Chargers wrap up regular season with good times in Last Chance meets

The Hillsdale College women’s track and field team made good use of its final weekend of meets before the announcement of the 2025 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships field, with one athlete increasing her chances of making the meet at Last Chance meets this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Racing in the Portland Twilight Meet, a massive distance meet with top professionals and NCAA DI competitors out in Oregon, freshman Evyn Humphrey ran a new personal best in the 1,500m run, finishing eighth in 4:23.73 to move herself on to the bubble to make the 2025 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships. Humphrey’s time now ranks 23rd among NCAA DII competitors, giving her a good shot to be among the 20 athletes selected to compete in the 1,500m championships at the end of May once declarations are complete. A qualification for Humphrey would be a second trip to the national meet after the freshman competed in the indoor Mile in March.

Hillsdale also had several athletes competing on Friday at the Len Paddock Invite, hosted by the University of Michigan. Senior Reese Dragovich finished a decorated career with the Chargers with a fourth place finish in the 800m run in 2:10.88, while junior Lucy Minning took third in the 100m dash in 12.01. Junior Averi Parker, already likely qualified for the national meet in the hammer throw, took seventh with a throw of 53.87 meters, a provisional qualifying mark but not a improvement on her season best.

The Chargers finished the weekend with a trip to Allendale, Michigan for the GVSU Last Chance Invite. Minning took second in the 100m dash (11.85) and fourth in the 200m dash (25.11) for Hillsdale, while Josee Behling finished her Hillsdale career with a third place finish in the 400m dash (56.33). In the field, Parker took sixth in the discus with a throw of 43.36 meters, while senior Katie Sayles threw a provisional mark of 53.89 meters to take fourth in the hammer, and senior Kaylee Jackson took third in the pole vault with a provisional mark clearance of 3.81 meters, though neither mark was an improvement on their previous season best.

Hillsdale now turns its focus to the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships, scheduled to take place on May 22-24 in Pueblo, Colorado. Hillsdale has three athletes who are in position to make the field — Parker, Allison Kuzma and Tara Townsend — and two more in Humphrey and Jackson who are on the bubble with a shot to get in. The Chargers await the official announcement of the field on NCAA.com tomorrow at 5 p.m.

Photo by Tiffany Treppa