Dutch primed for NCAA track meet

Central College

PELLA—The Central College men’s and women’s track and field squads will be sending three representatives to the NCAA Division III indoor championships in Grinnell Friday and Saturday.

The Dutch recorded their most successful year in program history at the national level in 2011. The men’s squad garnered national runner-up honors, finishing one point out of first place after racking up 44 points and capturing a pair of national championships in the high jump and pentathlon. The women’s team finished in a tie for 24th, including a program-best fourth-place showing in the 4×400 relay.

But there will be some new faces for the Dutch in 2012. A pair of seniors, Kyle Wood (Newton) and Caitlin Wilson (Oakland, Riverside HS), have all-America plaques from the Division III outdoor championships but will be making their indoor NCAA debuts this weekend. Eric Larson (freshman, Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock) will also be making the trip in his rookie season.

“It will be an exciting meet for us,” said coach Joe Dunham. “Both of our seniors have competed at this level before and know what to expect. It will be a new experience for Eric, but he’s a mature kid and we think he can have a lot of success this weekend.”

Wilson enters the meet with the ninth-best mark in the pentathlon (3,266). Wood holds the 11th-fastest qualifying time in the 400 meters (49.1 seconds), while Larson is ranked 12th in the heptathlon (4,691). The top eight finishers in each event are awarded all-America honors.

“Our goal is to represent Central College at the highest level possible,” said Dunham.

The Dutch will begin competition Friday with the women’s pentathlon at 8:45 a.m., followed immediately by the men’s pentathlon at 9 a.m. The men’s 400 meter prelims are slated for 6:05 p.m. Competition will resume Saturday with the second day of the men’s heptathlon at 9 a.m. while the men’s 400 meter final is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.