INDIANAPOLIS – Preseason coaches poll favorite Hillsdale and Tiffin corraled the first set of Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week awards on Tuesday. 
 
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Calli Townsend
Hillsdale
Sophomore
Sprints/Hurdles
Lexington, MI (Croswell-Lexington HS)
 
Townsend made her season debut at the Vanderbilt Black & Gold Invitational in Nashville, where she made a strong impression in the 400-meter hurdles. 
 
Going up against all DI runners from Kentucky, Michigan, Butler and Tennessee State, the sophomore finished seventh in the event with a time of 1:03.32. 
 
Breaking down her time further, Townsend clocked the fifth-best mark in conference history only behind teammate Carmen Botha.
 
Townsend competed in three different events at the conference indoor championships. 
 
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Marisa Gwinner
Tiffin
Freshman
Jumps
Galion, OH (Galion HS)
 
Gwinner was the third-place finisher at nationals in the high jump, an incredible feat as a first-year student-athlete. Her momentum carried into the outdoor season at the Blizzard Buster in Oxford, Ohio.
 
Gwinner won her signature event at the Blizzard Buster, clearing 1.71m (5’ 7.25”) for a new conference record. She provisionally qualified for outdoor nationals and currently ranks second in Division II early in the 2019 season. 
 
Gwinner already had the conference indoor record, and top three heights, with distances of 1.75m, 1.74m and 1.73m. 
 
This is her second conference field athlete of the week honor for the 2018-19 season.