Whether it's on a relay or in an individual event, junior Zalonya Eby continues to be an indispensable part of the Hillsdale College women's track and field team.
Another excellent showing in both this weekend at the Lee University Flames Invitational helped Eby earn another G-MAC honor, as the Maybee, Michigan native was named the conference's women's track athlete of the week for the first time in her career.
Eby took seventh in a crowded field at the Flames Invite in the 200 meter dash in 25.25, the second-fastest outdoor time by a female G-MAC competitor in the event so far this year, and she also teamed with Dakota Stamm, Shura Ermakov and Alanna O'Leary to win the 4x400m relay in 3:46.81, the fastest time in the G-MAC in the event this year and the 10th fastest in the national at the NCAA Division II level to date.
Those marks add to a strong 400m dash time of 57.67 posted at the Spartan Invitational the week before, the second-fastest outdoor time in the G-MAC in that event as well, to make Eby one of the strongest competitors in the conference early in the outdoor season.
Eby's strong start to the 2022 continues an impressive comeback for the junior, who was the G-MAC Freshman of the Year in both Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field in 2018 after winning three conference titles and placing in six events. Serious injuries and Covid-19 cancellations badly disrupted her next two years of collegiate track and put her career in jeopardy, but Eby stayed patient and kept battling through the long road to recovery.
Last season, Eby was part of a G-MAC-winning indoor 4x400m relay and an All-American outdoor 4x400m relay, a sign that her old form was quickly returning. 2022 has been an even better year for Eby, as the junior recaptured the G-MAC title in the indoor 200 meter dash she'd last won in 2018 this winter, and has carried that strong form so far into the spring outdoor season, looking to add to her accomplishments both in the conference and nationally.
The Chargers are splitting their squad this weekend, with athletes going out to California to compete in meets, and a contingent also heading to Ohio for the Tiffin Carnival this weekend. Eby will look to continue her impressive start to the outdoor season, and hopefully benefit from warmer weather as well.
Photo by Reily Rogers, Lee University Athletics