As a freshman in the 2021-22 season, Ben Haas was trending in the right direction for the Hillsdale College men's track and field team before an injury cut his campaign short.
Now as a sophomore, Haas is making up for lost time in the first meet of the 2022-23 season.
Haas used a massive personal best in the weight throw to place runner-up at Friday's Findlay Open, while also recording his first NCAA DII provisional mark of the season with a mark of 19.32 meters. It's early in the season, but that throw would have been 19th in the nation in 2021-22 at the NCAA DII level and puts Haas squarely on the qualifying bubble for the NCAA DII national meet already just one meet into the season.
The sophomore also placed seventh in the shot put with a throw of 14.72 meters, one of several strong performances for the Chargers on Friday.
On the track, Hillsdale posted an impressive 1-2 finish in the 60m hurdles, as sophomore Sean Fagan won the race in a time of 8.35, just ahead of freshman Colsen Conway, who took second for the Chargers in an encouraging time of 8.46.
Hillsdale also got an event victory from a freshman in the 800m run, as Seth Jankowski won the event in 1:59.27 for the Chargers, just ahead of teammate Mark Masaka, who placed third in 2:04.69.
Dagur Einarsson posted a personal best in the 60m dash as well for Hillsdale, finishing runner-up in the event in 7.07, while Benu Meintjes took fourth in the 400m dash in 50.83, and teammate Maliq Brock finished fifth in 51.14 in the 400 as well. The Chargers' 4x400 relay team of Brock, Ian Calvert, Fagan and Meintjes also earned a runner-up finish, in 3:28.16.
In the field, Alfonso Garcia had a strong day for Hillsdale, placing third with a personal best in the triple jump (12.55 meters) and fifth with a personal best in the long jump (6.03 meters). Charlie Andrews finished third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.85 meters, and freshman Connor McCormick placed seventh in his first collegiate pole vault event with a clearance of 4.46 meters.
In the multis, Hillsdale got a happy return from John Baldwin, who missed all of last year's indoor season with an injury, but finished fifth in his first pentathlon since 2020, with a score of 4,432.
For most of Hillsdale's athletes, there will be no more competition before Christmas, as the Chargers head into training over the break to build on this initial performance. Hillsdale will next be in action on January 13 in a home tri-meet against G-MAC rivals and fellow track and field powers Findlay and Ashland.
Photo by Anthony Lupi