In just two years of competition at Hillsdale College, sophomore Ben Haas is building quite the legacy.
The thrower from Clarkston, Michigan, added to that burgeoning legacy in a big way on day one of the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships on Thursday, held in Emporia, Kansas. Competing in his first-ever collegiate Outdoor Championships, Haas made his mark on the competition with a strong effort on his first attempt in the hammer throw. Haas' mark of 63.15 meters locked up a spot in the finals and held up throughout the competition, ultimately earning him All-American status with a seventh-place finish in the event nationally.
While it's Haas' first time earning All-American status outdoors, the sophomore has already made his mark indoors in the weight throw, with a third place finish in 2023 and a sixth place finish in 2024 giving him back-to-back All-American honors indoors. This latest All-American status gives him three for his career and three in three trips, putting him in rarefied status at Hillsdale and especially among Chargers throwers. Only Chargers legends Aaron Falk (five) and Jason Stomps (four) have more All-American honors over their Hillsdale career as throwers for the Chargers, and Haas will have two more years worth of chances to equal or match those numbers if he can stay healthy.
Also for the Chargers men on Thursday, junior Richie Johnston made a return trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3,000m steeplechase, and bettered his time from last year by nearly eight full seconds with a 9:16.29 while once again finishing in 13th place in the nation in the event. Johnston battled to the line in a spirited race but came up just short of advancing to the Friday final by seven-hundredths of a second in a hard-fought photo finish in his heat.
Hillsdale has one more athlete on the men's side left to compete, as high jumper Cass Dobrowolski will compete for All-American honors at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Links to live results and a live stream of the 2024 NCAA DII Championships is available on hillsdalechargers.com.