Central’s Davis sets record at NCAA track meet
Central College
DELAWARE, OHIO–The records just keep falling for Central College sprinter Abi Davis (sophomore, Des Moines, Dowling Catholic HS).
A day after breaking the school 200-meter dash record, the all-America sprinter shattered her own school 100-meter dash mark at the NCAA Divsion III Track and Field Championships Friday, turning in the day’s second-fastest time, 11.87 seconds. That toppled her previous standard of 12.00 seconds.
“Abi ran really well,” said coach Joe Dunham.
The finish sets up a busy Saturday afternoon for Davis, who will run in the 100-meter finals at 3:15 p.m. (Eastern Time) and the 200-meter finals at 4:25 p.m. She had also qualified to run in the 400 meter-preliminaries but elected to not compete because of the crowded schedules.
Davis, who finished second in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA indoor championships in March, had the third-fastest 200-meter time in the preliminaries. She’s capable of even loftier finishes Saturday according to Dunham, who has stopped being surprised by the talented transfer.
“She just keeps getting better and better every time she steps on the track,” he said. “She’s got a lot of confidence right now. She’s pretty low-key and doesn’t let the moment get too big. I think she’ll do well.”
Meanwhile, Hillary Hotz (junior, Fort Dodge, St. Edmond HS) failed to advance in the high jump. She cleared 5 feet, 3 inches and placed 18th out of 21 competitors in Friday’s preliminaries.
“She was really nervous at first and missed her first two bars,” Dunham said. “But she came back and made her first jump at the next height. This was a great experience for her. It gives her something to shoot for next year. I think she now believes she can jump with the best jumpers in the country.”
Central will also have a pair of men’s standouts finally in action Saturday in the 5,000 meters at 5:05 p.m. Iowa Conference track event MVP Eli Horton (junior, Runnells, Southeast Polk HS) ranks sixth in the 20-runner field with a qualifying time of 14:15.66 while Austin O’Brien (senior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) ranks 15th at 14:24.94.
“They’re ready to go,” Dunham said. “”They’ll come out and be aggressive. They just want to run their race and stay within themselves.”
Horton is making his second appearance at the national outdoor meet. He placed 14th in the 1,500 meters last spring. But both runners competed at the NCAA Division III men’s cross country championships last fall.“I don’t think they’ll be intimidated,” Dunham said.
