Central wins five events in loaded field
Central College
WAVERLY—Competing away from H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse for the first time this season, the Central College men’s and women’s track and field squads collected five event victories Saturday at the Wartburg Select meet in Waverly.
The Dutch men scored 170 points to take third place while Wis.-Platteville took the men’s title with 188 points. Central’s women scored 31.5 points to place sixth. Host Wartburg scored 261 points for the women’s trophy.
Wood wins two—Senior Kyle Wood (Newton) scored two first-place finishes to lead the men’s squad. He led off the winning 4×200 relay along with Logan Danko (sophomore, Centerville), Trevor Veach (senior, Grinnell), and Allen Scovel (senior, Runnells, Southeast Polk HS) in a time of one minute, 30.03 seconds before coming back to win the 200 meters in a personal-best time of 22.49.
“I think we had some good performances across the board,” said coach Joe Dunham. “But Kyle really stood out. He’s running at a very high level.”
Other events winners for the men include Tyler Crouse (senior, Hedrick, Pekin HS) in the weight throw (54-8.25), Eric Larsen (freshman, Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) in the heptathlon (4,381), and Nathan Thiessen (freshman, Davenport, North HS) in the 5,000 meters (16:28.06).
“Our throwers had a great day overall,” said Dunham. “It was nice to see Crouse get the win.”
Other notable men’s performances include Phil Miller (Vinton, Vinton-Shellsburg HS) and Steve Messerschmidt (Neola, Tri-Center HS) taking second (49-3.5) and third (48-8.25) respectively in the shot put while Miller also took fourth in the weight throw (51-7.25). Brian Green (freshman, Lake City, South Central Calhoun HS) was third in the long jump (21-2) and Aaron Fuller (junior, Aberdeen, S.D., Roncalli HS) was fourth in the heptathlon (4,284). Back on the track, Eli Horton (freshman, Runnells, Southeast Polk HS) and Austin O’Brien (sophomore, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) were second (4:23.25) and third (4:25.27) respectively in the mile, with Drew Jackson (freshman, Johnston) placing fifth (4:26.72). O’Brien also took fourth in the 800 meters (1:59.19) while Ben Schornack (junior, Urbandale) was fifth (1:59.28). Cody Doughan (sophomore, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) was fourth in the 3,000 meters (9:00.57) and Aaron Brown (freshman, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) was third in the 5,000 meters (16:45.25). The 4×200 relay team of Mitch Wagoner (sophomore, Iowa Falls, Iowa Falls-Alden HS), Mason Zimmerman (freshman, Urbandale), Philip Heisterkamp (junior, Jefferson, Jefferson-Scranton HS), and Dillon Mugge (freshman, Conrad, Ill., St. Charles East HS) took third (1:32.95), while Wood, Veach, Zimmerman, and Scovel were fourth in the 4×400 relay (3:23.88).
Wilson puts up strong pentathlon mark—Senior Caitlin Wilson (Oakland, Riverside HS) took second in the pentathlon with a personal best score of 3,217 points. That mark is currently fourth in Division III and will likely secure her a spot in the national championship meet in March.
“Caitlin put together a great heptathlon,” said Dunham.
Other notable women’s performances include Felicia Shunk (Bloomfield, Davis County HS) taking fourth in the heptathlon (2,765), Shelby Mendoza (sophomore, Norwalk) placing sixth in the 3,000 meters (11:05.86), while Hillary Hotz (freshman, Fort Dodge, St. Edmond HS) was sixth in the high jump (4-11). The team of Felicia Coleman (junior, Houston, Texas, J. Frank Dobie HS), Rachel Purdy (junior, Ankeny), Rachel Northrup (freshman, Griswold), and Miranda Wehde (sophomore, Tipton) was third in the 4×200 relay (1:46.47) and seventh in the 4×400 relay (4:09.48).
“The biggest thing is that we continue to preach a week-by-week progression,” said Dunham. “We’re not where we want to be yet but we’re planning on staying healthy and getting better every week. The rest will take care of itself.”
The Dutch will travel to Grinnell next Saturday for the Darren Young Classic.
