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Schedule
Friday, May 28, 6:20 p.m. Women's 3K Steeplechase Final (Margaret Scheske)
Friday, May 28, 6:40 p.m. 4x400 Relay Prelims (Shura Ermakov, Dakota Stamm, Alanna O'Leary, Zalonya Eby)
Saturday, May 29, 11:30 a.m. Men's Pole Vault Final (Ben Raffin)
Saturday, May 29, 8:05 p.m. 4x400 Relay Final
The Hillsdale College men's and women's track and field teams look to wrap up the 2020-21 school year with more All-American honors at the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Meet this weekend in Allendale, Michigan.
The Chargers earned four All-American finishes, including a national championship, at the 2021 Indoor National Meet in March, and several of those athletes are back to potentially add to their haul this season this weekend.
Three of the four members of a 4x400 meter relay that finished as the national runners-up in the indoor event in March are on the outdoor team competing this weekend, beginning with a preliminary heat at 6:40 p.m. on Friday and potentially closing the meet at 8:05 p.m. on Saturday in the finals if they qualify.
Freshmen Shura Ermakov and Dakota Stamm and sophomore Alanna O'Leary were on that relay squad indoors, and they are joined by sophomore Zalonya Eby, who's come back strong after battling injuries for the last two seasons. The team's best performance to date is a 3:45.07 mark at the Lee University Last Chance Meet on May 15.
The Chargers are seeded 10th, but with a strong squad with championship experience, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Hillsdale surpass expectations in the event and earn All-American honors.
Also running on Friday night at 6:20 p.m., just before the 4x400m relay, is freshman Margaret Scheske, who is seeded 13th in the 3,000m steeplechase.
Scheske burst onto the scene in her first outdoor season, running one of the top times in the country in her first-ever steeplechase, and securing her spot with a time of 10:39.04 at the Lee University Last Chance Meet.
As the lone freshman in the race, Scheske will have a golden learning experience in her first national meet – but as a racer who's consistently exceeded expectations this season, and coming in just eight seconds behind the eighth seed and final All-American spot, she'll be very much in contention to place in the event on Friday night.
On Saturday morning, at 11:30 a.m., the Chargers' lone men's qualifier, pole vaulter Ben Raffin, will get his opportunity to compete.
Raffin is looking to add to the All-American honors he won in the indoor pole vault, when he outperformed his initial seed and finished seventh in Division II. The sophomore was the 13th and final qualifier for the outdoor event this season with a top vault of 5.13 meters, but his consistency makes him a threat to move up the standings and secure another All-American nod on Saturday.
You can follow along with all the action this weekend with live results and a video stream by the NCAA at the links above. There is also a link to tickets for each session of the championship if you are planning to travel to Grand Valley State University this weekend to watch the Chargers compete.
Photo by Anthony Lupi