McNeal and Barbara Powers. The group represents the largest number of BGSU honorees during head coach Cami Paulson's tenure. 

Heather Conger, a senior biology major from South Euclid, Ohio, ended the most recent term with a cumulative 3.313 GPA. In her final indoor season as a Falcon, she helped the team score seven of its 45 points at the MAC Championships. She ran the third leg of both the 4x400 meter relay and the distance medley relay, as the teams finished seventh and fourth, respectively.

Conger primarily raced the 800 meters in individual events during the season. Her season-best finish and time came at the Akron Invitational, where she placed third in 2:14.85.

Megan Kelsey is a senior from Kettering, Ohio; she carries a 3.936 GPA in dietetics. Kelsey's season highlight was a first-place finish in the mile run at the Tom Wright Classic. Kelsey also raced in the 3000 and 5000 meters during the 2011 indoor season. She placed seventh in 10:22.26 in the 3K run at the BGSU Challenge, then finished in 10:26.80 at the MAC Championships. In the 5K, Kelsey had a season-best day at the All-Ohio Championships, where she placed 13th and completed the run in 18:16.91.

Brittani McNeal, a criminal justice major with a 3.333 GPA, is a native of Romeoville, Ill. and is in her final season with the Falcons. McNeal earned a silver medal at the 2011 MAC Indoor Championships after a leap of 5.89 meters in the long jump. The mark was a season best, and her medal was one of three won by the Falcons in the championship meet. Overall, McNeal scored 15 of BGSU's 45 points. Seven of those points were earned when she joined Heather Conger in the 4x400 and distance medley relays. 

McNeal earned several other top-ten finishes during the season. At the BGSU Challenge, she placed second in the long jump and third in the 400-meter dash. She earned fourth place in the 200-meter dash at the Akron Invitational and paired that with a sixth-place long jump finish.

Barbara Powers carries a perfect 4.0 GPA as an exercise science major. The Bowling Green, Ohio native earned five points in her final indoor MAC championship meet when she ran the first leg for the distance medley relay team that finished fourth. Individually, Powers best result of the season occurred at the Akron Invitational, when she finished second in the mile run. She earned that spot with a season-best time of 5:05.18. She also placed third in the mile run at the Tom Wright Classic. Powers placed in the top-ten at the All-Ohio Championships with a 17:58.24 run in the 5000 meters. She finished fifth in the 3000 meters at the BGSU Challenge after crossing the finish in 10:09.39.

This is the first time each of these athletes has appeared on the indoor Academic All-MAC team; Powers was named to the outdoor team after the 2010 season. This is also the first time any BGSU athlete has earned an indoor Academic All-MAC nod since the 2009 season.

Overall, fourteen Falcon athletes were nominated for the honor – that represents the most nominees of any MAC school in 2011. No other MAC school had more than 12. Receiving honorable mention status were: Autumn Dettmann, Rachael Doughty, Saisha Gailliard, Abby Koch, Alixe Korsnack, Courtney Krummert, Taylor Stichter, Allison Weimer, Tara Weiss, and Carly Wells.

The entire 2011 Indoor Track and Field Academic All-MAC Team is below:

2010-11 Women's Academic All-MAC Indoor Track and Field Team
Katherine Lee, Akron
Kim Lorentz, Akron
Cassie Schenck, Akron
Valerie Wert, Akron
Thekla Lorenz, Ball State
Heather Conger, Bowling Green
Megan Kelsey, Bowling Green\
Brittani McNeal, Bowling Green
Barbara Powers, Bowling Green
Ajla Glavasevic, Buffalo
Becky O'Brien, Buffalo
Shante' White, Buffalo
Katie Christensen, Central Michigan
Danielle Dakroub, Central Michigan
Raeanne Lohner, Central Michigan
Alexandra Sisson, Central Michigan
Lauren Quaintance, Eastern Michigan
Rachel Quaintance, Eastern Michigan
Courtney Calka, Eastern Michigan
Diana Dumitrescu, Kent State
Katie Lenahan, Miami
Kelley Miller, Miami
Rachel Patterson, Miami
Jenner Sio, Northern Illinois
Mary Bull, Northern Illinois
Brittany Tyree, Ohio
Annie Beecham, Ohio
Iris Campbell, Western Michigan
Ashley Hunault, Western Michigan
Rachel Whitley, Western Michigan

2010-11 Women's Academic All-MAC Honorable Mention
Felicia Close, Akron
Ali Bishel, Ball State
MaryKate Mellen, Ball State
Madeline Goheen, Ball State
Autumn Dettmann, Bowling Green
Rachael Doughty, Bowling Green
Saisha Gaillard, Bowling Green
Abby Koch, Bowling Green
Alixe Korsnack, Bowling Green
Courtney Krummert, Bowling Green
Taylor Stichter, Bowling Green
Allison Weimer, Bowling Green
Tara Weiss, Bowling Green
Carly Wells, Bowling Green
Sam Beim, Buffalo
Caitlin Curry, Buffalo
Aimee Hopkins, Buffalo
Ellen Muster, Buffalo
Katie Sanders, Buffalo
Holly Anderson, Central Michigan
Brittany Dixon, Central Michigan
Veronica Garcia, Central Michigan
Stephanie Hurley, Central Michigan
Mykal Imbrock, Central Michigan
Misha Lamphere, Central Michigan
Andrea Pawlowski, Central Michigan
Maddie Ribant, Central Michigan
Asia Rawls, Eastern Michigan
Angela Scarber, Eastern Michigan
Kim Preston, Kent State
Rachael Clay, Miami
Jillian Dickman, Miami
Samantha Gable, Miami
Ruth Rasch, Miami
Katie Scannell, Miami
Ashley Zaper, Miami
Jenelle McCalla, Northern Illinois
Courtney Oldenburg, Northern Illinois
Katie Janssen, Northern Illinois
Breanna Brevitt, Northern Illinois
Jackie Sciacero, Northern Illinois
Samantha McConghey, Northern Illinois
Heather Childs, Northern Illinois
Courtney Weiss, Ohio
Kiley Mathews, Ohio
Kristen Mason, Ohio
Jaimie Cavinee, Ohio
Lauren McCullough, Ohio
Katie Bollin, Toledo
Audra Brown, Toledo
Huijun Jing, Toledo
Amanda Fenton, Western Michigan
Jenna Matthews, Western Michigan