BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The Bowling Green State University cross country and track and field program signed eight athletes to its 2027-28 roster, the university announced on Thursday, November 12 — a class that spans distance, middle distance and sprints, and reaches from northwest Ohio to Michigan.
Two of the eight are Ohio distance runners from the same high school. Nick Beatty and Nolan Hicks, both from Springboro High School, signed for men’s cross country. Beatty brings personal records of 4:29.19 in the 1,600 meters, 9:18.39 in the 3,200 and 15:20.4 over 5K in cross country, while Hicks has run 4:21.52, 9:36.33 and 15:35.6 at the same distances, according to Bowling Green State University Athletics.
The class’s most decorated Ohio signee may be Maryn Erdman of Smithville High School, a middle-distance runner known for multiple state titles in the 800 meters, with a personal record of 2:10.88 in the event, BGSU Athletics reported. She is joined in the middle-distance group by Katelynn Egli of Novi High School in Michigan, who has run 2:13.37 for 800 meters, 4:56.13 for 1,600 and 18:02.6 over 5K.
Northwest Ohio is represented in the sprints by Hayden Heller of Anthony Wayne High School in Waterville, who signed with a 400-meter personal record of 55.9 seconds. The remaining three signees are Michigan distance runners: Kaylie Livingston of Whitmore Lake, Maddie Lindley of Holly and Grace Wonch of Lansing Catholic, each with sub-five-minute 1,600-meter marks and 5K cross country times in the 17:39 range, according to the university’s announcement.
“These athletes represent a strong start to our overall Bowling Green XC/TF 27’s recruiting class,” Lou Snelling, the program’s director of cross country and track and field, said in the university’s announcement. “Potential, athletic accomplishment, character, leadership abilities, and academic strength are all trademarks of this group.” Snelling also credited associate head coach Rachel Rhynard for her work building the class, in the announcement.
The coaching staff’s comments in the BGSU release point to immediate Mid-American Conference impact. Snelling said in the announcement that Egli “will make an immediate impact on the track in the Mid American Conference” and that Erdman’s “presence will be immediately felt” in the middle distances, while sprints coach Reggie Trotter said Heller’s improvement in the 400 will fit a sprints group that is getting more competitive across the MAC.
Signing classes like this one are the long game of college running: none of the eight will race for the Falcons until the 2027-28 school year, and the staff said in its announcement that it expects to keep adding to the class over the coming months. For the Ohio signees — Beatty, Hicks, Erdman and Heller — the signings keep in-state talent in-state, continuing a pipeline that runs from Ohio high school tracks to Bowling Green.
The Falcons’ current teams are still finishing the fall. Bowling Green’s volleyball program shares the campus spotlight with a football team coming off a shutout win, and on Saturday the university’s student veterans ruck the Battle of I-75 game ball 24 miles to Toledo. Signing season is also underway across Ohio sports — in northeast Ohio, state champion wrestler Emma Shephard signed with Kent State this week.
What happens next for the Falcons’ class of 2027 is the rest of the recruiting calendar: the program expects to announce additional signees as the signing period continues, and the eight athletes named Thursday will finish their high school careers this winter and spring before arriving in Bowling Green for the 2027-28 seasons.
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