Chargers send three to Indoor Nationals, place second at Indoor Conference Championship

Home Charger Track and Field Chargers send three to Indoor Nationals, place second at Indoor Conference Championship
Chargers send three to Indoor Nationals, place second at Indoor Conference Championship

The Hillsdale College women’s track and field team came in second to the University of Findlay in the G-MAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, scoring 118.5 points. Two athletes won conference titles in the 200 meter and weight throw and the team had five runner ups.

Head Coach Andrew Towne said that the meet didn’t go quite as well as they wanted it to but he was still proud of their effort. 

“I think our girls will be in a good position to compete for all-American honors and national championships,” Towne said. “Anytime you go through a championship meet there’s things to be learned and I feel pretty confident that they’ll learn the things they need to be ready for the next one.”

Towne said the team’s biggest challenge was that Findlay has a really good program and that there were a few spots they didn’t do as well in but he was still proud of their effort. 

“We’re excited for a couple girls to go to NCAAs and as we move to outdoors at the end of the month,” Towne said. “We feel good about who we have and how we can continue to get better.”

Starting out in the pentathlon, the Chargers excelled as they made top spots in each event. Overall, freshman Neva Polo took fifth with a total of 2900 points. Polo was followed by sophomore Judith Allison in ninth with 2750 points and sophomore Allison Nimtz in eleventh with 2694 points.

In the 60 meter hurdles, sophomore Judith Allison finished fifth with a time of 9.70 seconds. In the high jump, Polo also took fifth, reaching a height of 1.51 meters. Next, in the shot put portion, Polo took third and Nimtz took fourth. 

Polo threw a length of 10.41 meters and Nimtz threw a length of 10.34 meters. Next, in the long jump, Polo took fifth, jumping a distance of 4.94 meters. Polo was followed by Allison in seventh with a distance of 4.90 meters and Nimtz with a distance of 4.70 meters. 

Finishing the pentathlon strong in the 800 meter, Allison finished second with a time of 2:35 minutes, Nimtz in fourth with a time of 2:43.68, and Polo in seventh with 2:45.90 minutes. 

The distance medley team finished in second, reaching a time of 11:57.09 minutes. The team consisted of sophomore Gwynne Riley and freshmen Josee Behling, Reese Dragovich, and Elizabeth Wamsley. 

In the 1 mile run, Riley took third with a time of 4:58.44 minutes. 

Freshman Louisa Klaserner took fifth in the 60 meter hurdles at 8.95 seconds.

In the 400 meter dash Stamm took second with a time of 57.01 seconds and was followed by Eby in fifth with a time of 58.40 seconds. 

In the 800 meter dash, Dragovich also carried a strong performance as she took third with a time of 2:17.08 minutes.

Junior Zalonya Eby won the conference title for the 200 meter dash, taking first with a time of 25.15 seconds. 

Wamsley continued to dominate as she took third in the 3000 meter run and finished with a time of 9:54.63 minutes. 

Wamsley also said she was happy with her performance and is hoping to strengthen her mindset while racing and try to push herself more. 

“I think this was a great finish for the indoor season, since the training from my coach has really paid off and now I have another season of experience under my belt,” Wamsley said. 

The 4×400 meter relay team finished second with a time of 3:53.63. The team consisted of sophomore Dakota Stamm, Behling, Dragovich, and freshman Isabella Gutierrez. 

Junior Nikita Maines continued her streak from last week as she took first in the weight throwing event, winning the conference title and reaching a personal best of 19.69 meters. 

Freshman Katie Sayles followed Maines taking sixth and reaching a distance of 17.12 meters. 

Sayles said that after last week’s performance, her goal was to focus on her movements and replicate what she had done prior. 

“Going into the competition, I just wanted to push myself and do the best I could in preparation for conferences,” Sayles said. 

Sayles also said that she was grateful to compete with the team and that while she isn’t fully satisfied with her performance, she was still thankful to what she could do for the team. 

“For nationals, I’m working on maintaining my form and getting in the best mindset to take on other great athletes,” Sayles said. “It’s best to have fun in competition and with fun comes great marks.”

In the long jump, sophomore Emily Gerdin placed fourth with a distance of 5.49 meters. In the triple jump event, Gerdin took second, reaching a distance of 11.65 meters. 

Gerdin said her performance in the long jump was a season best and her score in the triple jump was a lifetime best. 

“I’m hoping to tune up a couple things with my form and focus on controlling my nerves,” Gerdin said. “I think it was a great start, I ended up jumping way better than I expected and hope to keep improving from there.”

Maines and Parker excelled again as Maines took second and Parker fourth in the shot put event. Maines threw a distance of 14.87 meters and Parker a distance of 14.65 meters. 

The women’s track team will compete again on Friday March 11 and Saturday March 12 for the NCAA DII Indoor Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas.