For five years at Hillsdale College, Katherine Weldy has been building towards her moment.
The senior thrower for the Chargers' women's track and field team has steadily improved throughout her time at Hillsdale, and now, after a lifetime best performance this weekend at the Tiffin Open, Weldy has the best chance in her career of making it to a NCAA Championship meet. That performance also earned Weldy her first ever G-MAC Women's Field Athlete of the Week award, the conference office announced on Monday afternoon.
At the Tiffin Open, Weldy surpassed 18 meters in the weight throw for the first time in her career, setting a new personal best with a mark of 18.39 meters to finish second in the event. It capped a weekend where Weldy also finished seventh in the weight throw at one of the biggest indoor track and field invitationals of the season, the GVSU Big Meet, on Friday.
With her new personal best, Weldy is currently ranked 15th at the NCAA DII level in the weight throw, with the top 18 in the event making the NCAA DII Championship cut for last year's meet. While Weldy will have to hold her spot for two more weeks, she also will get multiple chances to improve on her mark in that time frame as well.
Weldy and the Chargers will be in action again this Saturday as Hillsdale hosts its annual Tune-Up meet in advance of the G-MAC Championships beginning on Feb. 23 in Ashland