LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN — Ending his Central College running career in style, Mark Fairley  (senior, Dubuque) cemented his legacy by winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase national title in his final collegiate race at the 2018 NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships Saturday.

It is the 34th individual NCAA title in Central College history and the 15th by the men's track and field program. It vaulted the Dutch into 12th place in the NCAA team standings. It's the 14th top-20 national team finish in program history.

After running a school record time of eight minutes, 57.39 seconds in Azusa, California on April 19, Fairley entered the weekend with the best time in the country.

"It's always harder when you're expected to win because that's an added pressure that is not necessarily easy to deal with," coach Joe Dunham said. "We're pretty excited. It's a great way for him to end his career at Central College."

Despite never leading until the final lap of the race, Fairley outkicked DePauw University's (Ind.) Polo Burguete down the stretch by almost four seconds to win his first national championship in a time of nine minutes, 4.50 seconds.

"Our plan had been for him to go with about 300 meters left when there was plenty of space to make our move," coach Joe Dunham said. "Up until that point, he kept up with the leaders and stayed out of trouble.

"Burguete had a bar barrier and stumbled a little bit with around 300 meters to go. That's when Mark went for the kill by going around him and the rest was history. We were able to stick to the plan and it went just how we were hoping it would."

The latest in a string of talented Dutch distance runners, Fairley graduates with a trio of All-American performances. Fairley was a runner-up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last year and also was a cross country All-American after placing 26th at the 2017 national meet.

Counting both indoor and outdoor track and field, Fairley won seven Iowa Conference titles and finished in the top-three of an additional five races at the conference meets. He bagged six all-USTFCCCA Central Region awards on the track as well. His long list of accolades also includes four All-Iowa Conference and four all-Central Region honors in cross country.

"I'm not sure this national championship is the biggest thing Mark leaves in terms of his legacy, which is pretty remarkable," Dunham said. "He's done so much for our track and distance programs. We're so thankful he's been a part of our team."

In the team standings, Fairley added 10 points to the six Will Daniels (sophomore, Geneseo, Ill.) earned Thursday and Friday in the decathlon for his third-place finish. At the indoor championships, 16 points earned the Dutch a tie for ninth place in the team standings.