Hawk Athlete Earns All-American Award at Nationals
The Hawks have returned from NJCAA Nationals in Topeka Kansas and the results are in.
On Day 1, Tommy Bildheiser had a good showing at the NJCAA Nationals. He was set to complete in the 800 meters and the 1000 meters, both in the same day just 2 hours apart from each other. Bilheiser was in the first heat and against one of the best 800 meter runners in the NJCAA. He ran a time of 1:55.87 with splits of 59.7 & 56.1 seconds. Bildheiser missed the win by a lean and took 2nd in his heat by only .09 seconds. Unfortunately, he missed the finals qualifying time by .21 seconds , bringing in 11th place. Just 2 short hours later he entered the 1000 meter but did not post a qualifying time. Coach Spinnler said "He ran really, really well! But in the 1000 meters his tank was just empty."
On Day 2 of Nationals, Josey Reineman competed in the Women's High Jump. Reineman set out with determination to break the top 10 and with a season's best height of 1.66 meters (5'5 ¼") she did just that. She cleared the height on her 3rd and final attempt to move her up the standings and tied for 6th place. Not only did she set a new personal best for the season but, this achievement also earned Reineman the prestige of being named All-American for the 2023 Indoor Track & Field season.
Two other Hawks went to the NJCAA Nationals also. Ryan Rasco was set to compete in the 1000 meters and the Mile. Unfortunately, Rasco fell ill and was not able to take the starting line on Day 1 for the 1000 meters, which also disqualified him from the Mile on Day 2. The other Hawk competing was Mikaila Ek, in the Women's Pole Vault. Ek set a new HCC record in Pole Vault this year and was ready to take that momentum into Nationals. She chose to pass on the opening height of 2.85 meters and then missed her next three attempts at 3.0 meters, giving her "No Height" for the tournament. Coach Spinnler said "In hindsight, if Mikaila would had cleared the opening height on her first attempt, she places no worse than tied for 6th."
As the Indoor season comes to an end the Hawks are setting up for their 10 meet Outdoor season which sees a few new additions to the team. As of now Ek and Reineman are already qualified for the NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field Nationals from their heights cleared during the Indoor season. The outdoor season kicks off on March 17 with the Fred Hardy Invitational at the University of Richmond (Virginia).