In a win that broke the school record, the women’s 4×400 relay ran a total time of 3:46.35 at Saginaw Valley State University on Feb. 17. Relay runners junior Gwynne Riley, junior Dakota Stamm, sophomore Reese Dragovich, and sophomore Shura Ermakov will now likely advance to the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships due to their time, which ranks ninth in NCAA DII.  

“The goal was to improve our national ranking but we had no expectations for ourselves going into it. We were all just ready to give it our all and leave everything out on the track,” Dragovich said. “My favorite moment from the meet was standing with Gwynne as Shura ran the final leg of the 4×400 and we saw that we broke the school record. That makes you feel like a little kid again.”

Dragovich said the team is now in a good place for championship season.

“We saw quite a few personal bests and provisional marks at the meet,” Dragovich said.

After this weekend’s results, Hillsdale is now ranked 22nd nationally among NCAA DII women’s track and field teams. For the fourth week in a row, Hillsdale’s weight throw team is ranked first nationally for DII.

“We hosted our tune up, and rightfully so, the name of the game is to make some finishing touches right before championship season and our conference championship,” head coach R.P. White said.

White said the whole team has celebrated the weight thrower’s steady ranking.

“To have an event like that where you’re so strong, it’s fun to watch and it’s fun to be around,” White said. “It gives everybody a sense of pride.”

One outstanding athlete from this weekend is freshman Lucy Minning, who broke her personal record in the 60m dash with a time of 7.80 seconds, and in the 200m dash with a time of 25.65 seconds. 

“Especially before conference this weekend, it’s good to have momentum,” Minning said. “I went in with no expectations because every week the outcome could be totally different. I was thinking I would do well; I didn’t think I would have such a big PR in the 200.”

Other successes include sophomore Katie Sayles, who broke her seasonal record with a throw of 19.45m. Sophomore Reagan Dahlquist jumped 1.67 meters in the high jump, earning her a provisional qualifying mark. Freshman Anna Roberts took first in the 800m run, finishing with a time of 2:23.21. In the pole vault, sophomore Kaylee Jackson took first, setting a personal record of 3.70 meters.

Minning said the team is tapering this week to prepare for conferences next weekend.

“It’s very low volume because we want to prepare our bodies to exert all of our energy for this weekend,” Minning said. “You’ll run faster if you’re better prepared and your body is ready.”

According to White, the team is pumped up for conferences after having had so many recent victories.

“There’s a lot of potential,” White said. “There’s a lot of what could happen that goes through everybody’s minds. At the end of the day, we’re excited to go compete, get after it, and see how the points shake out.”