After a successful indoor track and field season this winter, Hillsdale College's men's and women's teams are sending four athletes to Birmingham, AL to compete for the highest honors available for a Division II Indoor track athlete this Friday and Saturday at the 2019-20 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.
All four athletes representing the Chargers are Hillsdale College record holders and GMAC champions, but three are making their first-ever indoor nationals appearance, and two their first NCAA national meet appearance of any kind.
It's an exciting time for all four, who have achieved excellence throughout their careers at Hillsdale College and now have a chance to add to their legacy.
Here's a closer look at all four qualifiers:
Kajsa Johansson, junior -- 200 meter dash -- racing in prelims at 7:20 p.m. Friday; final Saturday at 7:40 p.m.
Johansson set two new school records, won a G-MAC title, and qualified for the 2020 NCAA Division II National meet two weeks ago at the G-MAC Championship meet in Tiffin, Ohio.
"I felt relieved and excited to be going," she said about finding out she had qualified for nationals. "That was always the goal this season so to meet that was cool."
The junior sprinter now holds school records in the 60-meter dash (7.61), the indoor 200-meter dash (24.39), the 100-meter dash (11.67), and the outdoor 200-meter dash (23.76). Her record-setting times at last year's Outdoor G-MAC Championship earned her a trip to the 2019 Outdoor National meet, so she already has some experience competing on the national stage. She finished 16th in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes at nationals. She says she's hoping to place higher this time around.
"I think just experience being there helps a lot with knowing how everything works and being confident that you deserve to be there. The goal's always to make finals so hopefully that'll happen this year," Johansson said. "I'm in a good lane. I'm in the last heat in lane six on a good track, so it should be fast."
Nikita Maines, sophomore -- shot put -- competing Saturday at 6:45 p.m.
It didn't take long for Maines to make her mark on Hillsdale College track and field.
During her first indoor season last year, she broke the school record in the shot put, and she broke it again in her season-opener meet this year. That mark of 14.53 meters held one of the top spots in the nation all season, earning her a trip to the NCAA Division II National meet this weekend.
"I'm honestly pretty nervous -- I've worked hard enough and I've always wanted to get to this level, but I never thought I'd be there so soon. I think it's a really good opportunity and I just want to do my best in everything," Maines said. "Even if it doesn't go as well as I want it to, I'm still thankful for the opportunity just to be there."
Maines has a lot to be proud of in her young career, including a recent G-MAC title in the weight throw. She threw for 17.70 meters to take the win, leaving her with greater confidence and a fresh mindset.
"I think there are some things that you can take from weight and put it into shot put. Not so much the technical stuff, but the mindset I had during weight at G-MACs was something different than I've ever felt," she said. "As a young thrower I think it's a hard thing to even come by and feel that, but I've been seeing the progress in shot put practices which is always a great feeling."
One of the greatest aids to her success, Maines says, is her coach, Jessica Bridenthal, who's no stranger to the national meet. She's a 12-time All-American and a one-time national champion thrower from Ashland University.
"Talking to Coach Jess helps put a lot of things into perspective. She's been a really pivotal character in my progress in training and just in life in general," Maines said. "I just take things one day at a time. If I can just take my time and breathe and take a break every once in a while, that helps."
With her incredible strength, discipline, and mental toughness, Maines has her eyes set on goals beyond this weekend.
"I think being so young and having this much talent, I guess I could say, makes me think the sky's the limit. I've really put all of my being into track and field and I love it so much so I can do anything to further my progress, I want to do it," she said. "I have dreams way bigger than college track, but I'm just centering myself on being the best athlete I can be right now."
Ryan Thomsen, junior -- heptathlon -- competition begins at noon, Friday; finishes at 4:45 p.m. Saturday
Junior Ryan Thomsen set the Hillsdale College record in the heptathlon during his freshman year, and he even competed in the Junior Olypmics for the United States and the Pan American Games for Canada, but he's never made it to the NCAA Division II National meet before.
However, after an outstanding performance at the G-MAC Championship a couple weeks ago, Thomsen finally punched his ticket to the national meet.
"This is the first time I've finally snuck in. I was really happy with that performance at G-MACs and I thought I was for sure in. Then I watched as I crept down the national list because other people were having really good conference performances, so when I found out I was in, I just felt relieved honestly," Thomsen said.
Thomsen has had a bit of a rocky collegiate career due to a series of injuries and set backs. For a while he was unable to get back to that level that earned him the school record in the multi.
During that time, his sophomore teammate John Ethan Baldwin broke his record back in January 2020. But he reclaimed that record with his winning score of 5,183 points in the heptathlon at the G-MAC Championship.
"I was really happy because this is probably my last year competing unless something drastic changes. I didn't really want to leave Jeb having the record before I even left, so I was happy to get that back," Thomsen said. "I know he definitely has the talent to beat that so I wanted to set it just a little bit higher for him, you know, to give him something to work toward."
He says he's just excited to have finally made it to the national meet, and that his past experience in big competitions gives him a bit of confidence as he prepares for this weekend.
"It helps with the nerves of competing in front of so many people. I'm ranked 16th out of 16, so I have a no expectations. I'm just happy to be there," Thomsen said. "Who knows, maybe I'll sneak in an all-American title."
Joseph Humes, senior -- mile -- running in prelims at 5:40 p.m. Friday; final 6:20 p.m. Saturday
The senior qualified in the mile as a sophomore, competing in March of 2018 and finishing 10th in his prelim heat with a time of 4:10.83.
Since then, Humes has racked up a long list of accomplishments that put him on a short list of Charger distance greats in the history of the program, twice earning NCAA Division II All-American honors in cross country, setting the Hillsdale indoor record in the mile (4:06.11) and winning seven individual GMAC Championships across his cross country, indoor track and outdoor track careers.
Now, Humes has another chance to add to his achievements in his final indoor track season at Hillsdale College.
Seeded 12th in the mile with a time of 4:08.26, Humes is the highest-seeded of the four Chargers in this weekend's meet and the closest to earning a top eight finish and All-American honors with a personal best performance.
The senior can also lean on his experience on big stages, having run in three Division II national championship cross country meets, as well as his appearance in the indoor national meet two years ago.
However it turns out, Humes' accomplishments will be remembered among Charger faithful for years to come.
Words: Calli Townsend
Photos: (L and R) MaryKate Drews; (center) Shane O'Donnell