PELLA — Another school record fell Friday night as the Central College track and field team had the winner in both the men's and women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Jim Duncan Invitational.

Members of the Dutch track and field squad were spread around at three different meets on Friday. Some of Central's top distance runners and a few men's hurdlers and field event athletes were at the Jim Duncan Invitational hosted by Drake University. The top women's sprinters led a contingent at the Kansas Relays in Lawrence. The remainder of the roster stayed home for a dual against Simpson College.

Jim Duncan Invitational --
Caroline McMartin (junior, Pella) added to her school record haul for the season, winning the women's steeplechase in 10 minutes, 43.95 seconds. Teammate Megan Johnson (junior, Parkersburg, Aplington-Parkersburg HS) was second in 10:57.73

In the men's steeplechase, Central's Caleb Silver (senior, Conrad, BCLUW HS) took over the lead before the 600-meter mark and stayed there the rest of the way to win in 9:16.20.

"The steeple was the last event of the night and it was neat to have such good showings in both races," associate head coach Jim Fuller said. "The thing I noticed about Caroline is that she has gotten a lot better at the water jumps and her hurdling going into the normal barriers."

Adam Sylvia (senior, Rochester, Mass., Old Rochester HS) put together a runner-up race in the men's 1,500-meter run, crossing the line in 3:55.76. Teammate Noah Jorgenson (junior, Sidney) was sixth in 4:00.83. In the women's 1,500-meter run, Peyton Steffen (freshman, Marion) was fifth in 4:47.89.

"Adam worked really hard at it," Fuller said. "Coach Dunham's distance runners all had really good efforts out there."

Three other Dutch men had top-five finishes in Des Moines. Lucas Heitz (senior, Adel, ADM HS) was fourth in the men's 110-meter hurdles in 15.36 seconds. High jumper Sam Beatty (senior, Mount Pleasant) was the runner-up after clearing 6 feet, 6.75 inches. Reid Pakkebier (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) was fifth in the long jump in 21-9.5 and was also seventh in the 110 hurdles (15.42 seconds).

"Our hurdlers looked good running into a head wind," Ferrell said. "Reid had a nice PR in the long jump as well."

Kansas Relays --
Running her first open 400 meters of the year, Abbi Roerdink (junior, Tiffin, Ohio, Hoepwell-Loudon HS) qualified for Saturday's women's final eighth in a time of 59.04 seconds. Lauren Brown (junior, Underwood) was 20th in 1:01.87.
           
"It was a good start for Abbi," coach Brandon Sturman said.  "We were hoping to run a little faster but based on the conditions being windy and hotter than expected, we were happy with how we competed."
           
The all-freshman women's 4x100-meter relay team of Emily McMartin (Pella), Willa Sickelka (Primghar, South O'Brien HS), Mary Gustason (Marion, Linn-Mar HS) and Olivia Bohlen (Belle Plaine) qualified for Saturday's final in ninth in 50.01 seconds.
           
"The time wasn't where we wanted it to be," Sturman said. "But we took advantage of a disqualification and made a final in a loaded field of Division I and II teams."
           
McMartin, Sickelka, and Gustason ran the 100-meter dash, finishing 26th (12.42 seconds), 30th (12.55) and 38th (12.76), respectively.
           
Kale Purcell (sophomore, Holton, Kansas) was 12th in the men's triple jump (44-3.5) and Abby Gruver (junior, Sully, Lynnville-Sully HS) was 16th in the women's 400-meter hurdles (1:08.6)
           
In addition to Roerdink's 400-meter final and the 4x100-meter relay team's final, Central's women's 4x400-meter relay team of Roerdink, Brown, Gruver and Bohlen will run Saturday in a timed final after the preliminaries were cancelled for weather.

Simpson dual --
At the home dual against Simpson, Central's men won nine events and the women won seven events.
           
Noah Erickson (junior, Mount Vernon) and Kaleb Brand (junior, Mount Vernon) both went under 50 seconds in the 400-meter dash, taking first and second. Erickson was first in 49.84 and Brand was on his heels in 49.97.
           
"It's really awesome to see them both go under 50," Sturman said.
           
Leah Bontrager (freshman, Wellman, Hillcrest Academy) won the women's 1,500-meter race in 4:59.95, becoming the sixth Central female to break the five-minute mark in that race.
           
"That's really impressive to have so many girls go under five minutes," Sturman said.

Central has a pair of meets in Nebraska next week. The multi-event crew will be in Crete, Nebraska for the John Green Combined Events hosted by Doane University on Thursday and Friday. The rest of the team will be at the Nebraska Wesleyan and Simpson triangular on Saturday.