Dutch women elicit all-conference track plaudits

Central Dutch Athletics

PELLA — Four members of the Central College women’s track and field team earned all-Iowa Conference recognition for their performance at the Iowa Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships last weekend.

All-conference honors are given to the top-three finishers in each individual and relay event.

The only Dutch female student-athlete to be recognized in two events, freshman Courtney Kruthoff (Erie, Ill.) was third in the high jump (5 feet, 2.5 inches) and the pentathlon (2,923 points).

Also in the pentathlon, freshmen Mary Gray (West Des Moines, Waukee HS) and Kiki Pingel (Pella) finished first (3,093 points) and second (2,988 points) to give Central all three spots on the podium

Sprinter Kate Patton (senior, Murray) ran a career-best 7.92 seconds in the prelims of the 60-meter dash and crossed the line second in the finals with a time of 7.95 seconds. Patton previously earned all-Iowa Conference honors indoors in 2016 and 2017. She was honored outdoors in 2015 and 2016.

As a team, Central finished fifth with 70 points. Wartburg College won the title with 212.5 points.

The Most Valuable Performer awards were given to Gabrielle Noland of Loras College (Track Events) and SteaVen Becker of Nebraska Wesleyan University (Field Events). Wartburg’s coaching staff was named the league’s Staff of the Year.