Conference track title streak ends for Central men
Central College
STORM LAKE — The Central College men’s track and field came up short in its bid for a third consecutive Iowa Conference outdoor crown Saturday.
Entering the day with a one-point lead, the Dutch were outpaced by Wartburg on day two. The Knights finished with 160 points while the Dutch took second with 129.5.
“We’re obviously disappointed we weren’t able to defend the title,” Dunham said. “On paper, we were supposed to be fifth. To get second and a have a chance to win the whole thing is a tribute to our athletes’ commitment and hard work. It’s also a credit to our assistant coaches and all they do to get this team ready.”
Central got a critical three points from Jordon Woods (freshman, Orland Park, Ill. Carl Sandburg HS) in the triple jump. He placed sixth in 44-4.75 after surpassing his career-best by over five feet.
“Jordon probably could be the team MVP for the weekend,” Dunham said. “He was really dialed in and competed hard.”
The Dutch throwers were able to rack up points as well. Ryan Kruse (junior, St. Clair, Minn.) won the javelin throw with a toss of 184-7. Nathan Fitzgerald (sophomore, Elkader, Central Elkader HS) scored twice, placing fourth in the discus throw (156-3) and fifth in the javelin throw (167-3). Michael Firkins (junior, Centerville) was seventh in the javelin throw (166-2) and Ben Miller (senior, Willcox, Ariz.) was eighth in the discus throw (148-7)
“Ryan had a great weekend,” Dunham said. “It can be hard to go into a competition as the person expected to do well. He was able to overcome the pressure and perform.”
In the 1,500-meter run, Central runners placed first, third and seventh. Mark Fairley (junior, Dubuque) led the way in a winning time of 4:00.78. Tanner Rathje (junior, Marion, Linn-Mar HS) was third in 4:02.13 and Kyle Pape (junior, Dubuque, Wahlert Catholic HS) was seventh in 4:07.17. Central also got a sixth-place finish from Isaac Steffensmeier (senior, Fort Madison) in the 5,000-meter run (15:28.75).
“The entire distance squad had great races,” Dunham said. “They came in really focused.”
In the short sprints, Justin Wimbish (junior, Glendale, Ariz., Apollo HS) recorded two historical marks with a pair of fourth-place finishes in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. He moved into a tie for fourth all-time at Central in the 200 (21.64 seconds) and ninth all-time in the 100 (10.81)
Several members of the men’s team will be competing at last chance meets around the region next week. Possible locations for competitions include North Central College (Ill.), Augustana College (Ill.) and the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.
