Hillsdale College once again chooses Mondo for new outdoor track

Hillsdale College once again chooses Mondo for new outdoor track

The NCAA Division II university recently installed a Mondo Super X 720 track in Hayden Park, its newly constructed outdoor track and field facility.

“I feel Hayden Park stands out as one of the premier track and field facilities in all of college athletics, and a big part of that is the new Mondo track,” Hillsdale College Director of Athletics John Tharp said.

Installed by Kiefer USA, the new 400-meter Mondo track has nine lanes 42 inches wide instead of the standard 36 inches. A nine-lane sprint straightaway, a pole vault runway, and long jump/triple jump runways also have the same Mondo Super X 720 surface.

This marks the Charger’s second outdoor Mondo track. “When we decided to put in another Mondo track, the students were elated because they believed it signified the college’s commitment to having the world’s finest track,” Tharp said. “And once the student-athletes stepped on the new Mondo track, it was like Christmas morning because of how it felt on their legs and feet. It was pure joy.”

But the student-athletes’ happiness with the track didn’t end there. Tharp affirmed, “After months of training and competing on the track, they are still very happy with it. Their bodies feel great running on it.”

The AD said the new Mondo track will enable the Hillsdale, Michigan, school to host the Gina Relays again. “This was an open meet conducted annually in the spring for more than 50 years, and because it was held on a Mondo track, it would bring in up to 2,000 athletes from across the Midwest,” Tharp said. “We had to suspend the Gina Relays for the last several years, but because of the new Mondo track, we plan to bring the competition back next spring. With the speed of the new Mondo track, the Gina Relays should once more attract top-level athletes from across the Midwest.”

Tharp also expressed the college’s ambition to position Hillsdale as an attractive destination for athletes as well as a potential site for national championships, and they’re already seeing results, having hosted the 2024 G-MAC Conference Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May. “The ultimate goal is to bring a national championship to Hillsdale,” Tharp said. “Having a Mondo track will help enable us to do that.”

In addition to praising the Mondo track, Tharp also commended Mondo and Kiefer for their professionalism throughout the process. “They were exceptional to work with from start to finish, asking us the right questions and providing us the support we needed, even after the installation was completed. Working with them was truly a pleasure.”