Jumps crew paces Dutch women at Kip Janvrin Open
Central Dutch Athletics
INDIANOLA — Top-10 finishes in three jumping events highlighted the Kip Janvrin Open for the Central College women’s track and field team Friday.
No team scores were kept in the competition that featured a plethora of athletes from all levels of NCAA and NAIA competition as the meet is held in conjunction with the Drake Relays.
A long jump of 15 feet, 9.5 inches by Jenna Willett (Conrad, BCLUW HS) matched a career-best for the freshman as she finished 10th. High jumper Tori Van Velzen (sophomore, Norwalk) matched Willett’s 10th-place effort, clearing the bar at 4-10.25
Triple jumpers Holly Forrester (freshman, Manhattan, Kan., Rock Creek HS) and Trenetta Blocker (senior, Chicago, Ill., Mother McAuley HS) were fourth and ninth with leaps of 34-2.75 and 33-8.
“They’re consistency is good,” Dunham said. “It’s a good sign to be jumping right at PR’s towards the end of the year. It suggests that they’re ready to have something big happen soon.”
On the track, Holly McKinney (senior, St. Charles, Interstate 35 HS) outpaced teammate Evie Kammeyer (senior, Urbandale) en route to top-10 finishes in the 1,500-meter run. McKinney was fourth in 4:47.83 while Kammeyer was seventh in 4:51.06
Freshmen throwers continue to impress – Three of the four throwing events at the Kip Janvrin Open were contested Thursday and freshmen Gillian Streit (Manilla, Harlan HS) and Kennedy Morris (Earlham) both bagged a pair of top-10 finishes. Morris moved up to No. 5 on Central’s top-10 hammer throw list with a sixth-place effort (149-5). She also was ninth in the discus throw (124-0).
“Kennedy is improving every week,” Dunham said. “We know what she is capable of doing and she is putting together a really successful freshman season.”
Streit was fourth in the discus throw and improved her career-best discus throw to 138-7. She finished ninth in the shot put (34-2.25) and two spots behind Emily Burt (sophomore, Freeport, Ill.) who took seventh (38-4.75)
“That was a good confidence booster to get Gillian back to where we know she can throw,” Dunham said. “She’s really fighting and improving.”
Saturday morning, Central will wrap up the Drake Relays with teams in the men’s and women’s distance medley relay races. The women will run at 9 a.m. with the men to follow at 9:45 a.m.
The final regular season meet of the outdoor track and field season is next Saturday in Monmouth, Illinois at the Fighting Scot Invitational hosted by Monmouth College.
