Short-handed track squads compete at Grinnell
Central College
GRINNELL — With several key components of both the men’s and women’s teams competing in Boston, the Central College men’s track and field team finished fourth while the women’s squad took fifth at the Darren Young Classic.
Central’s men’s team compiled 55 points Saturday in finishing fifth. Augustana (Ill.) won the team title with 152.66 points. On the women’s side, the Dutch scored 58 points, but Wartburg won the team crown with 126 points.
Both squads were missing several of their best athletes who were competing at a meet in Boston. Of the 10 athletes competing in Boston, six earned all-Iowa Conference distinctions at last-years Iowa Conference indoor championships.
Women win two events, finish fifth – Individual titles in the long jump and the 60 meter hurdles helped the women’s squad to score 58 points and finish fifth.
Meredith Zimmerman (senior, Urbandale) continues to improve her career-best nearly every time out this season in the 60 meter hurdles. She ran a blistering 9.13 seconds in the finals to take first-place. She currently has the twenty-third best time in Division III.
“She’s had about three weeks in a row where she was really gotten better each week,” Fuller said. “It’s always fun to watch athletes get better like that.”
Ashlee Downs (junior, Urbandale, WDM Valley HS) leaped her way into first place with a mark of 16 feet, 11.5 inches. Teammate Taylor Beckman’s (senior, Panora, Panorama HS) effort of 16-8.5 was good for fourth.
Downs and Zimmerman teamed up with Kate Patton (freshman, Grand River, Iowa, Murray HS), and Regan Engleman (freshman, Adel, Iowa, ADM) in the 4×200 meter relay, finishing second in 1:47.69.
Patton ran a 26.87 in the 200 meters as well, taking fourth place in the event.
“She ran really well in the 200 today,” Fuller said. “I thought she competed really hard today and ran well.”
Men finish fourth – The men’s squad only had one individual title, but still scored 55 points, enough to finish in fourth place.
Central earned 20 points in the long jump with a trio of placewinners. Freshman Reese Iversen (Grimes, Iowa, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) won the event at 20-9.25. Eric Larson (senior, Waverly, Iowa, Waverly-Shell Rock) was runner-up at 20-7 and Conner Freeman (Urbandale) took fifth at 20-1.75.
Iversen also competed in the pole vault and the 60 meter hurdles Saturday and Fuller is excited by his potential as a multi-eventer.
“Reese is coming along in all of his events,” Fuller said. “He’s getting better in the hurdles. He’s getting better in the pole vault and he’s getting better in the long jump. He’s going to be a good decathlete. He’s just not consistent yet, but it’s getting there.
Freshman Nick Guzman (Fort Madison) continues to impress in middle distance races. His time of 1:57.05 was good for third in Saturday’s race. It’s also the second best time for a Central runner this season.
“He ran a good 800,” Fuller said. “He started a little slower in the beginning than he probably anticipated because the group didn’t go out very hard, but he got out after in the second quarter of the race.”
Mason Zimmerman (senior, Urbandale) placed sixth in the 400 meters with a new career personal best time of 51.36. He also finished seventh in the 200 meters at 23.13.
The Dutch have a meet at Northern Iowa next Friday night before tackling the Iowa Conference Indoor Championships on February 27 and 28 in Waverly.
