In its final appearance at a GLIAC indoor track & field championship, the Hillsdale College women's track team proved once again it is as good as anyone in one of the nation's most competitive conferences.
The Chargers had a terrific meet, finishing second with 96.5 points at the two-day event hosted by the University of Findlay. Grand Valley State won the meet with 160.5 points.
Two Chargers won GLIAC titles, and four more finished as runner-ups. Some of the team's most reliable veterans stepped up against stiff competition to score key points for Hillsdale through a wide variety of events.
Junior Hannah McIntyre further cemented her legacy by taking first place in the 5000 meter run with a meet-record time of 16:45.67. She would later be the runner-up to teammate Molly Oren in the 3000 meter run. Those two finishes helped make McIntyre the 2017 GLIAC Female Track Athlete of the Meet, continuing an award-winning tradition carried previously by national champion Emily Oren.
Molly Oren's time of 9:36.45 was good for first in the 3000 meter run, winning her final solo race in her conference career.
Senior Alexandra Whitford came through with a great performance in the pole vault, taking second place, clearing 3.79 meters. The pole vault event was good for Hillsdale, with Whitford's teammate Kathryn Bassette taking fifth overall (3.39 meters).
Bassette's mark was good enough to get her named the 2017 GLIAC Female Field Athlete of the Meet.
Two runners placed in the top four of the 200 meter dash, led by Victoria Wichman's runner-up time of 25.12 seconds. Ashlee Moran was two spots behind her, taking fourth with a 25.17 seconds. Both times were NCAA provo times.
The 4x400 relay team took second with a 3:51.35, while the distance medley relay team was a podium group once again with a third-place time of 11:52.3.
Senior Allison Duber took third in the 400 with a time of 56.56, and sophomore Ally Eads stepped up with a great run in the mile, taking fourth with a time of 5:00.98. Both of those times were provo times.
Another young runner scored points for Hillsdale, freshman Arena Lewis. After sitting out most of cross country season with an injury, Lewis is rounding back into form, taking fifth in the mile and sixth in the 3000 meter run. The finishes of athletes like Lewis and Eads show that the future of Charger distance runners can be as bright as its past and present have been.