The Hillsdale College men's and women's track and field teams are off to an impressive start just two weekends into the outdoor season.
That's reflected in the weekly G-MAC awards announced today, as the Chargers had a clean sweep of all four men's and women's track and field honors. Junior Richie Johnston was named the Track Athlete of the Week and freshman Thomas Flud was named the Field Athlete of the Week on the men's side, while on the women's side senior Shura Ermakov was named the Track Athlete of the Week and senior Katie Weldy the Field Athlete of the Week in the G-MAC.
Johnston, a 2023 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships qualifier in the 3,000m steeplechase, got off to a phenomenal start in the event in his first race of the 2024 season at the Lee University Invite on Saturday, setting a meet record and taking first with a time of 9:11.95. That mark was a provisional qualifying mark and the eighth best time in the nation at the NCAA DII level at this early juncture. It's a great start to the season for Johnston, who is looking to get back to the national meet, challenge for All-American honors and chase the Hillsdale College outdoor record in the event of 8:55.47 set by Anthony Wondaal in 2016.
In the field, Flud had about the best start a college freshman could ask for in his first meet, needing just six throws to break a 37-year old school record in the javelin set by Pete Dzwilewski in 1987. Flud's mark of 61.68 meters at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invite in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina not only broke that record but also the all-time G-MAC record in the event held by Garrett Wilson of Tiffin, putting him atop both lists in his first-ever appearance in a collegiate meet. Flud has taken runner-up honors in the javelin in both of his first two meets and should be a contender to represent Hillsdale at the 2024 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships in May, as he's currently ranked 13th in the nation in the javelin.
On the women's side, Ermakov is no stranger to accolades, having just earned All-American honors in the 400 meter dash at the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Championships earlier this month. Ermakov has carried that momentum into the outdoor season, setting a meet record in the 400m hurdles at the Lee University Invitational on Saturday with a time of 1:01.48, currently the sixth-fastest time in NCAA DII in the event. The senior just missed another provisional mark in the 100m hurdles, running a personal-best time of 14.22 at the same meet to finish runner-up in that event as well. The program record holder in the 400m hurdles, Ermakov will be looking for All-American honors for the second straight season in that event in May, and also will chase the program's 400m dash record outdoors as well.
Last, but certainly not least, senior Katie Weldy had a weekend to remember in the hammer throw, with a massive personal best of 57.31 meters to win the Lee University Invite and set the meet record. Weldy's throw is the third-best in the country in the event to date, and builds off an earlier big PR at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invite as well. Weldy is close to the Hillsdale College program record in the event with her latest mark, and will look to make her first trip to Outdoor Nationals after going to the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Championships as a first-time qualifier in the weight throw earlier this month.
Hillsdale College will take this weekend off for the Easter holiday, and be back in action on April 5 and 6 at the MSU Spartan Invitational in nearby East Lansing.