BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA — Will Daniels (sophomore, Geneseo, lll.) had the best heptathlon score on the first weekend of competition back in December and he maintained that status at the end of the season as the Central College sophomore won the heptathlon with 5,287 points at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships Saturday.

Teammate Ryan Kruse (senior, St. Clair, Minn.) finished in third with 5,124 points to record the best performance by teammates in a combined event at a national meet since Central's Kurtis Brondyke and Ethan Miller went 1-2 in the indoor pentathlon back in 2011.

"These guys aren't just teammates, they're good friends," associate head coach Jim Fuller said. "They were so focused and dedicated in their offseason training and that's what got them to this point.

"I've been coaching about 35 years and it was one of the most fun weekends I've had. I'm really appreciative of them letting me a part of what they accomplished."

Daniels is No. 2 on Central's all-time heptathlon list and No. 5 in Division III history. Eric Larson '15 compiled a 5,399 in 2015 for the school record and No. 3 in NCAA history. Kruse is No. 3 on Central's all-time heptathlon list.

Leading into the 1,000-meter run, the final event of the heptathlon, Daniels had a 21-point lead over Ohio Wesleyan University's Nate Newman. Both Daniels and Newman knew exactly what needed to be done in order to secure a national championship. Newman crossed the in line 2 minutes, 52.69 seconds but Daniels was on his heels in 2:52.74, allowing Newman to make up just a single point.

"It's an advantageous position to be in knowing exactly what you've got to do in the final race," Fuller said. "They both knew that nobody else could catch them and it was ultimately a one-on-one race. They stayed right next to each other pretty much the whole race."

It was a similar story for Kruse as he tried to hold onto third place and withstand a last-event charge by a handful of competitors.

"In essence, Ryan didn't need to worry about anyone else," Fuller said. "He knew if he ran a 3:00, his lead was big enough none of the other guys behind him could catch up. He ran a PR in 2:59.90 and held on to third."

Before the 1,000-meter race, Kruse went 14 feet, 5.25 inches to tie Ethan Miller for the fourth-best indoor pole vault mark in Dutch history. Daniels went over the bar at 12-9.5.

"I'm sure Ryan would tell that every bar he makes in the pole vault is equivalent to three seconds in the 1,000," Fuller said. "Getting another couple of bars is a pretty big deal to him."
 
In the first event Saturday, Daniels dropped his career-best time in the 60-meter hurdles to 8.52. Kruse crossed the line in 8.59, placing the duo in third and fourth amongst the field.

Daniels earned All-American honors in not one but two events as he cleared the high jump bar at 6-9 to finish in seventh. He was one of three competitors to clear that height, but he finished lower based on prior misses.

"He was pretty tired and had sore legs after that 1,000 was over," Fuller said. "He had a bit of a rocky road. He missed some heights he usually makes pretty easy. It was pretty obvious that 6-9 was the bar he needed to clear to place and he got it done on the second try."

The duo amassed 18 points, enough to secure a tie for ninth in the team standings. It's the program's first top-10 national finish since taking sixth outdoors in 2016. As a school, Central now has 79 top-10 team finishes.

The first outdoor meet of the season for the Dutch is set for March 29-30 with Central Invitational at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium in Pella.