PELLA--Commemorating the last year of Central College athletics, the Central Student-Athlete Advisory Council hosted the Dutchies this past Sunday night inside P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.

For the fourth year in a row, SAAC hosted the Dutchies to honor the best in Dutch athletics from April 1, 2018 to March 1, 2019. Coaches nominated their student-athletes before a seven-member committee whittled it down to four finalists and eventually selecting a winner.
           
The Dutchies handed out eight awards ranging from Male and Female Athlete of the Year to the Moment of the Year.

Freshman Male Athlete of the Year— Rob Areyano (freshman, Selma, Calif.) arrived from California and embarked on a dominant rookie wrestling season. He rolled up a 28-6 record and only 11 of his 28 victories went the distance as he notched 14 falls and three technical falls. He took 149-pound tournament titles at Wisconsin-Stevens Point and MSOE, then finished fifth in the NCAA Lower Midwest Regional. He was an all-conference honoree.

Freshman Female Athlete of the Year— Freshman Miranda Kruiswyk (Dunlap, Ill.) announced her presence in bold fashion, winning the season-opening Dutch Invitational for the women's cross country team. She followed that with a second-place showing at the Les Duke Invitational in Grinnell, then scored a fourth-place finish at the American Rivers meet for all-conference honors. She topped that with a ninth-place effort at the NCAA Division III Central Regional in Waverly to secure a berth in the NCAA national championships in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where she was 144th in an elite field. She was twice named the league's performer of the week.

Coaching Staff of the Year— As the 2018 Central men's track and field prepared to host the Iowa Conference meet, few expected the squad to match the previous year's second-place Iowa Conference finish. But the Dutch pulled an even bigger surprise, blowing past the University of Dubuque for their 18th league championship. Central took titles in six events. The Dutch then tied for 12th at the NCAA national meet with Mark Fairley '18 (grad, Dubuque) capturing the steeplechase title while Will Daniels took third in the decathlon, capping a highly successful 10-year run at the helm of the program for former coach Joe Dunham.

Record-Breaking Performance of the Year— A returning national heptathlon champion, junior Will Daniels (Geneseo, Ill.) made sure his first serious run at a qualifying spot in this year's NCAA meet would be the only one he would need. Competing at the Wartburg Select in early February, Daniels built up a comfortable first-day lead, then soared 14 feet, 5.25 inches in the pole vault on his way to the heptathlon record the following day finishing with 5,441 points to break a 6-year-old Division III record.
                   
Male Athlete of the Year— It's hard to top a national championship season but after winning last year's Division III heptathlon crown, Will Daniels came back even stronger.  He eclipsed the Division III record with 5,441 points in winning the Wartburg Select, then claimed another NCAA title with 5,418 points in Boston in March, becoming Central's first repeat national champion since decathlete Ethan Miller in 2011 and 2012. He also received his second straight Central Region men's field event athlete of the year award.

Female Athlete of the Year— Senior Brittany Coppess (Clinton) took care of some unfinished business last fall. She secured top-10 finishes at the Mount Mercy Early Bird Invitational and the Luther Sail Classic. Then after finishing second in the conference last year and fifth the previous two years, Coppess won a playoff after the 54th hole to take home league medalist honors this year. That also helped Central secure a league title and a trip to the NCAA Division III Championships in Houston in May. She received the team Maurine Timmer MVP Award for the second time as well as the Most Dedicated Player Award for the third time and is a four-time all-conference honoree.

Team of the Year— After recording a pair of top-three team finishes at home invitational meets in April, Central's men's track and field team took advantage of the Schipper Stadium track again in May, by scoring an upset victory in the Iowa Conference Championships. The Dutch topped the University of Dubuque by 28 points for their 18th league title and their third in the past four years. Senior Mark Fairley swept the 1,500 meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase as Central won six events. The Dutch followed that by tying for 12th in Division III at the NCAA national meet as Fairley sprinted to a national steeplechase title. Meanwhile Will Daniels, who scored a stunning decathlon victory at the Kansas Relays, took third in the Division III decathlon.

Moment of the Year— The first-ever American Rivers Conference championship was conducted in women's golf and after 54 holes, Central and the University of Dubuque were tied. But on the final day, steady rain made much of the the Oneota Golf and Country Club course in Decorah unplayable. It was determined that the two teams would stage a one-hole team playoff. All five players on each team teed it up and adding to the drama, Central's Brittany Coppess and Dubuque's Daniela Miranda were also playing to determine tournament medalist honors. Despite the conditions, the Dutch answered the call, playing the par-5 18th hole in even par as Coppess defeated Miranda and Central was awarded its second league championship in three years and its 10th overall.