The Hillsdale College men's track and field team did well at home in the 2024 G-MAC Outdoor Championships this week, capping off with several placers on Friday to secure a fourth-place team finish overall.
That finish improves by two spots on last year's sixth-place finish for the Chargers, who finished with 73 points behind champion Findlay, runner-up Tiffin, and third place Ashland.
Hillsdale's senior sprinters had a solid day to lead the way for the Chargers. Veteran Jamahl Burke ran to an impressive fourth-place finish in a lightning-quick 400m dash final, setting a new personal best in the event of 47.74, a NCAA DII provisional qualifying time that ranks him 56th nationally in the event. Burke also teamed with Owen Gardner, Drew Ransom and Joseph Ritzer on a third place 4x100 relay, finishing in 41.32, and with Sean Fagan, Ritzer and Benu Meintjes on a fourth-place 4x400m relay that finished in 3:14.32.
Fagan, a strong competitor in the hurdles, also placed in the 110m hurdles event, taking fifth in 14.46, and teammate Colsen Conway gave Hillsdale a placer in the 400m hurdles event as well, taking sixth in 54.42.
Also on the track, Hillsdale's Micah Vanderkooi ran a season-best time to take sixth in the 800m run for Hillsdale in 1:52.78, and junior Ross Kuhn ran a personal best in the 1,500m run to take seventh in 3:51.42 as well.
Three Chargers placed in field events on Friday. Sophomore Ben Haas earned a podium finish with a third place in the shot put, thanks to a throw of 15.63 meters, Connor McCormick took sixth in the pole vault in 4.61 meters, and freshman Jackson Childress placed seventh in the discus with a throw of 43.28 meters.
With the conference meet over, the focus now turns to Last Chance Week and solidifying spots in the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships at the end of May. Hillsdale will host its own meet on Wednesday, May 8 to try and get marks that make a difference, and will be sending athletes to a variety of meets all week as well.