Photo: Ashley Ritchey, IP-Fort Wayne, won the 10,000m run in 36:16.

It is the last weekend in April and the temperature is a crisp 60 degrees.

The sun shines brightly in an azure sky as a multitude of talented athletes and spectators await college track-and-field action at its best.

Sounds like the Drake or Penn Relays, right? Wrong. The place is Hillsdale College, a quaint-but-well-known jewel among small institutions nestled in the rolling countryside of southern Michigan.

The event is the popular Gina Relays Invitational, named for former Hillsdale all-American distance runner Gina Van Laar, whose life ended tragically in a car crash. For the past few years "The Gina" has become a preferred alternative to Des Moines and Philadelphia for many Midwestern runners, and rightly so.

Photo: Corey Fuller, Lansing Community College, competed in the shot put.

Longtime Charger track and cross-country coach Bill Lundberg has nurtured relays since their inception. With support from his coaching staff, alumni and the greater community, Lundberg hosts a classy event that focuses on team competition and sportsmanship

The 2006 Gina Relays provided a festive atmosphere for fans and athletes alike. Teams from seven states and Canada competed on Hillsdale's national-caliber track over three exciting days.

Highlighting Friday night's carnival of distance races was the Rochester-based Hansons-Brooks team, which may be the model for competitive distance racing in America. Members are professionally managed and coached by brothers Kevin and Keith Hanson.

Photo: Nick Boehlke, UW-Oshkosh, won the 10,000 meter run in 29:50.

Several new meet records were established, and athletes from major conferences chalked up national-qualifying marks and season-best performances.

Sixty teams from the Big Ten, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Mid-America Conference, Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and others were represented by top male and female student-athletes.

The Gina Relays have grown to become a showcase for the best track teams in the Midwest. The event epitomizes what is healthy and positive in collegiate athletics. MR