Track and Field competed in Liberty University Kickoff Meet

Story by Wornden Ly 

LYNCHBURG, Va.- The men's and women's indoor track and field teams competed at the Liberty University Kickoff Indoor Track & Field Classic on Jan. 24-25 at Lynchburg, Va.

The Hawks were the only junior college that competed against NCAA Division I schools such as Liberty University, Norfolk State Univeristy, James Madison University, and Indiana Tech.

Despite competing against fierce competition, head coach Mike Spinnler said "HCC had some very impressive results" from both teams.

Men's Indoor Track and Field

Freshman and North Hagerstown High School graduate Saige Vipond placed 11th in the 1,000 meter with a time of 2:43.31.

MD JUCO & Region XX Individual Cross Country Champion Henry Schmidt placed 14th in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:06.19.

Trent Overcash placed 21st in the mile run with time of 4:36.73.

Overcash, Vipond, Tyson Belistri, and Dharma Bhatt placed 7th in the 4x800 meter relay with a time of 8:33.68.

According to Spinnler, this is the "fastest performance by an HCC squad in five years."

Women's Indoor Track and Field

Team captain Khelsa Connolly placed 28th in the 800 meter with a time of 2:37.84. She also placed 29th in the mile run with a 5:48.33. Both times marked her seasonal best for the defending Maryland JUCO and Region XX individual Cross Country Champion, according to Spinnler. 

Both teams will be back in action at the Eastern Shore Invitational hosted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.