Entering the final day of competition at the 2023 G-MAC Indoor Track and Field championships, the Hillsdale College women's track and field team made an impressive final push to vault themselves into contention on Saturday in Ashland.
Hillsdale wasn't quite able to come all the way from behind and take the crown, but the Chargers did move past three teams and into second place by the time the day was done, earning runner-up honors in the conference for the second straight season with 128 points, behind only eventual winner Findlay.
The Chargers' push was fueled by an impressive performance in the distance and mid-distance races. Hillsdale got a 1-2 finish in the mile, as juniors Margaret Scheske and Gwynne Riley together combined to lead almost wire-to-wire and run away with the title. Both Scheske's winning time of 4:48.19 and Riley's runner-up time of 4:49.33 are not only personal bests, but rank in the top 18 in the nation at the NCAA Division II level, which give both athletes a strong chance to qualify for the NCAA DII Indoor Championships two weeks from now in Virginia Beach.
Scheske also had a race to remember in the 3,000m run along with sophomore Liz Wamsley. Wamsley took the title in the event in a new personal record time of 9:44.54, the 30th fastest time in the event at the NCAA DII level this season, while Scheske also ran a personal best to take third in 9:48.13, the 35th fastest time in NCAA DII. Teammate Natalie Martinson also scored in the 3K, running a personal best time of 10:19.52 to finish eighth.
Hillsdale also placed three athletes in the 800m run, led by sophomore Reese Dragovich, who ran her best-ever 800 to date to place second in 2:10.98, a NCAA DII provisional qualifying time that ranks 21st nationally and also gives her a decent shot at making it to the NCAA Indoor Championships as an individual. Riley took third in the 800m run in a new personal best time of 2:11.36 as well for the Chargers, and sophomore Nicole Marshall placed eighth in 2:17.09.
Along with success in distance races, Hillsdale also got an impressive showing from sophomore Shura Ermakov, who took second overall in the 400m dash in a time of 55.68, and placed fourth in the 200m dash in a NCAA DII provisional qualifying time of 24.83, a new personal best for her in the event.
Also on the track, sophomore Louisa Klaserner took fifth in the 60m hurdles for the Chargers in a time of 8.87, and Hillsdale's 4x400m relay team of Francesca Federici, Anna Roberts, Judith Allison and Marshall placed third in 3:59.70.
Impressive performances in the field also helped the Chargers move up in the standings. In the triple jump, junior Emily Gerdin broke through with a mark of 11.96 meters, breaking a seven-year old indoor school record in the event of 11.74 meters set by Chloe Ohlgren in 2016, and achieving a NCAA DII provisional mark with the 23rd best jump in the nation this season. Teammate Grace Chen also had a big performance for Hillsdale, placing fifth with a personal best lead of 10.95 meters.
Three Chargers placed in the pole vault, with Tara Townsend, Kaylee Jackson and Morgan Iverson all clearing 3.65 meters on their first attempt to tie for fifth place and earn valuable points for Hillsdale. The performance was a personal best for Townsend, a freshman. Hillsdale also placed multiple athletes in the high jump, with Regan Dahlquist clearing 1.63 meters to finish fourth and Erika Mogelvang clearing 1.58 meters to finish sixth, and in the shot put, where Nikita Maines finished fourth with a mark of 14.04 meters and Averi Parker took fifth with a mark of 13.98 meters.
Hillsdale now looks forward to the NCAA DII Indoor Championships hosted in Virginia Beach on March 10 and 11. A total of 14 different athletes and two relays have achieved provisional qualifying times in the 2022-23 season for the Chargers, and Hillsdale looks set to send a large contingent to Virginia in two weeks to compete for All-American honors.