Cross Country Teams Begin Lou Snelling Era At Toledo

The Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country teams open the 2011 season on Friday, Sept. 2 when they travel to Toledo for a triangular meet with the Rockets and Eastern Michigan.

The men's team returns several experienced runners, including Jason Salyer, who had two top-ten finishes in 2010 and was BGSU's top runner at the 2010 Mid-American Conference Championships.  The team also features several talented freshmen that come to BGSU from several Midwest states, including Michigan and Illinois.

For the women's team, the 2011 season will be one of transition as the program attempts to lay the groundwork for consistent success in the MAC.  For this reason, several of the team's freshmen and the team's top runner from 2010, Abby Koch, will redshirt this year to extend their eligibility.  Veteran runners such as Saisha Gailliard and Taylor Stichter will lead the 2011 Falcons during meets. 

Head coach Lou Snelling begins his first year with the Falcons this weekend after a successful run as head coach of the cross country teams at Stephen F. Austin University.  While there, Snelling earned Southland Conference Coach of the Year honors six times.  He also served as assistant track and field coach and, overall, led his teams to 15 Southland Conference team championships.

Bowling Green's first meet will be a difficult one, as it features MAC powers in both the men's and women's races. 

Eastern Michigan is the defending men's MAC champion and is ranked 11th in the Great Lakes Region in the preseason rankings released on Monday by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).  EMU is the highest-ranked MAC team in the poll. 

Conversely, Toledo won the women's conference crown in 2010 and enters the season as the number two team in the Great Lakes Region as determined by the USTFCCCA rankings.  Only Michigan ranks higher.  In the national USTFCCCA poll, released on Tuesday, the Rockets are ranked 27th.  They are the only MAC team to make an appearance in the men's or women's preseason national poll.

Both races on Friday evening will be 5,000 meters.  The men's race begins at 6:00 p.m., and the women's race starts 45 minutes later.  The event will occur at the Ottawa Park Golf Course, site of the 2011 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship.  There is no charge for spectator admission, and fans can park in the clubhouse parking lot.

Following Friday's meet, the Falcons will not race in another meet until September 30, when they travel to Cedarville, Ohio for the 2011 All-Ohio Championships. 

Snelling stated that Friday's meet, as well as the break prior to the All-Ohio meet, will be used as an opportunity to train and become better prepared for the last two regular season events, as well as for the championship meets in October and November.

Below is Coach Snelling's first interview with BGSUFalcons.com.  In the interview, he discusses this year's team and what he expects from the season, as well as his vision for the future of BGSU's cross country program.