After nearly two years, the Hillsdale track and field team has finally moved outdoors to begin a new season. Today's meet at the Yellow Jack Collegiate Outdoor Open hosted by Cedarville University gave the Chargers several opportunities to showcase their potential for this upcoming season.
Starting things off in the field, senior Ryan Thomsen had a personal-best mark in the long jump. He finished second overall, leaping 6.95 meters. Freshman teammate Joshua Nichols took 19th with a mark of 5.97 meters. Nichols also competed in triple jump, where he took second after jumping for 13.63 meters.
The team's newest All-American, sophomore Ben Raffin, took second in pole vault when he cleared 4.66 meters.
In the throws, the Chargers tried their hands at the outdoor-only events of discus and hammer throw. Freshman Ethan Perttula came in 14th overall in hammer, throwing for 46.22 meters. After missing much of the indoor season, freshman Jesse Westmeyer captured 17th hammer with a mark of 44.24 meters.
Westmeyer and Perttula joined freshman TJ McGinnis in discus as well. McGinnis led the way in the event, throwing for 40.20 meters to take 12th overall. Westmeyer finished 18th with a mark of 39.32, and Perttula in 20th, throwing 39.00 meters.
On the track, senior Ian Brown achieved a NCAA DII provisional time in the 110m hurdles. He took first in 14.23 seconds. Freshman Sean Fagan came in fifth in 14.62 seconds. Fagan ran his first-ever 400m hurdle race as well today, finishing first in 53.80, just a half second off of the provisional mark.
Freshman Dagur Einarsson put together two solid sprint races today. He took third overall in 10.80 in the 100m dash and 12th in the 200 with a personal-best time of 22.24 seconds.
In the 1500m run, junior Mark Miller finished second in 3:57.68, just a half second off of his personal best, setting himself up for a great season. Freshman Isaac Waffle finished 23rd in 4:12.94.
Freshman Ian Calvert came in third in the 800m run with a time of 1:57.31, and fellow freshman Dylan Palmer took 20th in 2:03.55.
Calvert teamed up with Fagan, Miller, and junior Adam Wade for the day's last event: the 4x400m relay. Miller anchored the relay to hold of the Tiffin runner to take first. The team finished in 3:22.78.
The Chargers will travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky, for the Hilltopper Relays next weekend.
Written by Calli Townsend