The BGSU track and field team continued its success this past weekend with several good showings in Hillsdale, Mich. at the 40th annual Gina Relays. The team continues to drive toward the Mid-American Conference Championships and NCAA Regionals.
Jamie Roflow qualified for Regionals in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:27.36. That time gave her a first place finish in the event and broke the school record by 10 seconds. She had also previously qualified for Regionals in the 5,000-meter run. Also, Kim Settle ran an impressive 11:13.45, leaving her fourth all time on the school’s list in the event.
“Jamie ran a great race on Friday and brought her time down by 30 seconds from her previous best last year,” said Falcon Assistant Coach Cami Wells. “She is now seeded second in the conference in that event and has established herself as a strong contender at the regional level. She is running great right now and really looked impressive.”
Wells believes the reason Roflow has improved so much is because she has been more aggressive and she also has been running in shorter races to improve her speed.
“Jamie gives her all every time she steps on the track,” said Angela Raizis. “She pushes through the pain and you can just see it with every step. She shattered the record and will continue to get stronger in the steeple and in every race that she does.”
Another Falcon making headlines week in and week out has been Whitney Hartman, a product of Bowling Green High School. She qualified for Regionals in discus with a distance of 144-05.00, finishing sixth. Lauren Bryant finished ninth in the event, too.
Wells said Hartman has been consistent all year and she is close to breaking the school record.
Raizis added that Hartman improves all the time and believes she will create an impact at the MAC Championships in two weeks.
“I think they were outstanding,” Kylie Korsnack said of Hartman and Bryant. “We can always count on those two to perform to the best of their ability and score points for us. I know these two girls are going to continue to improve in these last few weeks of the season.”
Bridget Dalic set a new personal record in the 10,000 meters. She finished ninth with a time of 37:56.34. Another Falcon nearly set a personal record as Nicole Standback turned in a time of 14.19 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. That allowed her to finish third in the event.
The team showed itself well in the shot put as two Falcons finished in the top 10. Takara Dunning finished second with a toss of 47-05.25 while Paris Bussey finished seventh with a distance of 44-00.75.
“The team competed very well in every event and the majority of the team had season and or personal bests this weekend,” Wells said.
Raizis added that the team probably did better than even their expectations, citing many new personal records and season bests.
The team also got a third place finish from Erica Wilson in the high jump. The 4×400 meter relay team turned in their best time of the season in 3:54.78 seconds. The team consists of Lacey Cochran, Lyndi Springer, Megan McAuley and Yemoja Marotta.
The Falcons must now turn their attention to Toledo, as they will compete in the Toledo Invitational next weekend. Coincidentally, they will also travel to Toledo in two weeks for the MAC Championships.
“We are definitely going to prove that we can go out and compete in all areas,” Raizis said. “This weekend showed a lot of heart and improvement, but the best is yet to come. I think the other MAC teams are going to be surprised.”
Wells believes the keys for the next two weekends will be staying healthy and “getting mentally prepared”.
“As a team we are looking to give everything we have in the MAC Championships,” Korsnack said. “We are going to show the MAC that we are a better team then our 10th place finish during indoor season reflects. We have grown so much as a team since then and are ready to perform at our highest potential.”
