Season-best performances in Boston for Central runners

Central College

BOSTON — Another day of top-level competition brought about season-best performances for several Central College men’s track and field athletes Saturday at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University.

A trio of distance runners recorded season-best times in the 5000 meters. Eli Horton (senior, Runnells, Iowa, Southeast Polk HS) led the way with a time of 14:52.87, finishing 26th of 68 runners. Cole Decker (junior, Des Moines, Iowa, Dowling Catholic HS) was close behind in 29th with a time of 14:54.50. Isaac Steffensmeier (sophomore, Fort Madison) not only set his season best, but also his career best, crossing the line in 37th with a time of 15:03.27

Spencer Hammack (junior, Ottumwa) ran a career-best time of 50.18 in the 400 meters, finishing in 73rd place in a field of 190 runners.

Logan Mulford (sophomore, Mount Pleasant) finished in a tie for 12th after clearing 6 feet, 4.75 inches in the high jump. Mulford’s jump of 6-10.25 in January at the Dutch Athletics Classic is still the fourth-best effort in Division III.

Running a season-best 1:56.52 in the 800 meters, Jamie Vander Veer (senior, Harvey, Iowa, Knoxville HS) finished in 67th out of 205 competitors. Drew Jackson (senior, Johnson) also ran in the event, coming in 128th with a 1:59.91.

The Dutch runners will return to the track next Friday night at the UNI Dome Open on the campus of Northern Iowa.