Junior Richie Johnston set a new Hillsdale record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Texas Relays at the University of Texas at Austin, while other Charger athletes competed at the Bobcat Invitational at Texas State University and the Tiffelberg Open at Heidelberg University.

At the University of Texas, Johnston placed third with an NCAA DII provisional qualifying mark time of 8:53.50.  Junior Anna Roberts placed 14th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal best time of 11:29.69. 

Freshman Evyn Humphrey won the 1,500-meter race with a time of 4:28.94, a provisional qualifying mark.

Senior Ross Kuhn placed fourth in the 1,500-meter race with a personal best time of 3:51.72. 

“The races this weekend felt pretty good. Coach White and I had an idea that I was in school record form and right now it’s all about finding races that can help me do that,” Kuhn said. “I definitely prefer outdoor to indoor. As a tall runner the indoor curves break a lot of momentum and affect my stride that outdoor races do not.”

Freshman Allison Kuzma placed 11th in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 16:40.09, a provisional qualifying mark. 

On the track at Texas State University, sophomore Megan Roberts placed 25th in the 800-meter race with a personal best time of 2:17.34. Roberts also placed 35th in the 1,500-meter race with another personal best time of 4:53.39. Junior Gabriel Phillips placed 16th and 11th in the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter races with personal best times of 3:55.94 and 14:56.83. 

Kuhn placed second in the 1,500-meter, beating the time he set in Austin with a new personal best time of 3:48.72.

“I was not too happy with the 3:51, but being able to bounce back the next day and run a 3:48 was great and just shows what kind of shape I am in to be able to run a PR a day after racing already,” Kuhn said. “I do believe I am on the verge of breaking the school record. My training has been very good lately and now it’s just about staying healthy and continuing to do the right things in training to put myself in a position to do so.”

Humphrey placed second in the 1,500-meter race with a time of 4:26.21. Sophomore Savannah Fraley placed sixth in the 5,000-meter race with a personal best time of 17:43.90. 

In the field, junior Tara Townsend placed third in the pole vault with a mark of 3.90 meters, a provisional qualifying mark.

At Heidelberg University, freshman Hudson Moorefield placed sixth in the 400 meter dash with a personal best time of 51.52.

“I was very happy with how the meet went as this is the fastest opening time of my career and a college best,” Moorefield said. “I personally prefer the outdoors for multiple reasons: it’s much easier to breathe because there is airflow, I have little experience running indoors, and running anything over 200 meters indoors becomes much harder in my opinion.” 

Sophomore Anna Stirton placed second in the 1,500-meter race with a personal best time of 4:59.61. 

“This past week many of us opened up in our first races of the season, and I think the results were reassuring that the hard work we have been putting in is paying off,” Stirton said. 

Junior Katie Clifford placed second in the pole vault with a mark of 3.78 meters. 

“I think the team is feeling really good overall, we just need to focus on taking care of our bodies off of the track so we can continue to improve and stay healthy,” Moorefield said.

The Chargers will compete next weekend in the VertKlasse Meeting at High Point University April 4-5 and the Hillsdale Outdoor Invitational April 5.