Dutch drop in men’s track rankings
Central Dutch Athletics
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — A second-place finish at the Iowa Conference Indoor Championships wasn’t enough to keep the Central College men’s track and field team at its previous ranking as the team fell to No. 19 in the USTFCCCA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Team Computer Rankings this week.
Points in the National Team Computer Rankings are based off placement in the National Descending Order Lists. The higher an athlete sits on the list, the more points he or she adds to his or her team’s total. These points do not reflect placement or scoring at the NCAA Championships, but is to show the individuals and teams that have the best chances at scoring well at said meet.
Responsible for the most points of any athlete at the conference meet with 26, sophomore Will Daniels (Geneseo, Ill.) continues to lead the nation in the heptathlon with 5,183 points and is fifth in the high jump at 6 feet, 10.75 inches. Ryan Kruse (senior, St. Clair, Minn.) also has the country’s 10th-best heptathlon score (4,904 points).
A big effort in the shot put of 52 feet, 3.25 inches by Nathan Fitzgerald (junior, Elkader, Central HS) at the conference meet moved him to No. 23 nationally.
North Central College (Ill.) and the University of Mount Union (Ohio) kept the top two spots for a third straight week.
In the regional rankings, Central is No. 6.
Vying for improved marks to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships in two weeks, the Dutch will send a small contingent of athletes to the Wartburg Final Qualifier this weekend. The two-day meet starts for the Dutch with the distance medley relay Friday night.
