With MAC Championships On The Horizon, Falcons Make Final Preparations At Ohio State

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Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University indoor track and field team heads into the final weekend of the regular season with small tweaks to make prior to the Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 24-25. BGSU will compete five times at the Buckeye Tune-Up Friday with events beginning at 4 pm.

THE BUCKEYE TUNE-UP
The Buckeye Tune-Up begins at 4 pm Friday and the Falcons will compete in the weight throw, shot put and 800. Elizabeth Iversen will compete in both throws events, while Kaila Butler, Aliyah Gustafson and Rachel Durbin will also be entered in events.

FIELD EVENTS
4:00 pm - Weight throw (Kaila Butler, Elizabeth Iversen)
5:30 pm – Shot put (Aliyah Gustafson, Elizabeth Iversen)

RUNNING EVENTS
7:10 pm – 800 (Rachel Durbin)

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
The BGSU track and field team can be followed all winter/spring long through a number of ways. Social media links are listed below and live results and live video (as available) can be found on BGSUFalcons.com as meets provide those opportunities.

Twitter - @BGAthletics and @BG_XCTrack
Instagram – BGFalcons and BG_XCTrack
Facebook – BGSU Athletics
YouTube – FalconAthletics

IN THEIR OWN WORDS
"We've talked to the team about opportunities. We need to keep following the plan and doing the things that got us here. (Having a week off) can be positive in giving a little more time and attention in terms of preparation, as well as having a physical break from competition. Some groups naturally build in this type of cycle, like the distance runners. For our throwers, they feel like they can keep going. For Aliyah, she wants another shot at moving up the national rankings (in the shot put). It's another opportunity for her." – Lou Snelling, Head Coach

GUSTAFSON THE NEW SHOT PUT QUEEN; WHEAT STILL PUSHING
Aliyah Gustafson has been dominating the shot put since returning from a knee injury a year ago, winning the event at the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. And now she has broken the school record twice in a month. At the Tom Wright Classic, she broke the indoor school record with a throw of 52-feet-10. She followed that up by throwing 53-1.5 at the GVSU Big Meet Friday.

Teammate Makenzie Wheat was the previous school record holder when she threw 52-1 back in 2015. Gustafson's performances, though, have lifted Wheat's results as well. At the GVSU Big Meet, Wheat would have recaptured her own school record when she tossed 53-0.25 if Gustafson hadn't posted her big throw just minutes earlier.

Prior to Wheat breaking the record in 2015, the school record had stood for 21 years since Nikki Lessig threw 51-4.5 in 1994.

Gustafson holds the outdoor shot put school record at 53-0.75, breaking a mark last year that had stood for 11 years. Kerri McClung was the previous record holder at 52-8.25 in 2005.

Gustafson and Wheat hold all of the top five indoor shot put performances in program history and they have combined for seven of the top 10 outdoor performances in BGSU history.

BGSU IN THE MAC RANKINGS
Bowling Green holds three of the top six spots in the league in both throws events. In the shot put, defending outdoor MAC champion Aliyah Gustafson ranks third, while Makenzie Wheat is fourth and Elizabeth Iversen is fifth.

In the weight throw, Iversen is second, while Kayla Velasquez is third and Gustafson sixth.

Dorresha Green ranks second in the MAC in the 60 after posting an automatic qualifying time of 7.50 seconds at Kent State's Golden Flash Gala in December.

60 – 2. Dorresha Green 7.50 (AQ), 14. Kyla Paster 7.67
200 – 9. Cortisha Short 24.82
400 – 6. Taylor Rambo 55.84
3000 – 8. Rachel Walny 9:43.93 (AQ)
5000 – 7. Rachel Walny 16:46.27 (AQ)
1600 relay – 10. Bowling Green 3:50.03
High jump – 13. Raven Porter 5-5 (1.65m)
Long jump – 13. BeJai Fray 18-5.25 (5.62m), t15. Raven Porter 18-4.25 (5.59m), t15. Kyla Paster 18-4.25 (5.59m)
Triple jump – 8. Kyla Paster 38-9.75 (11.83m) (AQ)
Shot put – 3. Aliyah Gustafson 53-1.5 (16.19m) (AQ), 4. Makenzie Wheat 53-0.25 (16.16m) (AQ), 6. Elizabeth Iversen 50-0 (15.24m) (AQ)
Weight throw – 2. Elizabeth Iversen 62-4 (19.00m) (AQ), 3. Kayla Velasquez 61-2.25 (18.65m) (AQ), 6. Aliyah Gustafson 59-5.5 (18.12m) (AQ), 14. Kaila Butler 55-10.25 (17.02m)
Pentathlon – 8. Chasatea Brown 3,285

BGSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Aliyah Gustafson currently ranks 22nd nationally in the shot put, while teammate Makenzie Wheat is just one spot behind in 23rd. The top 16 will advance to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships March 10-11 in College Station, Texas. Listed below are the Falcons ranked among the top 100 nationally in an event.

5000 – 95. Rachel Walny 16:46.27
Shot put – 22. Aliyah Gustafson 53-1.5 (16.19m), 23. Makenzie Wheat 53-0.25 (16.16m), 56. Elizabeth Iversen 50-0 (15.24m)
Weight throw – 63. Elizabeth Iversen 62-4 (19.00m), 82. Kayla Velasquez 61-2.25 (18.65m)

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