Freshman Dominic Scherer and senior Ben Haas placed second and first , respectively in weight throw.
Courtesy | Hillsdale Athletic Department
Nine athletes will compete in 11 events at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships March 13-14 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, after the women’s track and field team took second place and the men’s team took fifth at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships hosted by Ashland University Feb. 27-28.
Freshman Anna Roessner won the 60-meter in 7.38, just two one-thousandths short of her personal best. She also placed third in the 200-meter with a time of 24.29 and was named the G-MAC Women’s Freshman of the Meet.
Roessner said she put herself under a lot of pressure because she was ranked first in the 60m, and the team’s chance to win championships counted on her winning.
“I was very nervous, but I work best off of nerves because I get crazy amounts of adrenaline and have a really good start and then it’s over from there,” Roessner said. “When I go to meets and I don’t feel nervous at all, I don’t perform that well. In a 60m you really need the adrenaline to push you to the finish.”
Senior Lucy Minning took sixth in the 200m in 24.62 and eighth in the 60m in 7.67. In the 400-meter, senior Francesca Federici took fifth with a time of 56.63 and set a new personal best. Sophomore Sarah Chappelle ran the 60m hurdles in 8.69 and placed fourth.
In distance, sophomore Ally Kuzma took a double title, winning the 5K in 17:22.22 and the 3K in 9:42.82 with a 13-second lead. Kuzma was also named G-MAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet for her performance. Junior Eleanor Clark placed second in both the 5K and 3K, setting new personal bests with times of 17:28.59 and 9:55.50, respectively.
On the men’s side, freshman Henry Thuet also set a new personal best in the 800-meter with a time of 1:53.83 and placed fifth. He said after several rough races in the mile, his 800m time is gearing him up for outdoor track.
“Coach White’s big thing with freshmen is just, ‘learn and grow,’” Thuet said. “I’ve been able to do a lot of learning, and I’ve had a lot of growth since high school, and I’m excited to see where that takes me.”
Freshman Wyatt Widolff ran the 400m in 48.82 and took seventh.
Senior Ross Kuhn placed second in the mile with a time of 4:08.75, and senior Gabriel Phillips took fourth in the 3K, setting a new personal best with a time of 8:20.58. Phillips also took fourth in the 5K in 14:31.93.
In the women’s pentathlon, sophomore Baelyn Zitzmann won with a new personal best and school record of 3637 points. She achieved personal bests in the 60 hurdles and shotput, as well as breaking the G-MAC record in pentathlon high jump with a 1.69 meter clearance. Freshman Bristol Whitley placed fourth overall and sophomore Aubrie Wilson placed seventh.
After five jumps, senior Tara Townsend took the title in pole vault with a clearance of 4.03 meters that broke a three-way tie for first. Townsend said she had a hard season after a good start in December, and had to rely on the guidance of assistant track and field coach Justin Fawley.
“I came back and I just missed bars after bars, and weekend after weekend it was so disappointing,” Townsend said. “But I have so much passion for the sport and for the people I’m doing it with that it was easy to not quit. I just kept trusting coach, trusting the process, showing up, and conference went great like it always does. Sure, it’s not the season I wanted –– not even close — but it’s the season I got.”
On the field, senior Ben Haas won the men’s weight throw with a new personal best mark of 22.91 meters, followed by freshman Dominic Scharer who took second with a throw of 21.09 meters. Haas also took the title in shot put with a mark of 17.77 meters.
Three Chargers placed in women’s weight throw, with junior Amelia Lutz placing second with a mark of 15.67 meters, freshman Sofia Boonzaaijer taking third at 14.02 meters, and freshman Isabel Rozebeld coming in sixth at 12.91 meters.
