After finishing eighth at last season’s Mid-American Conference Championships, men’s cross country is looking to rebound with a blend of youthful vigor and veteran experience.

“This is our best team that Bowling Green has had in about a decade, and we’re looking to be contenders for the MAC,” said senior Kevin Kaighin.

Last season’s team was co-captained by Bryan Jackson (now an assistant coach with the team) and Steve Vairetta. Both of these two have graduated. This season, the team looks to be led by the senior experience of Rogers Kipchumba and Kevin Kaighin, as well as by captains Edgar Ramirez and Curtis Farnsel.

Kipchumba and Kaighin will be the only seniors on a team with three freshmen and four juniors. The freshmen are Kyle Kilbane, Eddie Kipchoge and Hillary Maiyo. The juniors include Curtis Farnsel, Dennis Hange, Edgar Ramirez and Brad Wells (coach Wells’ brother ).

Kipchoge and Maiyo hail from the same Kenyan town (Eldoret) as senior Rogers Kipchumba. Edgar Ramirez is the only player not from either Eldoret, Kenya or the state of Ohio.

“We have a fairly small team this year with nine men on the roster but we have a talented group and I expect that they will be able to make a vast improvement as a team this season,” said coach Cami Wells. “With such a small team we will be counting on everyone to do his part. The men have put in a good summer of training and are looking forward to getting started.”

Wells is in her eighth season with BG as the women’s cross country coach and is in her fifth season as the men’s coach.

Runners are enthusiastic about the team’s chances this fall.

“Adding Eddie, Hilary and Brad to this team helps put us in the upper echelon of the MAC,” Kaighin said.

Kaighin is expecting big things this season with additions of the brand new crop of freshmen.

“Anything out of a top three finish at the MAC Championships is unacceptable, I believe, and this is the first season in a long time at Bowling Green that this has been the case,” Kaighin said.

For the upcoming season, BG will be running four times in front of the home fans. The Falcons will compete in the Toledo Dual on Sept. 1, the Mel Brodt Invitational on Sept. 16, the Falcon Invitational on Oct. 14 and the Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 11.

BG will be on the road for the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sept. 23, the All-Ohio Championships in Delaware, Ohio, on Oct. 6, the MAC Championships in Buffalo, N.Y., on Oct. 28 and the NCAA Championships in Terry Haute, Ind., on Nov. 20.