2023 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships Field
After a successful 2023 Outdoor season, the Hillsdale College men's and women's track and field teams will be well represented once again at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colorado from May 25-27.
The field for the 2023 event was announced by the NCAA on Tuesday evening, with 11 Chargers making the cut in nine different events. That number is close behind last year's total of 12 and consistent with Hillsdale's track record as a strong track and field program capable of competing on the national level.
Six athletes will be making a repeat trip to a national meet for the Chargers, while five will be competing in a NCAA DII championship meet for the first time in Chargers blue and white.
Ten of the 11 athletes are women, and the Chargers are led by a pair of competitors who have previously earned individual All-American honors in their Hillsdale careers. Sophomore Averi Parker, making her fourth national meet appearance in four opportunities, and an indoor All-American in the shot put in 2022, will be looking to duplicate that feat outdoors in the shot put event. Parker also earned a spot in the field for the hammer throw, giving her two opportunities to earn All-American honors.
Also looking to add to her All-American haul is sophomore Liz Wamsley, who will compete in the 10,000m run. Wamsley is already a two-time All-American in the 2022-23 school year, having earned the distinction in cross country in the fall and indoors in the 5,000m run in the winter. She'll be looking to complete a clean sweep of the seasons in Pueblo.
While Parker and Wamsley bring past experience as individual All-Americans, Hillsdale has two additional athletes who are seeded sixth or higher in their events. Junior Shura Ermakov, a multi-time All-American as a part of record-setting 4x400m relays for the Chargers, will compete in a national meet as an individual for the first time in Pueblo and comes in seeded fourth in the event thanks to a school-record breaking time at the G-MAC Outdoor Championships two weeks ago. She'll also anchor another 4x400m relay team for the Chargers, teaming with Reese Dragovich, Francesca Federici and past relay All-American Dakota Stamm to compete for more All-American honors at Pueblo.
In the 3,000m steeplechase, junior Margaret Scheske is aiming for an All-American finish in her third trip to the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships in the event. Scheske is seeded sixth and enters with momentum coming off her best-ever cross country season and best-ever indoor track season in the fall and winter.
As usual, Hillsdale is well represented in the throws beyond Parker. Junior Eden Little, the program's record-holder in the javelin, will contest the event at an NCAA DII Outdoor Championships for the first time in her career after narrowly missing the cut a year ago. She ensured her spot with a big personal best throw at Grand Valley State University a week ago.
Also representing Hillsdale's throws crew is senior Nikita Maines, who qualified in the shot put and is looking to end a storied career with the Chargers with her first All-American honor. The school record holder in both the indoor and outdoor shot put, and a multi-time G-MAC Champion and NCAA national meet qualifier, Maines will be one to watch for the Chargers in Pueblo.
Last but certainly not least is sophomore Reagan Dahlquist, who will be headed to a national meet in the high jump for the first time thanks to a big personal best at the G-MAC Outdoor Championships that not only won her a conference title, but earned her a trip to compete next week.
On the men's side, Hillsdale is represented by a first-timer in the distance in sophomore Richie Johnston, who earned a spot in the men's 3,000m steeplechase. It's the latest step in what's been a breakout year for Johnston, who ran his first provisional qualifying time indoors in the winter season, and carried that momentum into a strong spring that saw him punch his ticket to a NCAA DII Outdoor Championship for the first time.
The action begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 25 with Parker competing in the women's hammer throw and carries through the next three days all the way to the finals of the women's 4x400m relay at 10:55 p.m. EDT on Saturday. Stay tuned to hillsdalechargers.com in the coming days for more information on how to follow along with the action through live streams and live results.
Photos by Patrick McGuire and David Beach