Several Hillsdale College men's track and field athletes made huge leaps in the final meet before the G-MAC Outdoor Championships, as the Charger men had a strong showing at their home Tune-Up Invite on Friday and Saturday.

Hillsdale started the weekend with a bang on Friday with four of the top seven finishers in the hammer throw. Dominic Scharer led the Chargers with a third place finish and a throw of 58.94 meters, but behind him two athletes made big moves with new provisional marks for Hillsdale. Dimitry Ermakov set a new personal best with a throw of 57.55 meters to place fourth, a throw that ranks him eighth all-time in Hillsdale history in the hammer throw, and also sets a provisional qualifying mark that ranks 40th nationally in the event. Teammate Jackson Childress was just behind in fifth with a massive personal best throw of 57.23 meters, moving him into ninth place all-time in Hillsdale history in the hammer and ranking 45th nationally. Matthew Belanich also placed seventh for the Chargers in the hammer with a throw of 54.89 meters.

On Saturday, the sprints took center stage for the Chargers. Sam Jones ran a massive personal best to win the 200m dash for the Chargers in 21.76, tying him for ninth fastest in the outdoor event in Hillsdale history, with teammate Watson Magwenzi taking fifth in a personal best time of 21.95 as well, and freshman Jack Polizzi placing sixth with a personal best time of 22.20. Wyatt Widolff also finished 11th in the 200 for the the Chargers with a time of 22.50, and Widolff, Magwenzi and Jones teamed up with freshman Cam Sellers to place third in the 4x100m relay in 41.70.

Hillsdale also had big things happen in the hurdles. Zealand Tarrant became the eighth-fastest in Hillsdale history in the 400m hurdles with a runner-up finish in 54.27, and Colsen Conway won the 110m hurdles as well for Hillsdale in 14.98. 

In the field, Alfonso Garcia set a new outdoor personal best to win the triple jump, with a mark of 13.91 meters that moves him up to ninth on Hillsdale's all-time list in the event. Christian Hinrichs took third in the triple jump with a mark of 12.55 meters, and Luan Kummle won the long jump as well for the Chargers with a personal best distance of 6.72 meters.

Connor McCormick took third in the pole vault for Hillsdale, clearing a season-best 4.72 meters, and the Chargers also placed two in the discus, with Jackson Childress taking second with a throw of 49.76 meters and Dominic Scharer placing third with a mark of 48.14 meters.

In separate action in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hillsdale's Tommy Flud competed in the javelin at the prestigious Penn Relays, placing 16th with a throw of 56.19 meters.

With the Tune-Up meet in the books, there's nothing standing between the Chargers and the G-MAC Outdoor Championships, which will be hosted at the Jim and Sallie McGinnis Track and Field Facility at Hayden Park on the Hillsdale College campus. The Charger men are looking to improve on a seventh-place finish at the outdoor championships in 2025 with home-track advantage playing a part. The meet takes place over three days, beginning on Wednesday, April 29. You can find the full meet schedule on hillsdalechargers.com.