Central sends five to indoor national track meet

Central Dutch Athletics

PELLA — Led by a defending national champion in Will Daniels (junior, Geneseo, Ill.), the Central College track and field team will be represented in six events at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend in Roxbury, Mass.

Daniels is the top qualifier in the men’s heptathlon, an event in which he is the reigning national champion. He’s also seeded No. 7 in the high jump, in which he is also a returning All-American. He’s joined by 800-meter runner Kyle Pape (senior, Dubuque, Wahlert Catholic HS) on the men’s side.

The women’s team is represented by three sophomores, Courtney Kruthoff (Erie, Ill.) in the high jump, Mary Gray (West Des Moines, Waukee HS) in the pentathlon and Kennedy Morris (Earlham) in the weight throw.

Another title on the line for Daniels – Already the holder of the school and NCAA Division III record, a second national title in the heptathlon would make Daniels just the second repeat individual national champion in program history.

Besides Ethan Miller’s decathlon titles at the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, no other Dutch men’s track athlete has gone back-to-back. Central won three straight 4×400-meter relay titles from 2000 to 2002.

Daniels totaled 5,441 points at the Wartburg Indoor Select on February 1-2 to set the top mark, nearly 200 points better than the second-best qualifier. He’s seeded with a score of 5,465 to account for the banked track at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center in Roxbury.

“He’ll still have to perform obviously,” coach Brandon Sturman said. “The heptathlon can be a fickle event sometimes. Hopefully, he can build off what he did at Wartburg and raise the national record even higher.”

In last year’s high jump, Daniels was seventh with a leap of 6 feet, 9 inches. He has a career-best leap of 6-11 but has only cleared 6-9.5 this season.

“I think his focus on the heptathlon might have taken away from his high jump a little,” Sturman said. “He’s a competitor, so when he gets to that event I think he’ll be able to hit that level again.”

It was a close call for Pape, but he took the 20th and final qualifying spot after five runners scratched in front of him. He clocked a time of 1:54.03 at the Wartburg Indoor Select on February 2, but it was converted down to a 1:53.02 on account of the banked track.

“I think he’s ready to go faster,” Sturman said. “I hope he’ll take advantage of the opportunity. He’s the last guy in so he has nothing to lose, he can just relax and run.”

Sophomores pace Dutch women – For the first time since 2016, multiple Dutch women will compete at the national indoor meet as Gray, Kruthoff and Morris make their debuts on the national stage.

A two-time pentathlon champion at the American Rivers Conference Indoor Championships, Gray won the 2019 version with a score of 3,352. She’ll be seeded 12th this weekend after the banked track conversion increases her score to 3,373.

“I think it’s really exciting for her to get in,” Sturman said. “She’s going to need a PR to be an All-American. She’s had the last 10 days off so hopefully she can do some big things.”

Kruthoff notched her qualifying mark of 5-6.5 on December 1 at the Doane University (Neb.) Happy Holidays Multi-Event. She was hampered much of January and February by an injury but was able to win the conference title with a leap of 5-5.25 on February 23. She is also seeded No. 12.

“We’re still dealing with the injury a little but I think the way (associate head) coach Fuller is treating her has really helped,” Sturman said. “Our goal is to take it easy until she jumps. She has the ability to jump high so hopefully we can see her PR and be an All-American.”

A toss of 55-4.75 at the Darren Young Classic on February 9 has Morris as the No. 16 weight thrower entering the weekend. A fourth-place finish in a loaded conference meet has Morris flying under the radar heading in to the national meet.

“She’s right there,” Sturman said. “She’s been very consistent. It’s just going to take one good throw when she get gets to the big stage.”

Central College NCAA Championships schedule of events
Friday, March 8 (times are CST)
9 a.m. – men’s heptathlon (60-meter dash)
9:50 a.m. – men’s heptathlon (long jump)

10 a.m. – women’s pentathlon (60-meter hurdles)

11 a.m. – women’s pentathlon (high jump)
11:25 p.m. – men’s heptathlon (shot put)

1:15 p.m. – women’s pentathlon (shot put)
2:45 p.m. – men’s heptathlon (high jump)

3:15 p.m. – women’s weight throw

3:30 p.m. – women’s pentathlon (long jump)

4:45 p.m. – women’s pentathlon (800-meter run)

5 p.m. – men’s high jump

5:35 p.m. – men’s 800-meter run (prelims)

Saturday, March 9
9 a.m. – men’s heptathlon (60-meter hurdles)
9:50 a.m. – men’s heptathlon (pole vault)

10 a.m. – women’s high jump

2 p.m. – men’s heptathlon (1,000-meter run)

3:05 p.m. – men’s 800-meter run (finals)