The men’s and women’s track teams participated in the Charger Classic this past weekend. Held at Hillsdale College, the squads combined to win eight events including a national qualifying mark in the men’s pole vault.
On the women’s side, Andrea Bader won the 55m dash with a time of 7.4 seconds, while Maria Shaw won the 300m dash in 43.91 seconds. The third winner for the women’s team was Kristen Ameling, claiming the top spot in the shot put event with a throw of 12.31 meters. Heidi Kiesel finished second in the 800m run with a time of 2:45.39, three seconds behind Hillsdale’s Kristina Weaver.
The men’s team earned five victories for the weekend, highlighted by Keith Reiter’s win in the pole vault event. Reiter’s score of 15’7” gives him provisional qualification status for the NCAA Division II national competition. Mike Ballistrea won the 300m dash in a time of 36.51 seconds, besting fellow Dragons Chad Johnson (37.80) and Jason Shelnick (39.87). Jeremy Lee won the 1600m run with a time of 4:21.70, while Jason Bumb won the 3000m run with a time of 8:39.66. The Dragons team of Chad Johnson, Bryan Toran, Kyle Faerber, and Mike Ballistrea outran the field to win the 4x400 event. The team sprinted past Hillsdale in the final 100 meters to secure the victory with a time of 3:30.72.