There was no doubt coming into this weekend's 2025 G-MAC Indoor Track and Field Championships at Ashland who the favorite to win the men's weight throw was.
And when the time came, two-time defending champion
Ben Haas left no doubts. Haas, a junior, had the two farthest throws of the day and, with a winning mark of 20.98 meters, beat the next closest competitor in the event by a full meter to claim his third straight G-MAC title.
The current top seed nationally in the weight throw at the NCAA DII level, and the only NCAA DII athlete to throw over 22 meters in competition this season, Haas added to a pedigree that includes three previous All-American honors, two in the indoor weight throw. He'll now take aim at another All-American honor and his first national title at the NCAA DII Championships in March, but first will look to add a second G-MAC title on Saturday as the top seed in the shot put.
 Haas wasn't the only successful Hillsdale athlete on Friday, as the Chargers placed in three additional events. Senior
Cass Dobrowolski cleared 2.05 meters in the high jump to earn runner-up honors for Hillsdale in the event, and junior
Connor McCormick cleared 4.52 meters in the pole vault to place sixth and earn valuable points for Hillsdale as well. The Chargers capped the night by placing eighth in the distance medley relay, with a team of
Richie Johnston,
Seth Jankowski,
Mark Masaka and
Zach Self finishing in 10:20.70.
Also on the track, Hillsdale had two athletes run personal bests in the 5,000m run, with junior
Gabriel Phillips taking ninth in 14:56.30 and
Emil Schlueter placing 20th in 15:32.62, both in career best times. Freshman
Sam Jones also ran a new personal best in the 200m dash of 22.23 to place 14th, and senior
Jamahl Burke ran a season best in the 400m dash of 48.68 to place ninth.
The first four events of the heptathlon took place on Friday as well, and Hillsdale's
Zealand Tarrant currently sits in 10th with 2,373 points and three events remaining. Tarrant will look to move up on Saturday with the 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1,000m run still remaining, set to begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
The Chargers will contest several other events on Championship Saturday as well, looking to add to their medal haul and finish strong as a team. Hillsdale currently sits in fourth place with 22 points after one day of competition. Along with the conclusion of the Heptathlon, field events will start tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. with the men's triple jump, and action on the track begins at 12:40 p.m. with the men's mile.
