Distance races drive Dutch women in home track meet
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA —The dynamic distance duo of Evie Kammeyer (senior, Urbandale) and Holly McKinney (senior, St. Charles, I-35 HS) packed a big punch for the Central College women’s track and field team at the Weather Saver Invitational Thursday night.
Hosting a meet thrown together in the last five days to try and provide a meet free of weather-related issues, the Dutch women were runners-up in the six-team field with 170.5 points. Grand View University won with 205.5 points. Despite the title, the Dutch are focused on the process.
“It’s a big priority for us to get our athletes ready for the Iowa Conference Championships,” coach Joe Dunham said. “We’re putting them through some pretty difficult things to get them ready. I’m very happy with the way the team is looking, but we’re not peaking yet by any means.”
In the 1,500-meter run, Kammeyer (4 minutes, 50.76 seconds) and McKinney (4:59.76) recorded a 1-2 finish. The duo then flipped the order for a 2-3 finish in the 5,000-meter run with McKinney in second (19:32.55) and Kammeyer in third (19:47.10).
“They are both very fit right now,” Dunham said. “When they go out to California for the Mt. SAC Relays in a few weeks they’ll be really solid.”
Sarah Steffensmeier (sophomore, Fort Madison) was second in the 800-meter run (2:23.62) to give the distance crew another top-three finish.
Freshman Gillian Streit (Manilla, Harlan HS) uncorked another tremendous discus throw (137 feet, 11 inches) and despite the runner-up finish Thursday, she is now No. 8 in Division III.
“It’s pretty incredible what she’s done and there’s more there,” Dunham said. “Her start to the outdoor season has been very exciting.”
Kennedy Morris (freshman, Earlham) joined her classmate in the top-three by tossing the discus 127-11 and finishing third. Emily Burt (sophomore, Freeport, Ill.) added a third-place effort (39-1) in the shot put.
In a time of 1:07.88, Kiki Pingel (freshman, Pella) registered a runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles. Pingel placed third in Class 3A at the Iowa High School Championships last spring and hopes to make a splash at the Iowa Conference Championships this spring.
“It’s a good start for Kiki but we know there’s a lot more there,” Dunham said. “There’s going to need to be in order to get to where we think she can be at the conference meet.”
Fellow hurdler and freshman Mary Gray (freshman, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) was third in the 100-meter hurdles (16.11 seconds). Senior Kate Patton (senior, Murray) tied for second in the 100-meter dash (13.06 seconds)
In small fields, Whitney Burgardt (junior, Brit, West Hancock HS) won the pole vault (7-6.5) and Holly Forrester (freshman, Manhattan, Kan., Rock Creek HS) took the triple jump title (34-7.75). Trenetta Blocker (senior, Chicago, Ill., Mother McAuley HS) took second in the triple jump (32-6.25) while Tori Van Velzen (sophomore, Norwalk) tied for runner-up in the high jump (5-3.)
Central will compete in the Jim Duncan Invitational in Des Moines next weekend. Hosted by Drake University, the two-day event begins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon with field events. The action on the track begins at 5 p.m.
