Meet Preview: Falcons Looking to Stay Balanced and Consistent at MAC Indoor Championships
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – At the dawn of the BGSU indoor track & field season, head coach Lou Snelling preached balance and consistency.
Now entering his 14th MAC Indoor Championships at the helm for the Falcons, Snelling believes these two qualities have rung true throughout the season to prepare his squad for the big moment after finishing in the top four at the meet in three of the last four years.
"I think the reason that we do have these opportunities this week is because of balance and consistency," Snelling said. "From a team perspective, we cover a lot of different areas. There are very few events that we invest in that we won't score points in. I love that every event group is going to be very impactful to the overall success. Seeing the growth, we're in a better place now than we were in at the beginning of the season which is the way it should be."
The Falcons have at least one athlete in all but three events with a top 8 mark in the MAC. They have also had competitors break four school records this season – two by Kylee Cubbison (mile and 3,000m), Reese Reaman (800m) and the DMR squad of Reaman, Kiersten Franklin, Rachael Hoover and Cubbison.
Cubbsion, who was second-team All-MAC during last year's indoor season, owns top six marks in the MAC in both events she individually broke program records in (4:42.53 mile, 9:25.00 3,000m).
Franklin, Reaman and Hoover are all newcomers to the team and are expected to be major contributors in individual events as well. Franklin – a transfer from Division II Cedarville University – has showcased her range of sprints this season, as she is ranked in the top eight in the 60m (7.52), 200m (24.37) and 400m (55.33) competitions in the MAC. Freshman Reaman's 800m time is second-best in the MAC (2:08.04 converted) and also owns the seventh-fastest mile (4:46.40), while co-freshman Hoover is ranked fourth in the 800m (2:09.61).
Another key newcomer for the Falcons in the throwing events will be Trista Fintel. The graduate student transfer from Findlay and 2023 Division II indoor shotput national champion has the MAC's best shot put mark (15.94m) and second-longest weight throw toss (19.65m).
Fresh off a performance at the Silverston Invitational that earned her MAC Track Athlete of the Week is yet another newcomer in Erinae Coleman. The freshman, who missed about a month of competition due to injury, is back and will compete in the 60m dash. Going into the Championships, she is tied for the third-best mark in the MAC (7.47) in the event.
Snelling knows the importance of the newcomer group, as he called them "the best class I've ever brought in" on the Falcons Nest Coaches Show at the beginning of the week.
He also knows he can rely on a group he calls "point stealers," who might not necessarily have the marks to score at the Championships going in but could catch fire at the meet. Snelling particularly thinks other throwers such as Lane Anderson, Grace Bradtmueller and Sierra Brinson could help pick up much-needed points for the Falcons.
Graduate student Katherine Mendenhall, who earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2023, does not have a mark in the pentathlon but is looking to be among this group to have an impactful weekend.
As for jumpers, Bianca Staples will lead the way as she is ranked second in the conference in the triple jump (12.24m).
The strong mix of experienced veterans and talented newcomers is hoping to bode well for the Falcons. Snelling also emphasized how important it will be to properly manage the long and grueling two days of the meet.
"We feel like there's a lot of opportunity for us this week and want to take advantage of it," Snelling said. "Sometimes, these Championships feel really big. We need to make sure we're managing the moment and have the awareness to refocus if it feels like the moment is too big. The [best] mark you posted is what got you there, and if you can hit it on that day in the big moment typically it goes pretty well."
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