The BG track and field team picked up a big home win against rival Toledo Thursday night in challenging conditions.
The Falcons finished with a total of 93 points, topping the Rockets, who finished with 90.
“Proud that through everything going on, we stayed focused and did what we should have done,” coach Lou Snelling said. “Running in this weather gives us the confidence to know we can compete in this weather if we need to.”
The meet came down to the last race, the 4×400 relay. The group, consisting of Taylor Rambo, Janette Pettigrew, Brittany Sinclair and Allison Weimer, started off strong and had a commanding lead by the time Weimer, the anchor, crossed the finish line. They finished the race with a time of 4:00.1. Although it was not their best, it was good enough to seal a win for the Falcons.
“We saw indoors how they can handle the pressure at the MAC championships, they just stepped up and took care of business here,” Snelling said. “It’s going to be interesting to see the ceiling for this 4×400 relay group, I think they can be right around that school record come MAC championships.”
There were other good performances from BG, especially from 3000 meter runners Abby Koch and Jasmine Redman. Redman finished first with a time of 10:27.01 and Koch finished second with a time of 10:33.03. That first and second finish allowed the Falcons to pull ahead by one point going into the 4×400 relay.
“Proud of Abby as she just came off the 1500 meter race and gutted out the 3000 meter,” Snelling said.
Andrea Alt, in her first race ever in the 3000 meter steeplechase, beat the MAC qualifying mark with a time of 10:55.98.
“The fact that it was her first 3k steeplechase ever and with the wind blowing the way it was, you have to respect that performance from her,” Snelling said.
The way the Falcons fought through the weather and came away with a win against Toledo will only build confidence and momentum going forward through the rest of the year.
“Proud of the girls of how they competed we always feel good about beating Toledo,” Snelling said. “It’s a nice step forward for our girls to beat this very good Toledo team.”
They will be back in action next weekend as most of the team will compete at the Jesse Owens Classic at Ohio State, while Janette Pettigrew and Brooke Pleger will make the trip to California for the Mt. SAC Relays.
Pleger did not compete in this meet.
