In their first competition since the NCAA indoor national meet, the Chargers continued to build on their successful indoor season as seven athletes hit the provisional mark for the outdoor national meet at North Carolina State’s Raleigh Relays. Many of those who didn’t hit provisional marks ran personal best times in their events.
Junior Emily Oren’s 3K Steeplechase victory and senior Maurice Jones’ second-place finish in the 400 meter hurdles were two of the meet’s standout performances. Both athletes hit the national meet provisional mark, and Oren currently holds the fastest steeplechase time across all divisions.
“I think as a whole group, we got out of it what we needed to,” head coach Andrew Towne said.
Although better than the weather in Michigan at this time of the year, the conditions in Raleigh where chilly in the 50s each day, with wind also playing an important factor. While not optimal for any runner, cold and windy conditions can have a greater affect on sprinters and field athletes than they do on distance runners. Still, conditions didn’t phase Charger athletes.
“It is what it is. Everybody had to run in the same thing,” freshman David Chase said.
Chase said the meet was a “rust buster,” but he also thought the sprinters had a good first meet, setting up a good rest of the outdoor season.
“For us it’s not an end all, but an extended practice situation,” Towne said. “So I feel we got out of it what we need to at this point in the season.”
In addition to Jones’ 400 hurdles performance, Towne highlighted sophomore Sarah Benson’s 400 meter leg of the women’s 4×400 relay as a notable performance for the sprinters. Freshman Fiona Shay was knocked down during her warm-up, giving Benson little time to prepare for her leg, in which she still ran a sub-60 second split.
Sophomore pole vaulter Alexandra Whitford had a rough meet.
“I’m chalking it up to getting back into the outdoor scene,” Whitford said. Whitford suffered an injury during last year’s outdoor track season.
On the men’s side, junior Matt Harris vaulted 4.70 meters (15”5’) and freshman Jared Schipper no-heighted.
While no male throwers traveled to the meet, three women athletes competed with sophomore Dana Newell and freshman Rachel Tolsma competing in the hammer throw and senior Heather Lantis competing in discus.
Towne said both Newell and Tolsma showed great potential at the meet.
The distance and middle-distance runners also had a good showing with six of the team’s seven provisional marks coming from the 3K steeplechase and the 10K run.
“Obviously, it was a great weekend,” assistant coach Joe Lynn said. “I thought our athletes stepped up to the challenge.”
Junior Kate Royer and freshman Amanda Realge ran the 3K steeplechase with Oren. It was the first steeplechase either of them had competed in, and Royer hit the event’s provisional time, running 11:08.
On the men’s side, senior Luke Hickman and sophomore Joe Newcomb ran the event. Hickman also hit the provisional time, running 9:19, with Newcomb not far behind at 9:30.
In the 10K run, junior Kristina Galat posted an NCAA Division II-leading time of 34:58, running a two minute personal best, while teammate freshman Hannah McIntyre ran 35:30 in her first 10K ever. Both qualified for the national meet.
Galat said having a teammate racing with her was helpful during the race.
“She stuck with me for four and a half miles, maybe more,” Galat said. “That helped me so much.”
Senior Joshua Mirth also qualified for the national meet, running 29:38, more than a 30-second personal best for him.
“I’m definitely in a lot better shape than I was last year and the year before,” Mirth said. “The race felt pretty relaxed actually.”
Since they qualified for the national meet, both Galat and Mirth plan to concentrate on also qualifying in the 5K. They both also mentioned having their sights on Hillsdale’s men’s and women’s 5K records.
Other notable performances included sophomore Caleb Gatchell’s sub-4 minute 1500 meter run and senior Amy Kerst’s 2:18 800 meter run.
The Chargers next meet is on Saturday at Oberlin College for the Bob Kahn Invite.
