Falcons End Regular Season At Toledo Invitational

Just one week remains until the 2011 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, and the Bowling Green State University track and field team will have one final opportunity to prepare when they travel to Toledo on Thursday and Friday (May 5-6) for 27th annual Toledo Invitational.

The Falcons will be one of seven MAC schools at this weekend's meet.  The number of MAC teams in attendance should provide a good gauge for what will take place in next week's championship meet.  Joining BGSU and host Toledo are Akron, Miami, Ohio, Western Michigan and Kent State. 

For the women's teams in attendance, Thursday's action includes four of the meet's eight field events, as well as the 400 meter hurdles and 10,000 meter run. 

Christina Gagliardo will be the first Falcon to compete at 1:00 p.m., when she takes part in the pole vault.  The javelin throw also begins at 1:00 p.m., with the women's competition taking place shortly after the men's is completed.  Four BGSU athletes -- Paige Lane, Meghan Niehaus, Anna Pomento and Jessie Rowland -- are scheduled to throw. 

Rowland and Pomento are also scheduled to participate in the hammer throw, which begins at 3:00 p.m.  Brooke Pleger, Ashley Harris and Katie Fazekas will also compete.  Rowland currently ranks 18th in the NCAA Division I's East Region with a season-best hammer toss of 57.69 meters.  She ranks 96th or better in each of the four throwing events.  Pleger also enjoys a top-100 ranking in the hammer throw.

Darlene Anderson concludes Bowling Green's slate of events on Thursday by running in the 400 meter hurdles.  On Friday, Anderson runs the 100 meter hurdles at 12:50 p.m., prior to competing in the long jump.

The Falcon throwing team faces their final two events on Friday.  First, in the shot put, Rowland, Harris, Pleger and Pomento will throw for Bowling Green.  Harris, ranked 53rd in the East region, needs to improve on her season best throw (47-7.75) by six inches to move into the top 48.  Only the top 48 earn berths to the NCAA East Region championship meet. 

The same four athletes later compete in the discus throw.  See below for a complete schedule, including Falcon participants.

On Saturday, Tatijana Jacobson travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. for the second day of the Len Paddock Invitational.  Jacobson will compete in the high jump, and (like Ashley Harris) she is on the cusp of qualifying for the upcoming NCAA regional meet.  Jacobson is currently tied for 54th with a best jump of five feet and seven inches.  To reach the top 48, Jacobson needs to improve by less than one inch.

Complete results will be available at BGSUFalcons.com following the conclusion of each day of competition this weekend.

May 5, 2011
1:00pm Women Javelin Finals (30-mins. after men's Javelin)
Paige Lane, Jessie Rowland, Anna Pomento, Meghan Niehaus
1:00pm Women Pole Vault Finals
Christina Gagliardo
3:00pm Women Hammer Finals
Jessie Rowland, Brooke Pleger, Ashley Harris, Anna Pomento, Katie Fazekas
6:00pm Women 400IH Finals
Darlene Anderson
 
May 6, 2011
11:00am Women Shot Put Finals
Ashley Harris, Jessie Rowland, Anna Pomento, Brooke Pleger
11:00am 5000m
Taylor Stichter
12:30pm Women 1500 Meter Run Finals
Alixe Korsnack, Nicole Farr, Ashley
1:25pm Women 400 Meter Dash Finals
12:50pm Women 100mh
Darlene Anderson
1:30pm Women Discus Throw Finals
Ashley Harris, Jessie Rowland, Anna Pomento, Brooke Pleger
1:50pm Women 100 Meter Dash Finals
Alicia Jefferson
2:00pm Men 800 Meter Run Finals
Peter Miles
2:15pm Women 800 Meter Run Finals
Saisha Gailliard, Allison Weimer, Kristin Miller, Caitlin Flack
2:30pm Women Long Jump Finals
Darlene Anderson
2:45pm Women 200 Meter Dash Finals
Alicia Jefferson, Felicia Jefferson