The Hillsdale College women's track and field team had a busy weekend, with athletes competing in four separate meets on two different sides of the United States.
And it was as fruitful as it was busy, with several personal bests, three new provisional qualifying marks, and another school record set.
Mt. SAC Relays
The weekend kicked off on Thursday for the Charger women's track and field team, as steeplechaser Margaret Scheske took to the track in Walnut, California at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays.
Competing in one of the top distance meets in the country, Scheske more than held her own, taking 29th in the Open Division of the 3,000m steeplechase in a season-best time of 10:38.72.
That time is also a NCAA DII provisional qualifying mark for Scheske, and the ninth fastest time at the NCAA DII level so far this season, putting the sophomore in a good spot to make it back to the NCAA DII Outdoor National Meet for the second-straight season.
Bryan Clay Invite
Hillsdale next hit the Bryan Clay Invite on Friday, hosted by NCAA DII powerhouse Azusa Pacific, with several notable marks set.
Leading the way for the Chargers was junior Nikita Maines, who broke her own school record in the shot put for the third time this season to win the event, beating out multiple NCAA Division I throwers in the process. Maines' mark of 15.54 meters is the fourth-farthest throw in G-MAC history and the third-best throw in the nation at the NCAA DII level so far this outdoor season, putting Maines in prime position to make the NCAA DII Outdoor national meet for the first time in her career.
A group that could be joining Maines there is Hillsdale's 4x400m relay team of Dakota Stamm, Zalonya Eby, Reese Dragovich and Shura Ermakov, who took fourth in the event at the Bryan Clay Invite with a time of 3:45.09, improving on their previous provisional mark with the eighth fastest time in the nation so far. The group, three of whom were All-Americans in the event last year, will be battling for a spot in the NCAA DII Outdoor Nationals all season long.
Last, but not least, was freshman Liz Wamsley, who ran a personal best time of 16:47.82 to finish 10th in her Open A section of the 5,000m run. That time is also an NCAA DII provisional qualifying time, the third-fastest time in the G-MAC in that event so far this season, and the 22nd-fastest time in the nation, making her a contender for a national meet spot as well.
The Chargers had two more track athletes set personal bests on Friday, as Gwynne Riley took third in the women's Open B Division of the 1,500m run in a new career best time of 4:38.19, and Josee Behling placed 57th in the 400m dash with a personal best time of 57.93.
In the field, freshman Averi Parker took 10th in the discus with a personal best throw of 42.74 meters, and pole vaulter Katie Clifford took third in the Open A division with a clearance of 3.66 meters, while teammate Morgan Iverson finished seventh with a clearance of 3.51 meters.
"The Beach" Invite
Hillsdale wrapped up its California swing in Long Beach, California at the Beach Invite on Saturday, another loaded meet full of top athletes from around the country.
Dragovich followed up a strong leg in the 4x400m relay at Azusa with a personal best performance in the 800m run, finishing 42nd in a time of 2:15.91, while Eby broke the 25 second mark in the 200m dash for the first time in nearly three years with a 24.61 to finish 21st in a highly-competitive race.
Stamm took 32nd in the 400m dash with a season-best time of 57.34 and Ermakov finished 17th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:02.66 as well.
In the field, Parker took 14th in the shot put with a throw of 14.54 meters, Iverson and Clifford tied for 29th in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.61 meters, while Reagan Dahlquist finished 22nd in the high jump with a mark of 1.61 meters.
Tiffin Carnival
While several Charger athletes were competing on the West Coast, the bulk of the Hillsdale squad went to Tiffin on Friday and Saturday to compete against a variety of Midwestern schools in the Tiffin Carnival.
On the track, Hillsdale got a pair of strong finishes in the 800m run, as Kaitlyn Rust took fourth in 2:16.18 and Nicole Marshall finished seventh in 2:16.81, both personal bests, for the Chargers. Vera Thompson took sixth in the 1,500m run (4:46.25) in a personal best time as well for Hillsdale, and Claire McNally took fourth in the 5,000m run in a time of 17:43.84, with teammate Natalie Martinson taking eighth in a personal best time of 18:08.65.
The Chargers also excelled in the hurdles, with Judith Allison taking third in the 400m hurdles (1:04.98) and eighth in the 100m hurdles (15.36), and teammate Isabella Gutierrez placing sixth in the 400m hurdles (1:06.51).
In the field, freshman Mackenzie Morrison placed in the discus with a personal-best throw of 44.03 meters, taking eighth, and Katie Sayles threw a personal best of 49.02 meters in the hammer throw as well for the Chargers.
Emily Gerdin finished runner-up in the triple jump as well for Hillsdale, with a mark of 11.33 meters, and Alexie Day took third in the high jump (1.63 meters) as well.
Hillsdale will be back in action next weekend, splitting its squad between the Gibson Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana and the Georgia Tech Invite in Atlanta, Georgia.
Photo by Reily Rogers, Lee University Athletics