2022 USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field All-Region honorees
The Hillsdale College men's and women's track and field teams had a banner spring, wrapping up the 2021-22 school year with multiple All-American honors at the NCAA DII Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 26-28.
Several Chargers received additional recognition for strong outdoor seasons from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Wednesday, with seventeen Hillsdale track and field athletes earning Outdoor All-Region honors from the USTFCCCA -- nine women and eight men.
USTFCCCA All-Region honors go to the individuals with the top five times or marks in each event in each of the eight NCAA Division II regions across the country, as well as the members of each top-three ranked relay teams.
All four members of Hillsdale's school-record setting women's 4x400m relay team earned the distinction, after finishing sixth in the nation in the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships in the event. Sophomore Shura Ermakov, sophomore Dakota Stamm and senior Zalonya Eby all earned Outdoor All-Midwest Region honors for the second-straight season and the fourth time overall for each of the three between indoor and outdoor seasons, while the fourth member of the team, Josee Behling, received Outdoor All-Midwest Region honors for the first time in her career.
Along with the recognition from the relay, Ermakov also earned All-Midwest Region recognition individually for her performance in the 400m hurdles, while Eby received the distinction for her time in the 200m dash and Stamm for her time in the 400m dash as well.
Multiple distance runners also received All-Region recognition for the Chargers. Sophomore Margaret Scheske, a national meet qualifier in the 3,000m steeplechase, earned All-Region honors for the first time in her career, and so did teammate Liz Wamsley, who was a national meet qualifier in the 10,000m run as well.
Three field athletes also earned All-Region honors for the Charger women's track and field team. Junior Nikita Maines, a four-time national qualifier in the shot put, earned her fourth All-Midwest Region honor from the USTFCCCA for her school record-setting performance in 2022, while sophomore Eden Little received the honor for the second-straight season in the javelin after breaking a Charger school record in the event as well.
Junior Emily Gerdin also was recognized with All-Region honors by the USTFCCCA in the triple jump after also breaking the Charger school record in the event this past spring.
On the men's side, all four members of Hillsdale's 4x100m relay received All-Region honors for the Chargers. Junior Jacob Schmidt, sophomores Jamahl Burke and Dagur Einarsson, and freshman Oliver Samuelsson all received USTFCCCA recognition for the first time for their role on the relay.
Also on the track for the Charger men, Sean Fagan added his first All-Midwest Region honor to the All-American honor he received at the DII Outdoor Championships in May, earning recognition in both the 110m hurdles and the 400m hurdles.
Three field event athletes earned All-Region honors for the Hillsdale men's track and field team, led by junior Ben Raffin, who was named All-Midwest Region for the fifth time in his career in the pole vault, to go along with four All-American honors in the event.
Freshman Cass Dobrowolski, a national meet qualifier in the high jump, also earned All-Midwest Region honors in his first season at Hillsdale, as did fellow freshman Kyle MacBeth for his performance in the javelin.
Hillsdale's 17 All-Midwest Region honorees are the most for the Charger men's and women's track and field programs combined since the 2016 Outdoor campaign, where Hillsdale had 18 combined honorees, and one of the program's best numbers in the history of the USTFCCCA award.