Sophomore Ben Haas broke the Hillsdale College record for the weight throw Saturday. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department
Sophomore Ben Haas set a new school record in the weight throw at the Hillsdale Tune-Up meet Feb. 17, a first-place win earning him the second-best NCAA DII mark, while junior Cass Dobrowolski moved up to the twenty-first best mark nationally in the high jump.
In the field, Haas won the weight throw with a mark of 21.78 meters. Dobrowlski won the high jump with a season-best mark of 2.09 meters giving him a chance at earning a spot in the DII indoor national meet.
Also competing for the Chargers in the field was sophomore Connor McCormick, who won the pole vault with a personal best of 4.76 meters.
On the track, senior Owen Gardner placed first in the 60-meter dash with a personal best time of 7.01, followed by senior Jamahl Burke, who placed second with a time of 7.11. Senior Joseph Ritzer placed second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.57. Senior Sean Fagan placed second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.35 seconds. Freshman Rhys Woodard won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:03.40. Junior Richie Johnston placed first in the mile with a time of 4:16.68 and sophomore Emil Schleuter placed third in the mile with a personal best time of 4:31.46.
Senior Drew Ransom placed third in the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, with times of 7.16 and 22.71, respectively.
“There were a lot of personal bests and an even stronger sense of community between position groups as we cheered each other on throughout the meet,” Ransom said.
Also competing for the Chargers in the field was sophomore Connor McCormick, who won the pole vault with a personal best of 4.76 meters.
“I feel really good about my jumping. G-MACs are coming up this week, and we’re all excited,” McCormick said. “Right now we’re just trying to maintain through the week.”
Junior Ryan Van Havel won the long jump with a personal best mark of 5.97 meters.
“It’s good to see the results of a whole semester of hard work, patience, and perseverance pay off,” Van Havel said. “We’ve done the work necessary to compete at 100% and now it’s just a matter of maintaining that energy and ensuring we’re all rested and well-primed for this weekend.”
The Chargers will race next at in Ashland University at the annual G-MAC Indoor Championship meet Feb. 24-25.
“Once again, we need to make sure we’re listening to our bodies and trust that our hard work over the past months has prepared us for success this weekend. There’s no doubt in my mind that everybody’s worked hard so far, so we should dominate,” Ransom said.