After hitting three automatic qualifying marks last week, the Bowling Green track team will split for the last time this season.
The throwers will travel to the Ashland Alumni Open in Ashland, Ohio, while the remaining Falcons head to Hillsdale, Mich., for the Gina Relays.
The Falcons are the only school with three hammer throwers ranked in the Top 36 in the East Region. Those throwers are Tina Perrine at 36, Kori Reiser at 29 and Brooke Pleger, who is ranked third.
Last week the Falcons hit three more automatic qualifying marks, giving them 10 automarks in the season so far. Redshirt junior Brittany Sinclair and redshirt sophomores Andrea Alt and Jasmine Redman managed to hit them.
Sinclair hit her automark in the 400-meter event, while Redman 5000 meter event and Alt hit hers in the steeplechase events, respectfully.
Head track and field coach Lou Snelling was really impressed with Alt’s performance at the Mt. SAC Relays in California. He said that her goal was to hit the automark and that she stepped up and reached that goal.
“Now she’s qualified to go to conference,” Snelling said. “She took a pretty big step and she’s really putting it together.”
Breaking personal records was another theme of their last meet as the Falcons made a total of nine new records. Freshman Brianna Johnson, Gabrielle Edwards and Kori Reiser were a few among many to set new personal bests this past Saturday.
The progress the team made at the meet was shown in the latest poll released. According to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the Falcons are ranked No. 65 in the country and 14 in the region. Among the schools in the Mid-American Conference, BG is currently ranked fifth.
The Falcons had more news come out on April 22 with senior Jeanette Pettigrew and Pleger being honored on the Women’s Indoor Track and Field Academic All-MAC Team. Eight other members of the team were placed on the honorable mention list.
Snelling said this is a huge chance for the Falcons to further improve their position for the MAC Outdoor championship.
“Things are going positive, but there are automarks out there we can still hit,” Snelling said. “We’re going in the direction that we want to go, but we still have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks.”
The Falcons will compete in the Gina Relays at Hillsdale, Mich. Thursday at 3 p.m. The remaining Falcons throwing squad starts the Ashland Alumni open Friday at 11 a.m.
