In just two collegiate events to date, freshman Kyle MacBeth has made a big impression on the Hillsdale College men's track and field team, and the G-MAC at large.
MacBeth's strong start to the outdoor season saw him earn recognition from the G-MAC on Monday, as the Strattanville, Pennsylvania native was named the G-MAC Field Athlete of the Week.
The freshman earned the honor by winning the javelin competition at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan this weekend, with a throw of 55.32 meters. That bested his first collegiate mark the previous week of 54.71 meters at the ADIDAS Winthrop Invitational, a throw that helped him take runner-up honors at that meet.
It's also the top mark in the G-MAC this season to date, edging out the returning runner-up from last year's G-MAC Outdoor Championships, Caleb Fauth, by three inches. That showing puts MacBeth in the conversation as a potential G-MAC title contender later in May, and it also moves MacBeth closer to meeting the NCAA Division II qualifying standard of 58.38 meters in the event.
MacBeth will take aim both at that mark, and, potentially, down the road, at the 35-year-old Hillsdale school record in the men's javelin of 61.32 meters set by Pete Dzwilewski in 1987. The Pennsylvania native has a long way to go to get there, but the potential he's already flashed in two meets suggests he's got a real shot at making a run at the record if he can stay healthy.
Hillsdale's men's track and field team and MacBeth are on the road again this weekend, to Cleveland, Tennessee, to compete in the Lee University Flames Invitational this Friday and Saturday.
Photo by Gwen Buchhop