Academic track team features three Dutch men
PELLA— The Central College men’s track and field program had three individuals named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team.
Will Daniels (freshman, Geneseo, Ill.), Mark Fairley (junior, Dubuque) and Ryan Kruse (junior, St. Clair, Minn.) earned the distinction, Fairley and Kruse were also recipients in 2016. Daniels was a first-time honoree.
To qualify for the honor, student-athletes must post a 3.3 or better combined GPA and compete in an NCAA Division III indoor or outdoor championship or finish the regular season ranked in the top 35 in the nation in an individual event.
Daniels, a 4.0 student, set an Iowa Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships record by winning the heptathlon with 4,753 points. Additionally, he placed 10th at the NCAA outdoor championships in the high jump by clearing 6 feet, 8.25 inches.
Ending his athletic season with a second-place finish at the NCAA outdoor meet in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Fairley maintains a 3.82 GPA while majoring in exercise science. He was the conference champion in the steeplechase and the 1,500-meter run.
Kruse holds a 3.70 GPA as a mathematics major. He registered a 13th place decathlon finish at the NCAA outdoor meet in May. He was the conference champion in the javelin throw and the league’s performer of the week on March 26.
The Dutch men have had 29 athletes win the honor 40 times.
Central’s USTFCCCA All-Academic men’s track and field team
Craig Cantrall, 1994
Andy Goodman, 1994
Nate Smith, 1994
Jon Rathje, 1999
Matt Webster, 1999
Marc VanderVelden, 2000
Tony Brownlee, 2001, 2002
Lucas Nims, 2001
Matt Jens, 2002
Matt McCombs, 2002
Cale Van Genderen, 2003
Tanner Whipple, 2003
Ben Bollard, 2006, 2007
Bryan George, 2006
Guy Dierikx, 2007, 2008
Cody Huisman, 2007
Alex Miller, 2007
Adam Wolf, 2007
Kurtis Brondyke, 2011
Tyler Crouse, 2010, 2011, 2012
Spencer Hammack, 2014, 2015
Drew Jackson, 2014, 2015
Eric Larson, 2014, 2015
Jaemin Powell, 2014, 2016
Jamie Vander Veer, 2015
Mark Fairley, 2016, 2017
Hunter Howe, 2016
Ryan Kruse, 2016, 2017
Will Daniels, 2017