Junior Liz Wamsley finished a history-making run on Saturday in the same place she's spent most of the season.
In first place, and well ahead of the competition.
Wamsley took first place at the 2023 G-MAC Championships on Saturday in Canton, Ohio, winning by over 10 seconds in the 6K race in a time of 21:37.53. She's the first female runner for the Chargers to win an individual conference title in cross country since Hillsdale joined the G-MAC in the fall of 2017.
This Saturday was Wamsley's fourth G-MAC Championship race at Hillsdale, and after three previous All-G-MAC finishes, including a third-place finish in 2021, and a runner-up finish last season in 2022, the junior left no doubts on her way to the title in 2023.
Wamsley's finish help the Chargers take fourth overall as a team -- four points behind third-place Findlay, and ahead of both Northwood and Malone. 2022 champion Cedarville repeated as title-winners, with Walsh taking second in the team race.
Along with Wamsley's victory, Hillsdale also got a strong race from freshman Savannah Fraley, who earned second-team All-G-MAC honors with a 14th-place finish in 23:05.08. Freshmen played a big role for Hillsdale in Saturday's event, as freshman Megan Roberts took 30th (24:02.21) and fellow freshman Anna Stirton took 51st (24:38.2) as well to finish in Hillsdale's scoring five. Junior Brynn Edison also placed 47th in 24:30.8 to score for Hillsdale, while freshman Eleanor Clark took 55th (24:47.6) and junior Vera Thompson took 61st (24:56.8) as well for the Chargers.
The G-MAC title is the fourth victory in five races for Wamsley this season, and a sign that the junior is ready to defend her All-American finish from last year at the NCAA DII Championships. First, Hillsdale will compete in the Midwest Regional Championship, scheduled for November 4 at Angel Mounds Historic Site in Evansville, Indiana, as Wamsley will look to compete for another potential historic title, and the Chargers will try to put their best foot forward against a tough field looking to qualify for the 2023 NCAA DII Championships on Nov. 18 in Joplin, Missouri.
Photo by Edward Smith, Malone Athletics