Central moves up in track rankings
Central College
PELLA—The Central College men’s track and field squad climbed one spot to No. 5 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association outdoor power rankings. Meanwhile the women’s team maintained the No. 19 ranking.
Central’s men captured their third consecutive Iowa Conference title last weekend in Mount Vernon, racking up 250 points and breaking the previous league scoring record (228 points) set by the Dutch in 2000. It’s their 13th title in 21 years and coach Joe Dunham was again named the coach of the year. Juniors Ethan Miller (Seymour) was named the league’s field event performer of the year while Kyle Wood (Newton) claimed track MVP honors. Both were cited as the league’s male athletes of the week.
The women’s squad placed third at the league meet with 124.5 points, just one point behind runner-up Luther College. The Dutch have posted nine top-three finishes in the past decade.
Both teams have a chance to improve their marks before the NCAA Division III Championships slated for May 26-28 in Delaware, Ohio. A partial squad will travel to the North Central (Ill.) Gregory Invitational in Naperville, Ill., as well as the Augustana (Ill.) Twilight Qualifier in Rock Island, Ill., Thursday and Friday.
