Daniels goes back-to-back for heptathlon national title
Central Dutch Athletics
BOSTON, MASS. — Will Daniels (junior, Geneseo, Ill.) had a solid second day to once again win a national title in the heptathlon at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday.
In the women’s high jump, Courtney Kruthoff (sophomore, Erie, Ill.) placed 16th after clearing 5 feet, 4.25 inches.
Daniels piled up 5,418 points to secure the top spot. Cody Faust from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville was second with 5,239 points. With Daniels’s 10 points, Central finished in a tie for 19th in the team standings.
Opening the day with a 60-meter hurdles times of 8.64 seconds, Daniels followed with a pole vault of 13-7.25. He finished off the competition with a time of 2:53.53 in the 1,000-meter run.
“He went out there and gave it everything he had,” coach Brandon Sturman said. “He did what he had to do and at the end of the day he was the champion. That’s all that matters. He learned a lot about how to manage doing multiple events and we think looking forward we’ll be able to improve on that.’
Though Kruthoff jumped the same height as the eighth-place finishers, she did not place because they did it on fewer attempts. She was one of nine competitors to bow out at 5-4.25. Williams College junior Emma Egan won with a jump of 5-9.75.
“She went out there and competed well even though she’s been a little dinged up,” Sturman said. “She knew if she could have cleared that next bar (5-6), she would have a shot to be an All-American. It just didn’t quite work out. Hopefully, we can get her 100% and do it again outdoors.”
Central will return for the outdoor track season in three weeks. On Friday, March 29, the Dutch will compete at the Washington University Invitational in St. Louis. The following day, the team will compete at the Viking Olympics hosted by Augustana College (Ill.) in Rock Island.
