All season long, the Hillsdale College men's track team's 4x400 relay has been flirting with meeting the NCAA Division II national meet provisional qualifying mark.
On Friday at the GVSU Big Meet in Allendale, Michigan, the Chargers' relay team not only met the mark, they ran right past it.
Hillsdale's team of freshmen Jamahl Burke and Sean Fagan and sophomores Benu Meintjes and Ian Calvert took fourth in a loaded field in 3:14.98, more than second under the provisional qualifying time and the 10th best time in Division II so far this season.
While the Chargers likely will have to go faster to ensure a spot at the national meet, Friday's performance gives Hillsdale something to build off of -- and wasn't the only strong performance of the day.
Both Burke and Fagan set personal records in individual events as well. Burke took fourth in the 400m dash in 48.80 -- the second-fastest time by a G-MAC runner this season, and less than .4 of a second off the provisional qualifying mark in that event. Fagan, meanwhile, took fifth in the 60m hurdles in 8.27, the third-fastest time by a G-MAC athlete in that event this season, and also close to a provisional qualifying mark.
Meintjes was close behind Burke in the 400m dash, taking fifth in a personal best time of 49.26, freshman Micah Vanderkooi set a new personal best in the 800m run of 1:54.75, and junior Adam Wier set a new personal best in the 5,000m run of 15:05.68 as well.
Oiler Invite
The Charger men's track and field team split its squad this weekend, with several athletes also competing in Findlay, Ohio on Saturday in the Oiler Invitational.
Hillsdale won three individual titles at Saturday's meet, led by freshman Alex Mitchell, who won the mile run in a personal best time of 4:21.92.
Senior Adam Wade took first in the 400m run as well for the Chargers, in 51.23, and junior Ben Raffin won the pole vault with a clearance of 4.90 meters.
Along with those three titles, several other Hillsdale athletes had strong performances. Senior Mark Miller (1:56.73) and sophomore Dylan Palmer (1:57.78) finished second and third, respectively, in the 800m run, both in personal best times, and junior Jacob Schmidt took fourth in the 60m dash (7.10).
Freshman Dagur Andri Einarsson placed in the 200m dash (6th, 23.05), freshman TJ McGinnis placed in the shot put (6th, 14.05 meters) and junior Steven Weideman placed in the weight throw (6th, 15.61 meters) as well for the Chargers.
Hillsdale competes again next Saturday at home at its annual Tune-Up meet, in its final event before the all-important G-MAC Championship meet hosted by Cedarville on Feb. 26 and 27.