Chargers to host GLIAC Championships

Charger track and field hosts GLIAC Championships next week; 'Fire up Chargers'

By: Cody Ewers

Posted: 4/23/09

Hillsdale College will host this year's GLIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship next week, April 29 - May 1. Hosting the meet is an honor that comes around every five to six years.

Head coach Bill Lundberg said his team will be strong coming into the meet, especially after this weekend's Gina Relays - also held at Hillsdale College's Olympic-grade Ken Herrick Track - but will be hard pressed to take the meet due to the lack of depth on the team.

"We need to do multiple events because we don't have the depth," Lundberg said, looking at the GLIAC men and women's performance list. "It's tough because there are areas where we are really strong, but behind us are three or four runners from one school."

Lundberg explained the first eight places in an event are awarded points; beginning with ten points for first, eight for second, six for third, five for fourth and so on to eighth place.

This means, despite senior Jazmin Williams' projected first-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, according to the GLIAC performance list, Grand Valley State University will take more points from the event because they have five of the next eight spots.

Lundberg said even though it's hard for his squad to score the kind of points a huge team like Grand Valley State University is capable of, they look to fill their holes by signing Charger athletes up for more than one event.

Junior Timothy Howse is one such athlete, but he said he isn't worried about the back-to-back 5 and 10-kilometer races he is signed up for.

"I have enough endurance to do it," Howse said. "The training prepares me for it."

Howse said components to completing the back-to-back 9.3 total miles include running as fast as possible, getting enough sleep, warming up well and the excellent training program he is a part of at Hillsdale.

One Charger undaunted by the shallow depth is junior Aaron Falk.

Falk's domination of the men's hammer throw puts him in a solid position to take first at the conference and national meets, and he's expecting no less, he said.

"What I'm trying to do [at the GLIAC Conference Championship] is mimic the national meet," Falk said. "We try and treat it like one; there'll be a lot of energy, but especially in my event. The top five hammer throwers in Division II are going to be there, and four have already automatically qualified."

Already an auto-qualified competitor himself, Falk said he'll still be on the way to his peak come conferences and won't perform at 100 percent until nationals.

Falk's goal to end the year is 220 feet, just shy of 68 meters. His personal best, and school record, for outdoor is currently 199.1 feet.

The men and women's 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays are also events to watch next week, said assistant coach Andy Towne.

Towne said the women's 4x100-meter team is the best team he's ever seen during his time at Hillsdale, and he will be shocked if they don't do well.

Looking to next year, Lundberg and Towne are excited for the freshmen recruits who have committed, as well as all the talent they'll retain from this year. Out of 90 track and field Chargers, only six graduate this May.

In addition, senior Jason Stomps - former All-American and Hillsdale College record holder for the hammer throw - plans to return healthy after red-shirting the entire year.

So go out and support your track team these next three weeks, and in the words of Lundberg, "Fire up Chargers!"