Five national qualifiers for track squads
Central College
WAVERLY—The Central College men’s and women’s track squads came away with five national qualifiers at the Wartburg Select Saturday highlighted by an NCAA automatic qualifying long jump performance by junior Ethan Miller (Seymour).
The Dutch men took fourth place in a five-team field with 123.5 points while St. Thomas (Minn.) won the title with 181 points. The Central women were fifth in a six-team field while host Wartburg took the competition with 226 points.
“We had some great performances across the board,” said coach Joe Dunham. “We weren’t necessarily trying to score a lot of points.”
Men take five events—Miller’s leap of 23 feet, 11.5 inches set a new personal best, won the event, and is Division III’s top mark of the season. Teammate Kurtis Brondyke (senior, Clinton) took third with a jump of 23-0.75, also a provisional qualifying mark, and Shane Hallengren (senior, Estherville) was fifth with an indoor best of 21-10.75.
“Ethan hit a big one on his first attempt,” said Dunham. “He used a longer approach today and it really worked well.”
Meanwhile, Central took four of the top five spots in the shot put led by standout Matt Graber (senior, Newton). Graber took top honors with a NCAA provisional qualifying toss of 51-9 and was followed by Tyler Crouse (junior, Hedrick, Pekin HS) in third (47-3.5), Josh Fleming (Caseyville, Ill., Collinsville HS) in fourth (46-4.75), and Phil Miller (junior, Vinton, Vinton-Shellsburg HS) in fifth (45-4.5). Earlier in the day, Crouse extended his personal best by over two feet in winning the weight throw (55-9.75) with an NCAA provisional mark while Phil Miller was fourth (50-7.25).
On the track, Ethan Miller picked up his second victory of the day in the 55-meter hurdles. After equaling his personal best in the preliminary round (7.82 seconds), he won the final in 7.91 seconds. Meanwhile, the 4×200-meter relay team of Kyle Wood (junior, Newton), Trevor Veach (senior, Grinnell), Allen Scovel (junior, Runnells, Southeast Polk HS), and Logan Danko (sophomore, Centerville) scored a come-from-behind victory in a time of 1:31.89.
“Logan got the baton just off the leader and ran a great backstretch to take the lead,” said Dunham. “It was an exciting race.”
Another notable performance was a runner-up finish in the 800-meters by Ben Schornack (sophomore, Urbandale) in 1:56.53. Schornack then teamed with Wood, Veach, and Scovel to place fourth (3:26.42) in the 4×400 relay. Aaron Fuller (sophomore, Aberdeen, S.D., Roncalli HS) tied for fourth in the pole vault with a height of 13-5.25.
Women’s 4×200 records goes down—The same squad that broke the women’s 4×200 relay record last year provided an encore, with Felicia Coleman (sophomore, Houston, Texas, Frank J. Dobie HS), Emily Teas (senior, Indianola), Jill Ziskovsky (senior, Dallas Center, Dallas Center-Grimes HS), and Sam Retz (sophomore, Atkins, Benton HS) snapping their previous mark (1:45.5) by almost a full second en route to a victory in a time of 1:44.7.
“They came ready to run today,” said Dunham. “We had some good exchanges and they ran extremely well. I wouldn’t be surprised if they break it again before the season is over.”
Meanwhile, Morgan Darrow (junior, Newell, Storm Lake HS) scored a victory in the weight throw with a toss of 50-10.75 and also took third in the shot put (41-9.25). Both marks were just shy of the NCAA provisional standards in the respective events. Jess Fevold (junior, Iowa Falls, Webster City HS) also recorded a third-place finish in the weight throw (44-11.5).
The women’s 4×400 relay of Coleman, Teas, Retz, and Rachel Purdy (sophomore, Ankeny) was fourth in a loaded field, finishing in 3:58.77 and meeting the NCAA provisional standard.
“To run that fast this early is outstanding,” said Dunham. “With the way our training is set up we usually don’t qualify until later.”
Meanwhile, Ziskovsky leapt to a personal best in the long jump with a distance of 16-11.25 to take second. Teammate Caitlin Wilson finished fourth with a mark of 15-9. Mel McDermott (sophomore, Britt, West Hancock HS) recorded a personal best in the 3,000 meters, finishing in 10:53.45.
The Dutch travel to Grinnell next Saturday for the Grinnell Invitational.
“We had some very high-quality teams to compete against today and it brought out the best in us,” said Dunham. “We’re going to keep this momentum going next weekend.”
Central men’s track and field season outlook
Outlook
Iowa Conference titles in his first two years at the helm of the Central College men’s track and field program are only the start, according to coach Joe Dunham.
He’s eyeing improvement on the national level as well as a veteran Dutch squad opens the 2011 campaign. There are 27 letterwinners back including last year’s league co-MVPs, decathletes Ethan Miller and Kurtis Brondyke. They’re among five returning all-America honorees as the Dutch tied for 17th at the NCAA Division III meet. It was the 10th top-20 finish in program history and the second in three years.
But the Dutch also graduated four all-Americans from a squad that racked up 210 points to win the league championship in a 90-point runaway.
“We graduated a lot of points,” Dunham said. “We’ve got to find ways to replace those. It’s important that we develop our younger kids. We have a lot of talented athletes but we have to develop them and put them in positions to be successful later on in their careers.”
And while the Dutch are aiming for spots on the NCAA victory stand, the conference title chase remains a focus. Despite past achievements, Dunham knows another league crown won’t come easily.
“Our goal is to win the whole thing,” he said. “But in track and field, you have got to be a little bit lucky. A lot of other teams want to win it, too. You’ve got to take all the necessary steps and do the right things to prepare yourself.”
Dunham expects stiff competition from several conference schools.
“Wartburg is always right there,” he said. “Loras had a good recruiting class, and Luther and Simpson should push for a top spot.”
Sprints
Competitive a year ago, Central should be even stronger in the short sprints in 2011. Sophomore Logan Danko and junior Allen Scovel placed second and fifth, respectively, in the 100-meter dash at the Iowa Conference meet. Both earned all-America distinction along with junior Kyle Wood in placing sixth in the 4×100-meter relay at the NCAA Division III championships.
“Those guys will lead us again,” Dunham said.
Scovel had “an unbelievable fall season,” said Dunham, who thinks sophomore Trent Heetland will be significantly improved as well.
Wood, a team co-captain, was also second in the league 200 meters and won the 400 crown.
Meanwhile the Dutch have added freshman Mitch Wagoner of Iowa Falls, who was part of a state champion 4×100-meter relay unit.
“I think he’ll step in right away,” Dunham said.
Dunham can also go to junior Trevor Veach, sophomores Jordan Appenzeller and Philip Heisterkamp and freshman Jason Mauer of Grundy Center. Appenzeller is coming off an injury-plagued year and could surprise.
Beyond Wood there are a lot of unknowns in the 400 meters, traditionally Central’s marque event.
Scovel is a prime candidate to step in, along with Heetland, Appenzeller and freshmen Levi Ross of Wellsburg. Dunham could also turn to a talented corps of 800-meter runners like sophomore Ben Schornack and junior Kenny Kemp, along with freshmen Clayton Fritz of Indianola, Jordan Sump of Grimes, and Ben Matson of Buffalo Center.
Middle distance
Dunham is enthused about the 800-meter possibilities.
“It’s the best group of guys we’ve had since I’ve been on campus,” Dunham said.
It’s a young group, with Schornack the only returning placewinner after finishing seventh in the league. He was also sixth in the 1,500. Along with Matson, Fritz and Sump, options for the 800 or 1,500 include juniors Andrew Hamer and Kenny Kemp, in addition to freshmen Austin O’Brien of Bettendorf, Nick Barnes of Altoona and Brad Goehring of Keosauqua.
“We’ve got some guys to build around,” Dunham said. “We may be a year away from being really good.”
Distance
There will be new faces in the distance events as well, but Dunham is encouraged by what he saw on the cross country course last fall.
Dunham is looking at senior Austin Vondracek as the distance leader. Hamer, a team co-captain, is coming off surgery but placed sixth in the league 3,000-meter steepelechase. He’ll be joined by sophomore Brandon Clough and freshmen Sam Burt of Des Moines, Cody Doughan of Bettendorf and Michael Splavec of West Des Moines. O’Brien and Schornack, two of last fall’s top cross country runners, may look to move up as well.
“The guys are looking to develop and build,” Dunham said.
Hurdles
The Dutch have some point-scoring potential in the hurdles, despite a lack of depth. Senior Andrew Hopper is the most experienced. Multi-event all-Americans Brondyke and Miller will run the 100-meter hurdles and Miller might also go in the 400-meter hurdles. Freshman Nolan Blythe of Orange City is flashing promise as well.
Throws
NCAA qualifier Matt Graber is poised for a big senior season. In three years he’s captured the league shot put crown twice and holds the school record at 54 feet, 8.25 inches. He’s also a three-time conference placewinner in the hammer throw, finishing fifth in 2010, and was fifth in the conference discus throw in 2009. A team co-captain, Graber is also a two-time league indoor shot put champ. He earned all-America distinction indoors, placing fourth, and narrowly missed the distinction outdoors, finishing ninth.
“Matt’s looking to do some great things,” Dunham said. “He could possibly compete for a national championship.”
Junior Tyler Crouse is also a returning NCAA qualifier, competing in 2009 and gaining provisional qualifying status last year. Crouse is a two-time conference outdoor discus champ and a two-time placewinner in the hammer throw, finishing second last year.
“Tyler’s really making improvement,” Dunham said.
Central will also look to sophomore Josh Fleming in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. Junior Phillip Miller will focus on the shot put and hammer throw while senior Trevor Hixon and junior Jesse Joyce will compete in the hammer throw.
Dunham is also intrigued by freshman Steve Messerschmidt of Neola, who is coming off a football injury.
“He was able to work a lot on his footwork in the fall,” Dunham said. “He could really develop. He’s a big, strong kid who is very athletic.”
Central is loaded in the javelin as well. Brondyke is the returning conference champion while senior Jameson Rosien finished seventh. Senior Ben Burzacott is another veteran of the event and Dunham may also try Blythe, Crouse and Appenzeller.
“It’s a pretty deep event for us,” Dunham said.
Jumps
The long jump is yet another strong suit for decathletes Miller and Brondyke. Miller claimed the league indoor and outdoor championships last spring while Brondyke earned all-America honors in the event as a freshman.
They’re also point scorers in the triple jump, where Brondyke was second and Miller was fourth at last year’s league meet. Dunham can also turn to sophomore Emery Davis and senior Shane Hallengren.
Miller finished fourth in Division III in the 2009 outdoor high jump, then took last year’s league title, while Brondyke claimed the 2008 conference crown. He was third in the league last spring.
Senior Breighen Powell returned to the squad after leaving school earlier and could help.
“We’re very excited to have him back,” Dunham said.
Davis will also high jump.
The Dutch are also getting a boost in the pole vault, where Miller is the defending champion.
“Ethan went nearly 15 feet last year,” Dunham said. “He could qualify for the national meet.”
Sophomore Aaron Fuller flashed potential last year, finishing second at the indoor conference meet and fifth outdoors. Meanwhile, freshman Josh Stice of East Moline, Ill. brings strong high school credentials, as does freshman Nick Lemmon of Kent, Wash. And Brondyke also has experience.
“It’s nice to be able to bring in kids who have done it before,” Dunham said.
Decathlon
Brondyke and Miller are among the nation’s best in the decathlon, placing fifth and eighth, respectively, in Division III. Brondyke was the league champ in 2009, then finished second last spring, with Miller third.
Unfortunately, they’ll likely sit out the league decathlon this year as it’s now being staged the same weekend as the rest of the conference meet rather than the previous weekend, as in the past. Given their value as point scorers in numerous other events, Dunham doesn’t want to wear them out in the decathlon, which counts as only one event in team scoring.
As in the past, however, the Dutch will continue developing additional decathletes. Candidates include Fuller, Stice and Lemmon.
The freshmen
While a lot of points in the conference meet walked off the commencement stage last spring, Dunham said Central will get a lift from its incoming freshmen.
“We’re pretty happy with the class,” he said. “We filled in some holes and we’re pretty excited. We’re also excited about the way recruiting is going for next year.
“We’ve gotten better every year and we just want to keep improving. We’ve got to continue to work hard to keep this streak going and improve the culture of winning here.”
“We also want to do things the right way. We take pride in what we accomplish in the classroom and we place a heavy emphasis on academics.”
Significant improvement needs to take place on the track before the end of the season for Central to make some noise at the national level, but Dunham is convinced that can happen.
“We just need to keep these guys focused and hungry,” he said.
NCAA meet potential
Dunham also wants his squad to be thinking about the national picture.
“Our hope is to continue developing Central into one of the top programs in the country,” he said. “We had a nice contingent at the national meet last year and we always want to qualify as many people as we can. The hardest part is getting there. Once you make it, who knows what can happen.”
Central women’s track and field season outlook
Outlook
The numbers continue to climb for the Central College women’s track and field squad and coach Joe Dunham is convinced that higher performance levels will quickly follow.
There are 44 athletes on the roster at the start of the indoor season, the largest women’s squad in school history. Five NCAA Division III qualifiers return, including senior Jill Ziskovsky, an all-America honoree in the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon last year.
After a fourth-place finish at the Iowa Conference indoor meet, the Dutch climbed to third in the outdoor competition.
“This could be the best team Central has had since I’ve been here,” said Dunham, entering his third year as head coach.
Sprints
Sophomore Felicia Coleman burst onto the scene last year and could soon be making noise at the national level. She finished third in the league in the 100 meters and seventh in the 200. She also ran on the third-place 4×100-meter relay team, and later joined the 4×400-meter relay unit which earned berths at the NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor meets.
Senior Emily Teas narrowly missed placing in the league 200 meters, ran on the 4×100-meter relay squad and led off the fourth-place 4×400-meter relay unit.
Dunham expects to get help from a host of others, including junior Sam Retz, who was also on the 4×100-meter team and ran with the 4×400 team at the NCAA meet. The Dutch should get a boost from freshmen Lis Gerst of Spery, Morgan Hiemstra of Pella and Miranda Wehde of Tipton. Two sophomores are also first-time contributors. Morgan Sharp is on the squad for the first time while Chelsea Tyler appears ready to go after a long journey back from injury. Ziskovsky can contribute while sophomores Jordan Geertsema and Rachel Purdy will help in the 200. Dunham is especially impressed with Purdy’s efforts.
“Rachel had a great fall season,” Dunham said. “She’s a good example of how hard work can pay off.”
There are plenty of potential relay combinations. Coleman, Retz and Teas return in the 4×100 meters.
“We have a chance to really do well,” Dunham said. “With what we have on campus we should run even faster this year and be possible provisional national qualifiers.”
Meanwhile Teas, Retz and Ziskovsky return from last year’s national qualifiers in the 4×400-meter relay. Teas was sixth in the conference 400 meters and Retz was seventh.
“We should be very good,” Dunham said. He expects Purdy to make a strong bid for the fourth spot as will freshman Kaity Sharp of Dike. Numerous others will compete, including senior Eve Reinhold of Collins, junior Sara Davis, sophomores Amanda Lamb and Morgan Sharp and freshmen Tia DuPont of Armstrong, Kristen Farris of Batavia, Natalie Mason of Iowa City, Gerst and Hiemstra.
Hurdles
Junior Megan Stoulil was eighth in the league 100 meter hurdles last spring. Immediate help should come from freshmen Katie Krebs of Orange City and Mason.
Ziskovsky was third in the league in the 400 meter hurdles. Dunham will also count on junior Taylor Schuelke.
Middle distance
Central doesn’t have any returning league placewinners in the 800 or 1,500 meters, but senior Sara Crippen narrowly missed, finishing ninth in the 1,500 meters.
“Sara’s coming off the best cross country season she’s ever had,” Dunham said.
The Dutch have several other hopefuls in both events with seniors Molly Von Holten and Reinhold, junior Melanie Louis, Davis, Lamb and freshmen Amanda Dunkin of Pella, Kaity Sharp, DuPont and Farris.
Distance
Dunham said Central has a corps of young but promising runners in the distance events after graduating three conference placewinners.
“It’s a season of development much like it was in cross country,” Dunham said. “But we’ll be pushing them to step forward and really compete.”
The MVP of that cross country squad, sophomore Mel McDermott, will be among the leaders. She’ll likely run the 3,000-meter steeplechase, 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
She’ll be joined by senior Claudia Garcia, sophomore Amanda Melcher and freshmen Daphne Baumgartner of Perry and Shelby Mendoza of Norwalk. Meanwhile senior Meghann Burt will likely run the steeplechase and possibly drop down to the 1,500 meters.
Jumps
Multi-event competitors Ziskovsky, Geertsema, and juniors Caitlin Wilson and Felicia Shunk are all possible contributors in the long jump. Ziskovsky was seventh in the league meet. Stoulil was ninth in the conference triple jump at the league meet and Dunham expects even more.
“She was ninth and had only triple jumped for about a week before the meet,” he said.
Ziskovsky was third in the league high jump with Shunk eighth and Wilson narrowly missing by a spot. Schuelke, Morgan Sharp, Shunk and Geertsema are potential placewinners as well.
“I think we can score two or three of them at the conference meet,” Dunham said.
Throws
Traditionally strong in the throwing events, Central had limited success a year ago but should produce points again this season.
Among the welcome arrivals is junior Morgan Darrow, who transferred to Central after earning indoor and outdoor all-America distinction last year for Buena Vista in the shot put and also placed in the league hammer throw.
“Morgan will be great for us,” Dunham said.
Another transfer, junior Jess Fevold, smashed five throwing event records at Iowa Central. The Dutch also regain the services of junior Megan Kittleson who was in Europe last spring through Central Abroad.
Senior Kelsey Peterson is a three-time letterwinner and Dunham is seeing dramatic progress from sophomore Jesseka Kaldenberg. They’ll be joined by freshmen Jessica Stika, Carly Stratbucker and Alexis Andrews. Dunham is intrigued by Andrews’s potential.
“She’s only thrown for one or two years but has a lot of raw talent,” he said. “I think she’s going to shock some people. She’s a very strong athlete.”
Wilson and Peterson finished sixth and eighth, respectively, in the javelin and Dunham said they can climb this year as well.
Heptathlon
The heptathlon is well established as a marquee event at Central and that record should be enhanced in 2010. The Dutch took three of the top four spots in the league meet last year and had three national qualifiers. Two return in Ziskovsky, who was second in the league and fifth in Division III, and Wilson, who was fourth in the conference before finishing 17th nationally after sustaining an injury during competition.
“I expect them to do well again,” Dunham said.
Shunk made strides as well, along with Morgan Sharp.
“Felicia (Shunk) was one of our most improved last year,” Dunham said. “We’re hoping to see more of that.
“Morgan is small but she’s a great athlete.”
If Geertsema stays healthy she may also compete.
The season
Dunham expects Wartburg to again prevail in the Iowa Conference. Loras will be strong, as will Simpson and Luther. But the Dutch could make a move.
“We’ve got our eye on second place,” Dunham said. “That’s the team goal. I will be elated if we pull that off.”
