A year in review- the top moments of 2023 for BGSU Athletics

The start of a new year can often be exciting with the potential for new highs springing forward after December 31st.

While that may be enticing, it is always fun to look back at the year and pick out your favorite moments.

Here are ours for 2023:

Falcon Football Lands Connor Bazelak: Early in the year on January 15th 2023, BGSU football received a commitment from junior quarterback Connor Bazelak, who played at two separate power 5 schools (Missouri and Indiana). The pickup for the Falcons recorded a stat line of 168-277, 1935 yards, 14 total touchdowns and seven interceptions. Following BG’s regular season finale against Western Michigan, Bazelak announced he will return for the 2024 season.

Connor Bazelak throwing the ball (Drake Harlett)

Todd Simon becomes head coach for men’s basketball: With a disappointing 11-20 season behind them, the Orange and Brown brought in Todd Simon on March 15th, a head coach from Southern Utah who so far has nearly eclipsed last season’s win record, sitting at 9-3 before the New Year. Simon replaced former head coach Michael Huger, who is currently an assistant coach at Temple University.

Todd Simon gets introduced to the fans during BGSU women’s basketball’s game against Liberty (Jack Rintamaa)

BGSU’s Abolnik travels to Regionals for first time since 2019: On March 30, Katrina Mendez Abolnik became the first Falcon since 2019 to participate in NCAA regionals for gymnastics. She placed 28th overall and scored 9.900 in the vault.

BGSU creates “the Ziggy Collective”: On March 30 also, BGSU announced a newly formed partnership with Blueprint Sports to create an NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) collective, which helps student athletes collect revenue on their name, image and likeness. This can be used as a tool to draw more traction to recruits and bring in more high-quality athletes. An example of an athlete who is utilizing her NIL profile to boost her resume is BGSU softball’s Ellie Price.

BGSU students and athletes singing the alma mater (Jack Rintamaa)

Women’s basketball goes on magical run to WNIT Fab Four: The entirety of the 2022-2023 season for BGSU women’s basketball was magical, but it was capped off by a postseason run for the ages. BGSU, after losing in the Mid-American Conference Championship to Toledo, made it to the WNIT. The Falcons started with wins over Liberty, Green Bay and Memphis, before earning a signature win against Florida. The Falcons rolled along in front of sold out Stroh Center crowds all the way to the Fab Four, before ultimately falling to Columbia. The run capped off a season in which the orange and brown tied the school and MAC record for wins in a season (31).

Lexi Fleming and Amy Velasco fired up after a basket. (Drake Harlett)

Karl Brooks gets drafted by Green Bay Packers: Many eyes in Bowling Green were watching the 2023 NFL Draft on April 27-29, as defensive lineman Karl Brooks was speculated to be a coveted piece and had the potential to be drafted. That he was, as the Green Bay Packers took him in the sixth round at pick number 179. In his rookie season, Brooks has been effective for Green Bay, registering eight tackles and three sacks so far this season.

Karl Brooks going for a sack against Toledo’s Tucker Gleason (Drake Harlett)

BGSU volleyball reaches fifth straight MAC Championship match: It was a tumultuous time for BGSU volleyball starting in the month of August when star Petra Indrova suffered a season-ending knee injury before the start of the season. From a multitude of different injuries throughout the season, a six match losing streak, and the death of head coach Danijela Tomic‘s father just before the end of the regular season, the Falcons faced constant episode of adversity. But overcome them they did, winning 10 of the last 11 games to reach the 2023 MAC Tournament as the six seed. In the tournament, BGSU defeated Ball State and Buffalo to clinch a spot in the MAC title for the fifth straight year, ultimately falling to a juggernaut in Western Michigan.

Jaden Walz celebrates after a point against Miami (Drake Harlett)

BGSU stuns Georgia Tech in Atlanta: It seems like every year under Scot Loeffler, BGSU football just finds a way to win a game or two that you would never expect them to. Enter the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who in week five of the season hosted BGSU in a game in which they were a 21-point favorite according to Caesars Sportsbook. But behind dominant control of time of possession, four forced turnovers, as well as a SportsCenter Top 10 moment out of Finn Hogan, BG pulled the upset by a final of 38-27.

A showdown at the Stroh with #1: While the result was not what was most Falcon fans wanted, the energy for this game was unmatched. Former South Carolina assistant coach and current BGSU women’s basketball head coach Fred Chimel became the head coach on April 3 and had the chance to impress against his former team. The excitement for the game was fueled by the fact that BGSU had never played against a number one team in the country, and this blue blood was about to be in their backyard. The December 19 matchup filled the Stroh Center with over 4,000 fans, but the Gamecocks came away with a 93-62 win over the Falcons.

Dawn Staley and Fred Chmiel embrace pregame (Drake Harlett)

These moments should make Falcon fans and athletes alike excited for the new year to come, and have all of our eyes glued to games and events for more jaw dropping plays and memorable moments.

From us to all of you, have a happy New Year!

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