Second-place positioning in regional track poll for Dutch men

Central Dutch Athletics

PELLA — The Central College men’s track and field team is No. 2 in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Central Region poll.

Rankings are based off placement in the Regional Descending Order Lists. Those lists are organized by top finishes of Division III athletes of the same region in each event that will be contested at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. 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 a meet involving the 19 teams in the region.

Three of the top marks in the region belong to Central athletes: Mark Fairley (senior, Dubuque) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9 minutes, 25.00 seconds), Nathan Fitzgerald (senior, Elkader, Central HS) in the discus throw (158 feet, 11 inches), Ryan Kruse (senior, St. Clair, Minn.) in the javelin throw (200-10).

Caleb Jennings (junior, Spirit Lake) has the second-best score in the decathlon (4,735 points). In third place for their events are Hunter Pollpeter (senior, Fort Madison) in the 110-meter hurdles (15.29 seconds) and Austin Pfiffner (sophomore, Dubuque, Hempstead HS) in the 10,000-meter run (36:23.49).

Loras College is the top men’s team in the region while the University of Dubuque is the No. 3 squad.

Central will compete at the Jim Duncan Invitational at Drake Stadium, starting Friday at 1 p.m. with the women’s hammer throw competition.