Following a second-place finish at the G-MAC Championships, the Chargers will now send several teammates onto the NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field Championships.

The athletes advancing to the final round of championships include the 4×400 relay team, the distance medley relay team, mile runners and juniors Meg Scheske and Gwynne Riley, sophomore Averi Parker in shot put, and weight throwers sophomore Katie Sayles and senior Nikita Maines.

“I was really proud of what we did,” head coach R.P. White said. “Day one was kind of a mixed bag. There were some things that didn’t go our way. Day two was our highlight. We really rallied and put together a good day.”

The women’s weight throw team is still ranked first in the nation among DII teams, after six continuous weeks of holding the spot. The women’s track and field team is currently ranked second in the region.

“I feel very happy with how the race went and proud of the team’s performance overall,” sophomore Liz Wamsley said. “For the most part, everyone did what they were supposed to and in some cases exceeded expectations. There’s always something special about the atmosphere at the G-MACs, because all the event groups come together to support one another and do their best to show what we can do as a whole team.”

Wamsley took first place in the 3000m run with a time of 9:44.54, which broke her personal record.

“I think a challenging moment of the race was when I was about halfway and one person took the lead. I was worried about whether or not I’d be able to have a stronger kick at the end than my competitors,” Wamsley said. “My favorite part of the race were the last two laps when I kicked into a final finishing gear and felt strong enough to take the lead. I loved knowing the whole time that I was getting to race with Natalie and Meg, since it’s probably the last time we’ll all be in the same race together.”

Other standout athletes from this weekend include mile runners Scheske and Riley, who took first and second with times of 4:56.77 and 4:56.34, respectively. 

“The mile girls did a beautiful job,” White said. “They ran really fast and broke away from the entire field in a pretty competitive conference.”

Scheske said her success in the mile was particularly meaningful to her as a senior.

“It was very rewarding, and I felt like all of the training that I’ve been doing for all these years has really bore fruit in my races,” Scheske said. “I had this moment of feeling like I had come to, as a runner, which is a really great feeling to experience when it’s your senior year, and you’re on your way out.”

Sophomore Shura Ermakov took second in the 400 meter dash with a finishing time of 55.68. In the pentathlon, sophomore Neva Polo took second with a cumulative score of 3267 points. Sophomore Reese Dragovich took second in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:10, which White said was her personal best.

Next weekend, certain members of the track and field team will advance to compete in the NCAA DII Championships in Virginia Beach March 10-11.