Men’s track team placed third at GLIAC, with Jared Schipper winning pole vault, and three school records being broken; Hillsdale has now placed nine athletes in national meet.
After a season of athletes and coaches claiming their team was on the rise, the Hillsdale College men’s track and field team went out and proved it at the GLIAC conference championship meet in Tiffin, Ohio, last weekend, placing third overall in its highest finish since 2008.
The team’s success at the GLIAC Championships is significant because it’s not only sending nine athletes to the NCAA Division II National Championship in March — the 4×400 relay team, the DMR relay team, and Jared Schipper in pole vault — but the conference is considered to be the most competitive in D-II men’s track.
The team had one fewer individual champion than last season — last year Joshua Mirth ‘15 (5K) and sophomore Lane White (400) won their events — as sophomore Jared Schipper was Hillsdale’s sole champion. But the Chargers also scored 19 more points than last year, with 17 athletes scoring points.
“The men are progressing very quickly as a program,” head coach Andrew Towne said. “We’re excited about NCAAs. We’ll be ready to go.”
The key to the team’s conference gains was its ability to score in so many different events. They continued their success in relays as well as distance and middle distance events, while also showing improvement in the sprints and field events.
Senior Todd Frickey and junior Sergio San Jose Lorza combined for eight points in the 60-meter dash, and Frickey again broke his own school record in 6.88 seconds. Last year, the team didn’t score any points in the event.
While Schipper was Hillsdale’s only GLIAC champion, they had a number of top three, or “podium,” finishes. The DMR relay team, the 4×400 relay team, and sophomore Tony Wondaal (mile) finished second, while White (400 meter), junior Caleb Gatchell (mile), and junior Joe Newcomb (5K) placed third in their respective races.
The DMR relay team only finished 0.42 seconds behind Grand Valley State University’s team. In their duel with Grand Valley, the team ran their best time yet, smashing the school record set in 2012.
“Watching the first three legs of the race, I knew we were on school record pace, and if we set the school record, that would be fast enough to go to nationals,” Wondaal said. “I got the stick maybe two seconds out of the lead behind Grand Valley, but just a few quick steps after the handoff put me right on their heel.”
Wondaal ran right behind Grand Valley, until the sixth lap of his leg, where he fell behind. He made up most of the lost ground in the final two laps.
“I couldn’t quite make up the ground in the last 100 meters,” he said.
After last Saturday’s performance, Wondaal is confident that the DMR team can place in the top eight and become All-Americans at the national meet later this month.
The next day, Wondaal placed second in the mile to Grand Valley’s Ethan Barnes, getting out-kicked by only 0.26 seconds.
“It went out really slow; we came through 800 meters in 2:16,” Wondaal said. “About three laps to go, I jumped out from the back of the pack and just decided to go for it at that point. I led a lap, maybe a lap and a half, then Barnes got around me.”
Distance coach Joe Lynn attributes the distance runner’s success to being consistent.
“They buy into the system, hold themselves and each other accountable, and want to take advantage of this great situation they have here at Hillsdale,” he said. “I stress that it’s not rocket science to get better.”
Later on the second day of competition, Schipper out-vaulted the competition to win the pole vault, and in the process broke not only his own school record, but the old GLIAC event record of 5.25 meters, with a vault of 5.27 meters.
“I’m happy with it,” Schipper said. “In all honesty, the GLIAC is really strong in pole vaulting right now. Out of GLIACs, four are going to the national meet.”
Senior Matt Harris placed fourth in the event.
On Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12, Schipper and the men’s 4×400 and DMR relay teams will be competing in the national championship meet in Pittsburg, Kansas. The 4×400 relay team is currently ranked No. 14 and the DMR relay team is ranked No. 10.
Some schools have qualified multiple relay teams for the national meet, but can only race one, so Hillsdale athletes’ chances of placing in the top eight and becoming All-Americans is better than their ranking would suggest.
Schipper, who is currently ranked second in Division II and placed second at the championship last year, is confident that he will compete to be national champion this year. Still, he’s not putting too much pressure on himself.
“I’m just going to do my best, and whatever place that gives me, I’ll be happy,” Schipper said.
