The Hillsdale College men's track and field team continued to add to their title haul on day two of the G-MAC Outdoor Championships on Thursday at Ashland.
The Chargers won two more G-MAC crowns, bringing their total to three with one day of competition remaining.
Already a G-MAC Outdoor Champion in the hammer throw,
Ben Haas added a second title in as many days with a huge outdoor best in the shot put. Haas' winning throw of 18.12 meters broke his own outdoor school record of 17.84 meters in the event, and is tied for the fourth best mark in NCAA DII, marking the junior as a national title contender in that event as well as in the hammer throw, where he still possesses the top mark in the nation.
Along with Haas' title, Hillsdale also got a repeat championship on the track in the 3,000m steeplechase.
Richie Johnston, the 2024 G-MAC Champion in the event, won a close race to the line in 8:59.47 for back-to-back crowns in the event. Teammate
Gabriel Phillips also scored and earned valuable points for the Chargers with a fourth-place finish in the event in 9:23.25, a season best for the junior.
Along with Hillsdale's two G-MAC champions, the Chargers also advanced two runners out of the 800m run preliminaries to the finals on Friday. Senior
Ross Kuhn (1:52.08) and junior
Mark Masaka (1:52.24) both ran personal bests to ensure they would make the top eight and get a chance to run for a championship on Friday.
Through two days and eight events, Hillsdale currently ranks fifth in the team standings, with 38 points. The Chargers will look to maintain that position on the final day on Friday, with championships on tap in the pole vault, triple jump and discus as well as in the vast majority of the running events. Championship Friday will begin with field events starting at 11:30 a.m.