The Hillsdale College women's track and field team had its ups and downs on the first day of the G-MAC Indoor Championships at Ashland, but enter the final day on Saturday still in a solid position.
One of the big factors in helping keep the Chargers on solid ground was sophomore Neva Polo, who stood out in a big way for Hillsdale in the pentathlon. Polo took an impressive second place in the five-event showcase, racking up runner-up finishes in the 60m hurdles (9.44), shot put (10.68 meters) and the 800 meter run (2:28.98) to edge her way into the second spot in the standings and earn a valuable eight points for the Chargers.
The sophomore's point total of 3,267 is a personal best that's a full 100 points higher than her previous high mark in the event, and also Polo's first ever NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark.
On the track, Hillsdale added more points with a solid fourth place finish in the Distance Medley Relay, as the Chargers' team of Nicole Marshall, Francesca Federici, Anna Roberts and Liz Wamsley finished in 12:13.43. Hillsdale also got a pair of placers in the field, as sophomore Katie Sayles took sixth in the weight throw with a mark of 17.39 meters, and junior Emily Gerdin placed sixth in the long jump with a season-best distance of 5.45 meters.
The Chargers also did real work in setting up tomorrow's events in preliminary races. Sophomore Shura Ermakov will be the top seed in the 400m run after a blazing-fast preliminary time of 55.75, and will also be seeded third in the 200m dash with a prelim time of 24.97. Hillsdale's Louisa Klaserner also will race on Saturday in the 60m hurdles after placing fifth in the prelims with a time of 8.98.
Hillsdale currently sits in fifth place in the team standings after the first day, with 19 points, but with the bulk of finals still to come on Saturday, there's plenty of opportunity for the Chargers to make a move up the standings with a strong finish.