Work ethic pushes Dutch women on the track

Central College

PELLA — A trio of returning All-Americans buoyed by a balanced roster has the Central College women’s track and field roster ready to work its way up the ladder.

Coming off a 2016 season in which the Dutch placed third at the Iowa Conference Indoor Championships and fourth at the outdoor meet, coach Joe Dunham is anticipating even more success at the conference level.

“We’re always striving for conference championships, at both the team and individual level,” he said. “We’re looking to get as many athletes all-conference honors as possible and hopefully some individual championships will happen as well.”

A strong leadership core could prove to be the difference in 2017.

“Our captains have been in the program for a few years and understand what it takes to be successful,” Dunham said. “They’ve done a tremendous job leading by example.

“Our work ethic is extremely strong. This team is motivated to find success. When you mix their motivation in with talent, I’m excited about the potential.”

Injuries have hampered the team’s efforts at times in the last few years and it’s something the coaching staff has addressed.

“We’ve been doing some extra things in the weight room and other auxiliary exercises to help prevent injuries,” Dunham said. “Staying healthy is always one of the biggest challenges and it’s going to be a focus for us this year.”

Sprints

Despite graduating a pair of All-American sprinters, the cupboards are hardly empty in the sprints as two underclass All-Americans return. Junior Kate Patton and sophomore Hope Heitman were on the 4×400-meter relay team that finished seventh at the national outdoor meet. Heitman was also on the 4×100 team that placed seventh nationally.

Juniors Anna Shaw and Trenetta Blocker help form a contingent providing depth.

“We do have some depth in sprints,” Dunham said. “It’s been exciting the last couple of years. We believe we can compete at the conference level as well as the national level.”

Jumping events

Seniors Morgan Koenigs and Emma Drees will lead the Dutch in both the long jump and high jump. At the conference meets, Koenigs placed seventh in the high jump indoors and Drees matched her in the long jump outdoors.

“They’ll both bring great strength in that area,” Dunham said. “We’re excited about the jumps and I think we’ll see some good things”

Blocker is a top returner in the jumps, having finished just outside of placing at the conference outdoor meet in both the high jump and triple jump.

“Trenetta has improved dramatically from the day she stepped on campus,” Dunham said. “She has developed into a completely different athlete.”

Hurdles

Whitney Burgardt came in as a freshman a year ago and had a promising start to the year before having it derailed with injury concerns.

“We’re not exactly sure what to expect out of her,” Dunham said. “She was hampered by injury last year. We’re excited to have her healthy and ready to go this year.”

Drees and Koenigs will factor into the hurdle races as well, but beyond that there is some uncertainty.

“The hurdles is an area where we need to reload a little bit,” Dunham said.

Distance/middle distance

One of the team’s greatest unknowns is in the distance and middle distance races. Evie Kammeyer and Holly McKinney had spearheaded this group for the last two years, but the juniors are spending the semester studying abroad.

“We’re extremely excited about them being able to take advantage of our study abroad program.” Dunham said. “It’s going to be a good experience for them, but it’s going to be challenging for us.”

Sophomore Rachel Peter, as well as seniors Andie Arthofer, Cassidy Gornick, Kasey Wiedmaier will be looked to for strong seasons.

“Rachel is coming off a strong track season last year,” Dunham said. “She should have a lot of confidence after a much improved cross country season. She will make waves this year in the middle distance events.

Dunham was also happy with what he saw from the freshmen during the cross country season and is excited about what they are capable of on the track.

“There’s going to be opportunity for some of them to step up and fill voids,” he said.

Throwing events

The third returning All-American for the Dutch is thrower Lorell Stuht. During the indoor season, she placed seventh nationally in the weight throw. She also qualified for the hammer throw outdoors, placing 13th.

“Lorell has looked great so far this season,” Dunham said. “Her goals start with getting back to the national meet, but she’s got even higher aspirations for this season.”

Macin Harvey lettered in the throws as a freshman and returns for her sophomore campaign.

Multi-events

Drees and Koenigs, both excellent jumpers and hurdlers, will head up the multi-events for the Dutch this season. They have both placed in every conference multi-event they have competed in and each has also earned all-conference status at least once.

“They have been improving since the moment they arrived on campus,” Dunham said. “You can sense their desire for a big year and I think it will be an exciting season for them.”

Schedule

The 2017 season got an early start with some early-bird competition prior to the Christmas break. The indoor season starts in full force on January 21 with the Dutch Athletics Classic. The conference’s indoor championships are set for February 24-25 in Dubuque with the outdoor finals scheduled for May 11-13 in Storm Lake.

The conference championships will see the competition level raise a notch this season with the addition of traditional Division III contender Nebraska Wesleyan University.

“They bring a whole new level of competition,” Dunham said. “I believe they are the favorite to win the league. It’s an extremely strong program.”