The Hillsdale College women's track team's two top javelin throwers took the name of Thursday's meet -- the Hillsdale "Last Chance" Classic -- to heart and made the most of it.
In their final appearance at home in 2021 and what could be their final meet of the season, freshmen Eden Little and Peyton Panka both had their best performances of the season.
Little, in particular, had a memorable day, throwing a new personal best of 43.61 meters to not only take first in Thursday's home competition, but shatter the school record of 43 meters even in the javelin set by Kristin Donovan in 2008.
Her teammate, Panka, was close behind with a new personal best of her own, with a throw of 42.24 meters that exceeded the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark in the event and makes her one of the top javelin throwers in Hillsdale history in her own right.
Both set the tone for Hillsdale's women's team on a day where every athlete was trying to take advantage of one more chance to set a new personal best, reach provisional qualifying marks or solidify their spot on the national qualifying lists ahead of the announcement next week of the field for the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships at the end of the month in Allendale, Michigan.
Also in the field, freshman Emily Gerdin took fifth in the triple jump (11.20 meters) and seventh in the long jump (5.40 meters) in outdoor-season best performances, and freshman Louisa Klaserner took eighth in the long jump with a personal best of her own (4.95 meters).
Sophomore Alexie Day cleared 1.60 meters in the high jump to place third in the meet, sophomore Nikita Maines threw 14.06 meters in the shot put to finish fourth, and Juliet Bernard took eighth in the hammer throw with a throw of 48.81 meters as well.
On the track, Zalonya Eby won the 200m dash for the Chargers in a season-best time of 24.52, with teammates Alanna O'LEary in fourth (25.55), Isabella Gutierrez in seventh (26.14) and Grace Gottwalt in ninth (27.92).
Dakota Stamm won the 400m dash (56.24) as well for the Chargers, with Josee Behling finishing ninth and running a personal-best time of 59.04, Judith Allison took runner-up in the 400m hurdles (1:06.08) and Elizabeth Wamsley took third in her first collegiate 1,500m run (5:02.73).
Allison Nimtz set a new personal best and took fifth in the 100m dash (12.77) as well for the Chargers, Gottwalt finished sixth in the 100m hurdles (15.00), Gwynne Riley took sixth in the 800m run (2:15.97) and Vera Thompson finished seventh in the 800m run in a personal best time of 2:18.49.
Hillsdale has one final meet on the schedule, traveling to Lee University in Tennessee for a last-chance meet this Saturday, May 15 with a small squad of athletes looking to clinch spots in a smaller-than-normal National Championship field with one more strong performance.
Photo by Gwen Buchhop