Chargers smash fundraising record for fourth-straight year at 42nd Annual Lift-a-thon

At its 42nd annual Lift-a-thon this past Saturday, players from the Hillsdale College football team continued to raise the bar with excellent performances.

And, for the fourth straight year, alumni, family and friends of the Charger football program raised the bar as well in support of the team's efforts.

The Chargers set a new record for the event in terms of fundraising, raising $63,880 from 369 different donors, with both numbers being all-time highs in the history of the event. The total of $63,880 as of March 7 is more than $10,000 higher than the previous record set in 2021 of $51,659, with late-arriving donations still coming in and adding to the total.

"We remain deeply grateful for the support we receive through donations for this event, and to the program in general," said Nate Shreffler, Hillsdale's offensive coordinator and also the Director of the Lift-a-thon. "We're blessed to attract this kind of interest and support from alumni and friends of the program on a yearly basis, and it seems like with each new edition, the interest and energy surrounding the Lift-a-thon only continues to grow. 

"It's something we don't take for granted, and it motivates us every day to continue to work hard and be a program that makes the most out of the support we get."

Seventy-two Hillsdale College athletes participated in the Lift-a-thon, an annual tradition dating back to the first year of legendary coach Dick Lowry in 1980 and one of the team's most important fundraisers for the upcoming fall season. Of that group, 51 set or matched new personal records in the power clean, with 25 cleaning over 270 pounds and 12 cleaning over 300 pounds. 

For the second straight season, the top lift of the day went to sophomore linebacker Riley Tolsma, who cleaned 365 pounds, 10 more than he had cleaned to win the top honor the previous year. Tolsma also won the 226-250 pound weight class in the event.

Along with Tolsma's achievement, two Chargers tied a weight class record in the power clean. Defensive linemen Kendall Tobin and Ryan Sellars both cleaned 345 pounds in the 251-275 pound weight class and tie the record set by David Galginatis in 2014. Tobin was awarded the weight class victory as the lighter of the two players who were tied.

Other winners included defensive back Julius Graber, who cleaned 300 pounts to win the 185 and under class; tailback Mike Herzog, who cleaned 295 to win the 186-200 pound weight class; wide receiver Isaac Teslaa won the 201-225 pound weight class with a clean of 315; and offensive lineman Ben Geno cleaned 300 pounds to win the 276 and up weight class.

"I thought our players did a great job, not only with the fundraising aspect of the event and soliciting donations, but showing up on Saturday prepared and ready to compete," Shreffler said. "They've really put in the time and effort to build strength in the weight room this winter, and I think you saw the results of that in both their performances and in the energy and intensity they brought to the competition.

"We're really excited to get to work with this group in the spring, and if they can build on the passion and energy they showed throughout the winter, it's going to set us up very well for the fall."

If you missed the Lift-a-Thon live, you can also watch the entire event on demand on the Great Midwest Digital Network.

The Lift-a-thon serves an additional purpose as the kick-off of the spring practice season for the Charger football team. Hillsdale gets back out on the field today, March 7, for six weeks of practice as Team 130 builds toward the 2022 season, beginning on Sept. 3 at Lake Erie. A full schedule for the 2022 season will be released in early April.

Hillsdale is looking to build off a 6-6 campaign in 2021 and a runner-up finish in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, hoping that the extra practices it gained thanks to qualifying for the America's Crossroads Bowl in December, as well as an excellent spring, will give it a leg up on the competition in the race for the 2022 G-MAC title.

2021 Liftathon Winners:

 *tied record