The BG women’s track team earned 181 points, placing first in six events at Friday’s BG Invite to secure a second place finish behind Central Michigan (217).
The Falcons easily beat Detroit Mercy (78), Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (35), and Heidelberg (24). Facing Central on Saturday gave the Falcons a preview of what they will be up against in the Mid-American Conference indoor championships in three weeks.
“Overall, competing against one of the top teams in the MAC, we did real well,” head coach Scott Sehmann said. “I knew coming in that there were some good kids there. It’s good for us to know who we need to focus on come conference time.”
The pressure of Central Michigan’s tough competitors proved to be a positive factor for sprinter Alicia Taylor. Taylor broke her own school record in the 60 meter hurdles in a time of 8.52.
“In the prelims, it just feels differently when somebody is that close to you. I’m not used to someone being that close to me. In the finals, it really did help me,” Taylor said.
The Falcons enjoyed success in several other sprint events. In an extremely close finish in the 60 meter dash, Valerie Holland and Jessica White took second and third place, respectively. White also placed first in the 200 meters. Lyndi Springer and Danielle Zumfelde finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 400 meters. BG racked up two first place finishes in the middle distance races. Ashley Tukes won the 600 meters, followed by Heather Gustin in second place. Melissa Krueger won the 800 meters in a season-best time of 2:16.50.
Krueger also credited Central’s tough runners with providing motivation to run faster.
“When you have someone here, you just want to go after them. That’s someone that’s pacing you. It really did help to have someone out there to push it,” Krueger said.
Distance runner Amber Culp also experienced the push of Central’s runners as she edged out Central’s Danielle Quisenberry to win the 3000 meters. Fellow distance runner Leighann Kramer took fourth in the 5000 meters.
Taylor, Holland, Springer and Tukes teamed up to finish second for the Falcons in the 4×400 meter relay. Holland and Springer were serving as alternates for Marquita McGowan and Tamika Dixon, both relay regulars. The Falcon ‘B’ team took third in the event.
Taylor expressed pride in the performance of the ‘A’ relay team, as Saturday was their first time competing together.
“They [Holland and Springer] stepped up to the plate and did a really good job. It just shows that we have more depth and that we’re ready for anything. I think we’ll be ready for MAC,” Taylor said.
The Falcon jumpers dominated their events. In the high jump, Erica Wilson and Tamika Dixon finished second and third, respectively.
Wilson also won the long jump, while Dixon placed fourth. In the triple jump, Veronica Vance and Nicole Standback placed second and third, respectively.
Paris Bussey placed third in the shot put and pole vaulters Jennifer Peck and Melja Seibert took fourth and fifth, respectively, in their event.
With the All-Ohio Championships Saturday, Sehmann and the Falcons are focused on preparing for the weekend, as well as the MAC Championships in three weeks.
“We had a few areas we were a little thin in because of injuries. There are a few areas we need to get a little stronger in,” Sehmann said. “We’re learning how to compete and I think that’s the big thing. Progression is a process, and I think we’re growing every week. There’s always work to be done.”
Work is not something unfamiliar to Sehmann’s Falcons.
“Our goal is to win the All-Ohio,” Krueger said. “Every meet is another stepping stone towards success.”
With that, Sehmann and the BG women’s track team are back to practicing, working on making some improvements before the All-Ohio championships Saturday. The meet will take place in Findlay.
