A stellar run continues for Hillsdale College junior Shura Ermakov, who added yet another All-American honor to an impressive haul on Saturday at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Ermakov entered the finals of the 400m dash seeded eighth out of eight competitors after snagging the last qualifying spot in the preliminary heats on Friday by just five-thousandths of a second, but once again outperformed her seed in the race to take home her first indoor All-American honors in an individual event. The Berea, Ohio native took sixth in the nation, finishing third in the first heat after a disqualification with a time of 54.56.
The All-Americna recognition is her fifth overall at Hillsdale College and her second in an individual event. Ermakov earned her first All-American honors at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships as a true freshman, racing on a national runner-up 4x400m relay. She also was a part of All-American 4x400 relay teams at the Outdoor Championships in both 2021 and 2022. Her first individual All-American honor came at the 2023 Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colorado, as Ermakov took fifth in the 400m hurdles. Ermakov now holds or is a part of Hillsdale College school records in all four events she's earned All-American honors in, as well.
Ermakov wasn't the only Charger athlete competing on Saturday, as junior Averi Parker also took to the throwing circle for the women's shot put championships. After faulting her first two attempts, Parker made good on her final throw of the competition with a mark of 13.81 meters to place 11th in the nation in the shot put, just two spots out of finals in the event.
Both Ermakov and Parker now turn their attention to the upcoming outdoor track and field season, which starts next weekend for Hillsdale with a trip to Myrtle Beach for the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational. Both Ermakov and Parker are perennial Outdoor Track and Field Championships qualifiers and will be in a good position to add to their accomplishments in their signature events this spring.
Photo by Drew Rich