After a win against rival The University of Toledo, the track and field team will compete for the Mid-American Conference championship.
Going into the meet, the Falcons find themselves in a good position, with 13 automatic qualifying marks. They also been ranked as high as 13 in the region according to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The Falcons have had good moments this outdoor season, from athletes such as junior Brooke Pleger remaining unbeaten throughout the regular season and senior Jeanette Pettigrew’s performance in the opening meet at the Raleigh Relays.
Head coach Lou Snelling hopes to see more moments from Pettigrew at the championship meet.
“She’s a fifth year senior and you want to see good things happen for her,” Snelling said. “I think she’ll do well in the meet and will finish on a high note.”
The performances of the young players and veterans have been more in sync this season also. Players such as Andrea Alt, Brianna Johnson, Natalie Sommerville and Kori Reiser have rose to the task in different events throughout the season and have made an impact heading into the finals.
Snelling noted the improvements and said the overall performance of the team is steadily improving.
“It’s pretty positive, especially when you compare it to our previous two years,” Snelling said. “It’s clear that we made improvements and we’ll see that in the meet by moving up the ranks and getting closer to that balance, closer than we were the past two years.”
Snelling also said he feels that the throwers, particularly Pleger and Reiser, will do well in the championship meet. He feels that Pleger will win the individual championship, while he expects to see Reiser gain some experience now to prepare for next year’s championship.
“Brooke really has some good competition in the meet but I see her hopefully winning the individual MAC throwing championship,” Snelling said. “[Reiser] has done very well so far this season so I’m sure she’ll gain some experience out there so she’ll be ready to take the championship next year.”
The MAC championship meet will take place May 15 in Athens, Ohio hosted by Ohio University.
