A state champion hurdler in Rhode Island, Hillsdale College freshman Sean Fagan joined the Charger men's track and field team this fall with hopes of making an impact right away.
Through two months of indoor track and field, Fagan has done just that. On Tuesday afternoon, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced that Fagan has been named the G-MAC men's track and field athlete of the week for Feb. 15-21.
The honor comes after Fagan's record-breaking performance in the 60 meter hurdles at Saturday's Hillsdale Tune-Up Invite. Fagan ran a career-best 8.18 in the prelims on Saturday, and then topped it with a blistering 8.14 in the event final to win the race and set a new Hillsdale College record in the event.
His time of 8.14 just edged the previous record of 8.15 set by John Baldwin in 2020, and it's also the fastest recorded time in the event in the G-MAC this season.
Fagan's time also gives him his first individual Division II National Meet provisional qualifying mark. The freshman is currently tied for 13th in Division II in 60 meter hurdle times, putting him firmly in contention for not just a G-MAC title but potentially a qualifying berth to the NCAA Indoor Championships with a strong performance at the G-MAC Championship meet, hosted by Cedarville this weekend.
This record isn't the only impressive time that Fagan has put up this season. He's also run a leg on a 4x400 team for Hillsdale, with freshman Jamahl Burke and sophomores Benu Meintjes and Ian Calvert, that ran a provisional qualifying time and broke the G-MAC record in the event on Feb. 12 (3:14.98).
The 2021 freshman class is looking like a special one for the Charger men. Fagan's G-MAC Athlete of the Week honor is the third won by a Hillsdale men's track and field freshman this season, joining Burke, who won it for the week of Feb. 8-14, and mid-distance runner Micah Vanderkooi, who won it for the week of Jan. 24-31.