PELLA—It will be a party of three for the Central College women's and men's cross country squads at the NCAA Division III Championships Saturday in Terre Haute, Indiana at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
           
Addison Parrott (senior, Danville) and Peyton Steffen (junior, Marion) will represent the women and Derek Webster (senior, Norwalk) is the lone Dutch male qualified.
           
Parrott finished third at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Saturday with Steffen trailing in fourth. Webster finished 28th in the men's race but was among the top-seven runners from the region not selected as a part of a team berth.
           
Making her national debut in 2023, Parrott finished in 32nd place to earn All-American accolades. This will be Steffen's first appearance at the national cross country meet, but she's no stranger to the NCAA Championships with a trio of All-American efforts in track and field (2023 indoor, 2024 indoor and outdoor). Webster ran with the Dutch men at last year's NCAA Championships, placing 179th.
           
Central competed at the LaVern Gibson Course for the Pre-National meet on October 19. Parrott finished 19th in the 6,000-meter course race in 22 minutes, 2.30 seconds. Steffen was 21st in 22:03.97. In the men's 8,000-meter race, Webster was 75th in 25:51.54
           
Saturday's race schedule starts with the women at 11 a.m. (EST) and the men are to follow at noon (EST).