Several Hornets have signed on to continue their athletic and academic careers at various institutions across the country. Every single athlete looks to continue to make an impact on their teams as they look to start their fall semesters. One of these Hornets is Jonah Richards, a recent graduate who ran both cross country and track for Hillsdale High School. 

Jonah Richards signed to run for Manchester University. He was joined by his parents: Marc and Jill Richards. The decision to continue his athletic pursuits was one he had been deciding on for a long time, but Jonah and his family are excited for the new opportunities that await him at Manchester. 

Jonah comes from a long line of collegiate athletes. His father, Marc, ran for Hillsdale College. Jonah's sister, Madeline Richards, is a collegiate runner at Hillsdale College. Belinda Shaffer, Jonah's Aunt, was an All-American track athlete for Hillsdale College. Jonah's cousin, Jennifer Wysong, is an All-American cross country runner for Hillsdale College. 

"My family has had many track runners," said Jonah. His family history has been an important part of his decision to continue his athletic pursuits, but Jonah wanted to take a different path from his families' collegiate ties, which helped him choose Manchester. 

Jonah will run both cross country and track for Manchester University. Jonah was initially on the fence for continuing collegiate athletics, but visits to Manchester University and unique aspects of their athletic programs helped sell him. 

"They use heart beat scales to help determine how many miles they run and to help coordinate their workouts," said Jonah Richards. 

Jonah had gained interests from other universities. Albion, Indiana Tech, and Spring Arbor were among the universities that were interested in Jonah competing for their running teams. Jonah said he is ready to continue his athletic career at the next level, and he believes that was in part due to his excellent coaches throughout his high school career. 

Jonah thanked each of his coaches included Clay Schiman, Charles Holbrook and Danielle Salisbury for helping him throughout his high school career. Jonah was one of many runners who lost a year due to the pandemic and he credited his coaches for helping keep him on track with his goals heading into his senior year. 

Some of Jonah's favorite memories and accomplishments from this season including running under 18 minutes this past cross country season. Jonah qualified for states as the regional champion in the 800-meter sprint this past track season. Getting to states was one of his major goals, and he was happy that he was able to compete their with his teammates this past season. Jonah also helped lead the 4x400-meter team to state qualification this season. 

Head track coach Clay Schiman said that he is really proud of the effort Jonah Richards has put in the past four years.

"Jonah has been a leader for us these last two years and is someone we are really going to miss. He consistently had a great attitude and ran with incredible confidence."

Jonah was recognized as an All-LCAA athlete in the 4x800 and in the 4x400 meter relays. Jonah was award as one of the most valuable runners in the Hornet program two years in a row. 

Jonah's impressive on-track accolades were not his only accomplishments during his high school career. Richards was the president of the BPA, vice president of the student body and was a member of the Honors program. At the BPA nationals in Dallas, Jonah helped lead the computer animation team to a 6th place finish. 

Jonah Richards looks to continue his academic success at Manchester University in their STEM programs. Richards looks to pursue a degree in applied mathematics. Jonah said that the computer science professors were really knowledgeable about their studies and that helped motivate his interests in studying at the University. 

In addition to his academic pursuits at Manchester, Jonah Richards received a scholarship for E-Sports. He will look to compete in a game titled Overwatch. He had other E-Sports team interests at Manchester but he decided on that team. The Manchester team has a nationally ranked player on their squad. 

Jonah's mother, Jill Richards, expressed how proud their entire family is for Jonah forging his own path. Jill Richards said that Jonah's personality and his compassion for others will help him find success on the collegiate level and he will have an impact on those around him as well. 

Manchester University is a private liberal arts university in North Manchester, Indiana. The University's Department of History and Political Science is one of the most prestigious and oldest programs of study at the University. The University holds NGO status with the United Nations. Manchester Athletics participates in the NCAA Division III level of competition and they play in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Manchester offers both undergraduate and graduate studies.