Hillsdale, MI - The Grace Christian University Track & Field squads had a big weekend during the Hillsdale College "Wide Track Classic" this past Friday and Saturday. More than 20 collegiate teams competed in one of the greatest indoor track & field meets in the region and the young Grace program continued to make a name for itself against perennial NCAA DII and DIII powerhouse teams.  

Friday's competition got off to a great start for the Tigers, as freshman Sharlene Stallworth (Traverse City, MI) broke the 60m school record again, finishing in 8.40 seconds.  Not to be outdone, senior Lydia Peters (Wyoming, MI) set a new lifetime personal best in the 60m dash as well, crossing the line in 8.82 seconds. The Grace women's team then went on to make history by going on to compete in the team's first ever distance medley relay, or "DMR" (1200m-400m-800m-1600m).  The team of senior Kimberly Buskirk (Blanchard, MI), Stallworth, freshman Sarena Overbeek (Jenison, MI), and sophomore Olivia Weenum (Zeeland, MI) proved to be competitive against more experienced teams. The Tigers will attempt the DMR again this coming Saturday at GVSU as they look to prepare for the upcoming NCCAA Indoor National Championships coming up in two weeks (Feb. 21-22).

Day 2 on Saturday at Hillsdale College brought more solid results. The day was highlighted by Kimberly Buskirk winning her heat in the Championship 800m and placing 4th overall. The Championship race was an "elite" race restricted to only the fastest runners in that distance at the meet and Buskirk crushed it. Her time of 2:25 now gives her the 4th fastest time in the country for the NCCAA -in all divisions!

Also on Saturday, Sarena Overbeek showed strength and speed in the first part of her 1 mile race that had not yet been seen before then and Olivia Weenum ran a very respectable Open 800m race, finishing in a time of 2:37. Troy Sergey ran in the men's mile, and finished in a time of 5:32.