Bowling Green was well-represented last weekend, as the women’s cross country team placed fifth in a field comprised of almost every university in Ohio.
Jamie Roflow was the first Falcon to cross the finish line at the fiftieth Annual All-Ohio Intercollegiate Cross Country Meet, which took place last Friday afternoon at the Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio.
Roflow was the third overall freshman finisher, placing with a time of 18:52. Following her were senior Melissa Krueger, finishing in 19:16 and sophomore Kim Settle ran a 19:16.
Rounding out the team were Stephanie Hillman (19:27), Andrea Pollack (19:41) and Elise Gould (19:47).
Senior Niki Suitor was in the team’s top four when a cramp in her hamstring forced her to pull out of the race at about the halfway point.
“Niki Suitor was running probably the best I have ever seen her run up until the point she had to stop with the cramp in her leg,” BG head coach Cami Wells said. “She would have helped us out a lot had she been able to finish, but these things happen, and it forced some other runners to step up for us, which was nice.”
The meet included 39 teams and 273 runners. Kent State won the meet, claiming bragging rights as the best team in Ohio. Ohio State, Malone and Miami were the other three teams that beat out the Falcons. The overall individual champion was Ruth Limo, from Cincinnati, in a time of 18:08.
“I was quite pleased with how the women ran Friday. Of course we would have liked to place higher and win but we were very close to those schools ahead of us and with everyone running 100 percent we can beat them,” Wells said.
Most of the runners’ times were slower than in some past meets, but this was mainly due to the tough course and the Friday afternoon heat. Wells said the course is the toughest one they run on all year, and even one of the toughest in the United States.
“The challenging, hilly course leads to slower times overall. Cross country times vary a lot based on the course and the weather,” she said.
The team still has their eyes on the ultimate goal of winning the MAC Championship.
“We have just as good a chance to win as several other teams out there, and if we step up and run to our capability, we will be right in the hunt for the title,” coach Wells said. “We need to start by winning our home meet this weekend.”
The Falcons have one more opportunity to run before the MAC Championships. They will host the Falcon Invitational this Saturday at noon.
