The Bowling Green State University women’s basketball team is preparing for an eight-day foreign tour to kick-start the 2022-23 academic year.

Head coach Robyn Fralick and the Falcons will travel to Costa Rica from August 5-12.

‘We are thrilled for the chance to travel to Costa Rica and experience everything that country has to offer,” said Fralick. “We have been looking forward to this trip for a long time, and we are excited about the opportunities this trip will provide for our student-athletes.”

The trip will include two games against local teams, along with a clinic for local schoolchildren and a community service activity. While in Costa Rica, the Falcons will also participate in several team bonding experiences, including a whitewater rafting trip and a canopy/zipline excursion.

The trip has been funded through donors and extensive fundraising efforts of the BGSU women’s basketball program.

The Falcons will spend the first portion of the trip in Heredia, near San Jose, before heading to Herradura for the final few days of the tour.

“The additional practice time we receive will be invaluable as we prepare for the 2022-23 academic year,” Fralick said. “And, the cultural experiences and team-bonding opportunities from a trip like this will benefit our student-athletes and provide them with memories that will last a lifetime.”

The 2021-22 Falcons, despite losing nearly 75 player-games to injury, won 17 games and advanced to national postseason play for the second-straight season. BGSU went 17-16 overall and 10-10 in Mid-American Conference play, and the Falcons were selected to participate in the Women’s Basketball Invitational. BG went 2-1 in that tourney, finishing the ‘21-22 season with a victory.

A total of 10 student-athletes from that 2021-22 team return in ‘22-23, and are joined by five newcomers, including a pair of transfers.