The Hillsdale College women's track and field team made good use of the final week leading up to the G-MAC Outdoor Championships, competing in multiple tune-up meets in Ohio and coming away with several strong performances.
Hillsdale first competed at the Walsh Tune-Up in Canton, Ohio on Wednesday and Thursday, winning two events. Senior Emily Gerdin led the way with a title in the triple jump and a mark of 11.72 meters, and also took second in the long jump with a mark of 5.33 meters. Gerdin was one of three Chargers to place in the triple jump, joined by Erika Mogelvang in third with a mark of 10.72 meters, and Grace Chen in sixth with a mark of 10.58 meters. Chen also took fifth in the long jump with a mark of 5.01 meters.
The Chargers also went 1-2-4 in the pole vault at Walsh, led by Tara Townsend, who took the title with a clearance of 3.72 meters. Morgan Iverson took second with a clearance of 3.47 meters, and Isabella Socha took fourth with a clearance of 3.32 meters.
Also at Walsh, Reagan Dahlquist took second in the high jump with a clearance of 1.66 meters, and Neva Polo finished third in the 100m hurdles with a time of 16.34.
On Friday and Saturday, Hillsdale traveled to the Ashland Alumni Open, where a big mark in the throws made waves. Junior Juliet Bernard set a new personal record in the hammer throw with a mark of 57.17 meters, more than four meters better than her previous best mark and the sixth-best mark in the nation at the NCAA DII level in the event, all but assuring herself of a spot at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships in May. She finished just ahead of Katie Weldy, who holds the current fourth-best mark in the nation and threw 56.44 meters on Friday.
Hillsdale also had a big moment in the 100m hurdles, as senior Louisa Klaserner ran a massive personal best to break 14 seconds in the event for the first time in her career. Her runner-up time of 13.95 is not only a provisional qualifying mark but tied for the 18th best mark at the NCAA DII level this season, putting her on the bubble for a spot in the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships in May. Teammate Shura Ermakov finished third in the event with a personal best time of 14.13, and her 14.12 from prelims moves her into a tie for 27th nationally in the event.
The Chargers had several other strong performances at Ashland. Senior Eden Little won the javelin with a throw of 44.30 meters, while Hillsdale had three placers in the 400m dash, with freshman Zoe Burke taking second in 58.37, Francesca Federici placing third in 58.57, and Nicole Marshall placing seventh in 59.29. Ameera Wilson also took third in the 800m run for the Chargers in 2:23.55.
Hillsdale now turns its focus to the G-MAC Championships next week, which it will host at the new outdoor track at Hayden Park beginning on Wednesday. The Chargers will look for several conference champions and to bring home the team title after placing second in 2023.