TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Bowling Green State University men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to Indiana State University to compete in the Great Lakes Regional Championships on Friday.
The women’s team, led by Kailee Perry’s 44th place individual finish, posted an 18th place team score. Five Falcons set personal bests for the men’s team en route to a 23rd place team score as Cesar Arellano led the Falcons in 90th place.
Women’s 6K Event
The women’s 6k race saw 219 runners competing from 31 schools. The Falcons finished in the middle of the pack with an 18th place team score, recording 515 points and finishing seventh among Mid-American Conference competition. Notre Dame captured the women’s team title with 33 points, while Olivia Markezich (19:54.0) took home the individual title for the Irish. Ohio State joined Notre Dame as automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championship, finishing second in team scoring with 111 points, while Michigan (116), Michigan State (124) and Wisconsin (129) rounded out the top five.
Individual Performances
– Kailee Perry finished first for the Falcons and 44th overall, crossing the finish line at 21:07.9. The senior moved up throughout the race, advancing 17 places from 67th to 50th between the 2k and 4k split before ultimately placing 44th. Perry’s performance marks her best placement at regionals, surpassing her 54th place finish in the 2021 event.
– Freshman Kylee Cubbison posted an 83rd place in her first regional championships, completing the race in 22:02.3. After placing 120th at the 2k split, Cubbison moved up 36 spots over the final 4,000m to finish in the top 100.
– Elise Johnson was the third Falcon to complete the 6k, crossing in 102nd place. The senior posted a time of 22:15.8 in her second career regional race.
– Coming in fourth for the Orange and Brown was freshman Regina Rose, who placed 134th overall. Rose completed her first regional 6k in 22:40.1.
– Rounding out the top five for Bowling Green was junior Kristin Groppe, who posted a time of 23:14.3 for a placement of 157th in her first performance at regionals.
– Other Falcons competing in the meet included freshmen Lillie Katsaras and Emma Hellwege. Katsaras placed 164th with a time of 23:20.4 while Hellwege completed the 6k in 23:37.1 to finish 180th.
“Our big focus at this point is learning from the day and season,” said coach Lou Snelling. “With a team this young, that’s a must for development. We gave a good effort but didn’t put it together as a team.”
Men’s 10K Event
The men’s 10k event featured 196 athletes from 29 teams. The Falcons recorded their best regional finish since 2019, placing 23rd as a team and improving two places from their placement of 25th in the 2021 Great Lakes Regionals.
Five Falcons – Cesar Arellano, Heriberto Alvarez, Mikey Worboy, Hunter Sidle, and Josh Risko – recorded personal bests in the event. Wisconsin and Notre Dame earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships as the top two team finishers with 50 and 61 points, respectively. Michigan (79), Butler (82), and Michigan State (137) rounded out the top five, while Butler’s Barry Keane (29:38.1) captured the individual title.
Individual Performances
– Cesar Arellano recorded a new personal best in the 10k, crossing the finish line with a time of 32:00.1. The senior placed 90th overall, besting his previous best 10k time by 11 seconds in the final race of his career.
– Junior Heriberto Alvarez crossed the finish line in 115th place for the Falcons, completing the race in 32:26.8. Alvarez also recorded a personal best in his first regional race.
– Coming in third for the Falcons was AJ Haffa, who placed 121st overall with a time of 32:30.7. The senior posted the second fastest 10k time of his career in his third regional race.
– Junior Mikey Worboy finished fourth for the Orange and Brown and 132nd overall in his second regional championship. Worboy posted a time of 32:52.6, surpassing his 2021 time of 34:00.1 by over a minute to secure a new personal best.
– Rounding out the top five Falcons was Hunter Sidle, who recorded a time of 33:28.5 in his first regional race. The freshman placed 149th overall in the 10k event.
– Also racing for the Falcons were sophomore Charlie Nowinski and freshman Josh Risko, who placed 159th and 176th, respectively. Nowinski crossed the finish line in 33:44.6 while Risko set his 10k mark at 34:19.6 in his first race at that distance.
“I’m very proud of the way our team handled the NCAA Regional Championships,” said coach Kelly Leatherman. “We went out on a mission to beat Central Michigan and won by 10 points. Five members of the team ran a personal best 10k on a tough course. It was great to see Cesar end his career with a new personal best. We have work to do to get us back as a top-four team in the MAC, but I’m so proud of the work we’ve done to get to this point.”
