Central hangs in top 10, 20 track rankings

Central College

PELLA—The Central College men’s track and field squad is ranked No. 6 in the Division III U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association outdoor power rankings while the women’s team is rated No. 19.

The men hold the No. 6 notch for the second straight week. Their highest ranking was No. 2 April 13. The Dutch took runner-up honors at the 11-team Monmouth (Ill.) Invitational last Saturday with 148 points. Central posted an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark in the high jump and two provisional marks in the long jump and 4×100-meter relay. Five events were either season or personal bests.

The women fell six spots from last week’s ranking after placing third in the 11-team field at Monmouth with 131 points. Central recorded provisional-qualifying marks in four events, the 4×400 relay, 4×100 relay, 400 hurdles and shot put. The Dutch also had a season’s best in the shot put and two personal bests in the javelin.

Central tackles the Iowa Conference meet this weekend, slated to begin Thursday at Cornell College in Mount Vernon. The heptathlon will begin at 3 p.m. and the decathlon at 3:15 p.m. The field events are scheduled to begin Friday at 1 p.m. and the running events will start at 3 p.m.

The Dutch men are the two-time defending indoor and outdoor champions and have won 12 of the past 20 outdoor titles. Central’s women placed third last year and have recorded a top-three finish in eight of the past nine seasons.