The BG cross country teams finished their seasons Saturday at the Great Lakes Regional Championships.
Mario Rothmund and Amber Culp once again set the pace for their respective squads this weekend as the BG men’s and women’s squads finished up their seasons at the Great Lakes Regional Championships in Purdue.
Rothmund finished 68th out of 210 runners in the 10K race with a time of 32:28.8. This finish left him short of his goal of finishing in the top 25. There are a number of factors that were working against Mario in his quest for an all-conference finish. One of these was the conditions of the course.
“The course was kind of tough and sloppy from the rain the day before,” according to teammate Troy Stiles.
It was also the first time that the men competed in a 10K race. Stiles was the runner-up for the men’s squad, placing 182nd with a time of 35:39.5. The rest of the Falcon finishers were: Kris Lachowski (186th, 35:51.5), Josh Stucky (207th, 37:38.7), and Steve Blasko (209th, 39:06.8).
Overall, the men placed 28th out of 31 schools that competed in the race. The race was won by Wisconsin, followed by Eastern Michigan. These two teams will receive automatic bids into the NCAA Championship meet on Nov.25. MAC Champion Central Michigan placed third and will look to receive an at large bid into that meet. Indiana and Ohio State rounded out the men’s top five.
The overall winner of the men’s race was defending NCAA Champion Boaz Cheboiyo of Eastern Michigan, who finished with a time of 30:08.1. He was followed by teammate Gavin Thompson, Mark Tucker of Butler, John Jefferson from Indiana, and Nate Brannen from Michigan to round out the top five.
On the women’s side, Amber Culp led the Falcons for the sixth consecutive meet, placing 49th out of 217 runners in the 6K race with a time of 22:29.5. This finish made Culp successful in her quest to crack the top 50. Finishing second for the Falcons was Melissa Krueger, who placed 101st with a time of 23:28.4. The rest of the Falcon finishers included: Niki Suitor (128th, 24:06.3), Sarah Lohrbach (138th, 24:19.1), Cyndi Bostdorff (156th, 24:35.3), and Elise Gould (168th, 24:53.7).
Overall, the women placed 18th out of 31 schools competing in the race. Culp was pleased with the way things turned out. “I think we all ended on a happier note than we did at MAC,” Culp said.
The top two schools in the race were Notre Dame and Michigan, who will receive berths in the NCAA Championship meet. Michigan State, Indiana, and Ball State rounded out the women’s top five.
The individual winner of the race was Toledo’s Brianna Shook, who finished with a time of 20:47.1. She was followed by Molly Huddle and Lauren King of Notre Dame and Michelle Carson and Jamie Krzyminski of Michigan State to round out the top five individual finishers.
This race marked the end of the 2002 cross country season. For all the seniors on the squad, it marks the end of their cross country careers here at BGSU. For Cami Wells and all the returning runners, it is time to reflect on this season and to start making plans for next year.
