A few weeks into the new outdoor season, the BGSU women’s track team is still looking for its place in the Mid-American Conference.
This weekend the team will be headed to Columbus to battle the host Ohio State Buckeyes and perennial conference favorite University of Akron in the All-Ohio Outdoor Championships on Friday and Saturday.
Last year at the All-Ohio Championships, the Falcons finished third behind winner Akron and runner-up Ohio State. Some other teams to watch are University of Cincinnati and Kent State, another fellow MAC rival.
But winning may not be the most important thing on the team’s mind when they get to Columbus.
“As of this date, we do not possess the depth necessary to offset the aforementioned schools we are competing against this weekend,” said BG coach Scott Sehmann. “The intention of the team is to focus on competing hard and securing as high a finish as possible in the events in which we are represented.”
With that in mind, the key components to securing a high finish will be Whitney Hartman, Jessica White and Jamie Roflow.
“Those are the three athletes who have really shown they are capable of competing in two to three events consistently at high level for this program,” Sehmann said. “Their focus on being as good as they can be in this league and at a higher level is a testament to their passion for the sport. I look forward to seeing great things from these young ladies this season and beyond.”
Sehmann is not the only one who believes these three ladies have anchored the team so far. Kylie Korsnack sees the same things as Sehmann.
“The consistency of Jamie in the distance events, Whitney in the throws and Jess in the sprints have really helped our team along this season,” Korsnack said. “We can always rely on those three.”
Roflow and Stephanie Hillman ran the 5,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational while the rest of the team was at Ohio University this past weekend. Roflow qualified for the NCAA Regionals with a time of 16:45.50.
Getting these two ladies back with the rest of the team will give the Falcons a chance to gain some additional points in the long distance races.
“I think we are getting stronger all the time and this weekend we really stepped up,” said Angela Raizis. “We will have Jamie and Stephanie back to help us in their events and I think with all of us doing are best, we have a good chance to do really well at All-Ohio.”
The team plans to make a mark this weekend and try to compete with the best in state. Coach Sehmann already has an eye toward the future, though.
“We are making progress and have had a good history of competing well at OSU,” he said. “With six weeks before the conference meet, I believe we are ahead of schedule from a year ago, with most of our returnees, and look for improved marks and finishes in the end.”
There is still plenty on the line in the six weeks before the MAC Championships. The Falcons can claim state supremacy this weekend with trips to conference rivals Toledo and Eastern Michigan in the upcoming months. The team will also head to Lawrence, Kan. and Hillsdale, Mich.
With the weather unpredictable as usual in Ohio, the team must take full advantage of the warm days that appear. Before they know it, they will have to put it all together as a team in the MAC Championships in six weeks.
