It had been nearly two full years since Hillsdale College men's track and field senior Ryan Thomsen had competed in a collegiate decathlon entering this past weekend's Hillsdale Invitational.
Thomsen quickly showed he hadn't lost his touch in the time away, and his performance helped him earn his first Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men's Track Athlete of the Week Award this season, and the second of his career, the conference office announced on Monday.
Thomsen, the defending G-MAC decathlon champion from when the outdoor conference championship meet was last held in 2019, outdueled Findlay freshman Keandre Marlow, the 2021 G-MAC indoor heptathlon winner, in a tight race to capture the crown.
The senior won the long jump and the shot put, and strong finishes in several other of the 10 events contested in the decathlon propelled Thomsen to his best mark ever in the multi-event – 6,486 points. It's the second-best mark in the decathlon in G-MAC history, and a Division II provisional qualifying mark that currently ranks 20th in the nation.
Thomsen has overcome adversity to reach new heights throughout his career as a Charger. Injuries early on in his time at Hillsdale kept him on the sidelines, but the Escondido, California native worked his way back to win G-MAC titles in the indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon as a junior.
In his senior indoor season in 2020, Thomsen broke the Hillsdale College record in the indoor heptathlon and earned his first Division II national meet qualifying berth, only to see the event canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the outdoor season wiped out completely.
Undeterred by the setback, Thomsen is back again in 2021, using his remaining outdoor eligibility to pursue big goals in his final season at Hillsdale. Saturday's finish showed he'll be a force to be reckoned with in the multis throughout the spring season.
Thomsen and Hillsdale travel to the Tiffin Invitational this Saturday in Ohio for their next competition.