In the 2023 season, both the Hillsdale College men's and women's cross country teams skewed young, with underclassmen making up large chunks of both squads.
Despite their relative youth, both squads remained competitive, with the women putting together a strong G-MAC Championship race despite having several freshmen in their top seven, and the men recording their best Midwest Regional finish in four seasons.
As the page turns to 2024, both teams are hoping the experience gained last year will pay off in a big way this fall.
On the men's side, Hillsdale returns four of its top five runners from a solid performance at last year's Midwest Regional. While graduated senior
Alex Mitchell, who earned All-G-MAC and All-Region honors in 2024, is a big loss, the Chargers have plenty of experience to lead the way, starting with senior
Richie Johnston.
Johnston joined Mitchell on the All-G-MAC team for cross country last year and had a banner year in outdoor track and field this spring, setting a new school record in the steeplechase (8:55.09) and competing at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships for the second-straight season.
Close behind Johnston are fellow veteran seniors
Donnie McArdle and
Ross Kuhn, both whom have been mainstays in Hillsdale's top seven for multiple seasons and will be racing in their fourth G-MAC Cross Country Championship this fall. Hillsdale also returns promising sophomore
Caleb Youngstedt, who strong finish to the season strengthened Hillsdale's lineup considerably, as well as juniors
Nathaniel Osborne,
Seth Jankowski and Emil Schleuter, who all finished in the top 100 at the 2023 G-MAC Championships.
Hillsdale will reinforce their veteran core on the men's side with six newcomers, including NJCAA national meet competitor
Gabriel Phillips from Lansing Community College, and four athletes who helped lead their high school teams to state championships.
On the women's side, Hillsdale has a huge hole to fill at the top of the lineup with the graduation of
Liz Wamsley, the 2023 G-MAC and Midwest Regional champion and a two-time All-American.
Behind Wamsley, however, the Chargers were one of the youngest teams in the G-MAC, with seven freshmen on a 12-athlete roster last season helping lead the Chargers to a fourth-place team finish at the G-MAC Championships.
Those returners, if they can take the leap, could help Hillsdale finish even higher in the G-MAC in 2024 despite the loss of Wamsley.
Leading the pack is sophomore
Savannah Fraley, who earned second-team All-G-MAC honors in 2023 and followed it up with a strong regional meet performance. Fellow sophomores
Megan Roberts,
Anna Stirton and
Eleanor Clark also showed significant promise for the Chargers throughout 2023 and will be relied on this fall, as will veteran seniors
Brynn Edison and
Kayla Loescher.
Hillsdale adds four freshmen to the mix, all of whom saw significant success at high levels in their state championships in high school, including a past state champion and several multi-time All-State athletes.
As Hillsdale looks to improve upon its 2023 finishes in the G-MAC, both men's and women's programs will have an exciting advantage as the Chargers play host to the conference championship meet in cross country for the first time in over a decade.
It's one of three home meets for Hillsdale in 2024 as the Chargers compete at Hayden Park in cross country for the first time since 2020. Hillsdale also hosts a dual meet on Sept. 6 against conference foe Findlay, and the Hillsdale Invitational on Sept. 14 as tune-ups ahead of the G-MAC Championship scheduled to take place on Oct. 26.
Along with the conference championships, Hillsdale also will compete in the Midwest Regional Meet in Chicago, Illinois on Nov. 9, looking to qualify athletes and teams to the 2024 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships to be held in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 23.
You can find the schedules for the men's team
here and the women's team
here. Hillsdale opens up at home in a dual meet against Findlay on Friday, Sept. 6.
