INDIANAPOLIS – Several student-athletes hit provisional qualifying marks in their respective events during opening week as the first Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week awards were announced Tuesday.
 
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Abbie Porter
Hillsdale
Senior
Sprints
Byron Center, MI (South Christian HS)
 
Porter was the lone track athlete in the Great Midwest to record a provisional time from the first week of competition, doing so at the Grand Valley State Holiday Open in the 800-meter run.
 
Now that four-time national champion Carsyn Koch-Johnson has officially graduated from Cedarville, Porter will have a chance to shine in her signature event as the conference title favorite.
 
Porter finished fourth in her first attempt of the indoor season with a time of 2:13.80. The only runners ahead of her were unattached/club/Division I.
 
She also ran the second leg of the 4x400-meter relay as the Chargers finished fourth in the event with a time of 3:52.08, beating out Eastern and Central Michigan.
 
Hillsdale clocked the third-fastest time in conference history, less than three seconds off the all-time record, also set by the Chargers in February of 2018.
 
Porter qualified for both the 2019 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the 800-meter run.
 
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Morgan England
Findlay
Freshman
Pole Vault
Bloomville, OH (Seneca East HS)
 
The Oilers had a trio of freshman pole vaulters provisionally qualify for nationals in the first event of the season at the UF Oiler Opener.
 
It was an impressive display for England and teammates Lindsey Kluesener and Meadow Cromer, to start the indoor campaign.
 
England cleared 3.84m (12’ 7.25”) in her ninth attempt, officially landing in the top 10 all-time around former Walsh NCAA qualifier Kaitlyn Barber in the process.
 
England won the event as Kluesener was a close second in her collegiate debut.
 
Early in the DII indoor season, England ranks fourth nationally in pole vault as a pair of auto qualifiers topped the first performance chart.