Eight all-region selections for Dutch track and field program

Central Dutch Athletics

PELLA — The USTFCCCA all-Central Region team was released earlier this week and eight Central College track and field athletes were recognized for the 2017-18 NCAA Division III Indoor season.

To be named All-Region, an athlete must either be ranked in the top-5 of an individual event in the region or be part of a top-3 relay team.

Freshmen Mary Gray (West Des Moines, Waukee HS) and Courtney Kruthoff (Erie, Ill.) make up Central’s two female all-region honorees. Gray’s honors were earned in the 60-meter hurdles while Kruthoff was in the high jump.

The men’s team had six representatives on the all-region squad, including the distance medley relay squad of Mark Fairley (senior, Dubuque), Kyle Pape (junior, Dubuque, Wahlert HS), Jon Specht (senior, Dubuque, Hempstead HS) and Mitchell Yaw (junior, Orange City, MOC-Floyd Valley HS). Ryan Kruse (senior, St. Clair, Minn.) and Will Daniels (sophomore, Geneseo, Ill.) made all-region status in the heptathlon. Daniels also was honored in the high jump.

Associate head coach Jim Fuller was named the Central Region men’s assistant coach of the year while Daniels was the regional men’s Field Events Athlete of the Year.

Daniels and Kruse will represent Central at this weekend’s NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. Daniels is slated to compete in the men’s high jump and heptathlon. Kruse will join him in the heptathlon.