The cross country season is right around the corner for Bowling Green and there is one major goal the team is looking to reach this season.
“My expectations for this season with both teams is to improve on our MAC finishes,” coach Cami Wells said.
The men’s team is looking to be more competitive both within the team and against their opposition.
“We have 13 athletes on the men’s roster at the present time,” Wells said. “This will make it much more competitive to make the travel squad this year.”
Mario Rothmund is the top returnee with a personal best of 24:37 in the 8K. The only problem is his eligibility as he has applied for medical hardship.
He will be joined by teammates Patrick Maynard and Kris Lachowski, who have personal bests of 26:50 and 26:17 in the 8K. The women’s squad will rely on a steady mix of young and old and Wells is excited about working in youth and experience together. “The women’s squad is a nice mix of experienced upperclassmen and freshmen athletes,” she said. “This will give us a strong group of about 10 runners all fighting for the top five spots.”
The women’s squad will be led into battle by their team captain Amber Culp who returns with personal bests of 17:38 in the 5K and 22:23 in the 6K runs.
She will be closely followed by teammates Melissa Krueger, Elise Gould and Niki Suitor. This triple threat following Culp will only be made stronger when they add in Leslie Carden, who has a personal best time of 17:56 in the 5K.
Just having these runners is not the only thing necessary for the Falcons to reach their goals this season. They will also need lots of practice and determination in order to move up the Mid American Conference ladder.
“The athletes are in a period of tough training right now,” Wells said. “So they will be a little tired going into the meet this weekend.”
The meet Wells is talking about is the EMU Open, which she sees as a perfect opportunity for the team to see if their hard work is paying off.
“This is a nice meet to start the season off with,” she said. “It gives us a chance to see where we are as far as racing shape.”
When scouting the Falcons, one needs to look no further than Culp, who is ever the optimist when it comes to her final season.
“I am excited about the upcoming season,” she said. “I believe that it will be one of our strongest we’ve seen thus far.” The Falcons’ first action will be this Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. at the EMU Open.
