DUBUQUE — A strong second day of competition brought the Central College men's track and field team into fourth place at the American Rivers Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday.
           
Central totaled 97.5 team points to edge Nebraska Wesleyan University for fourth place. Loras College won the team title with 145.5 points.
           
"It was a total team effort," coach Brandon Sturman said. "We had guys stepping up where we weren't expecting it."
           
Gunner Meyer (sophomore, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) pulled off a surprising victory in the high jump, clearing the bar at 6 feet, 9.5 inches on his first attempt to secure the win.
           
"He was able to beat a guy who was ranked ahead of him and now he is top five in the country," Sturman said. "That was a new lifetime best for him and it really set us up well."
           
Central once again piled up the points in the heptathlon with five athletes scoring points. Gavin Smith (sophomore, Audubon) was the winner with 4,828 points and Gage Huyser (sophomore, Pella) was second with 4,789 points. Additionally, Kale Hobart (freshman, Mason City) was fourth (4,662 points), Jaxon Thompson (senior, Marion, Linn-Mar HS) was sixth (4,586 points) and Reid Pakkebier (junior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) was seventh (4,585 points).
           
"It's been our biggest strength for the last few years," Sturman said. "To score five guys and 28 points was big. It put us back in the mix."
           
Noah Jorgenson (senior, Sidney) not only won the mile in 4:08.86, but he also anchored the winning 4x800-meter relay team in a winning time of 7:45.95. Blake Creed (freshman, Washington, Mid-Prairie HS), Adam Sylvia (fifth year, Rochester, Mass., Old Rochester HS) and Jack Brown (freshman, Norwalk) joined Jorgenson in the victory.
           
"Noah ran well in the mile and did what he had to do to win," Sturman said. "Winning that 4x800 was huge as well."
           
Triple jumper Kale Purcell (junior, Holton, Kan.) placed second with a new career-best mark 46-10.75.
           
"He set the bar high when he started the year off with a 14-meter jump," Sturman said. "He had a salty taste in his mouth after finishing fourth last year, he was super motivated this year."
           
The 4x400-meter relay team of Brian Hart (junior, Norwalk), Jrake Van Hemert (sophomore, Pella), JD Elefson (junior, Ankeny, North Polk HS) and Noah Erickson (senior, Mount Vernon) finished fourth in 3:22.13.
           
Sylvia was also fourth in the mile in 4:13.76. Nolan Meyer (sophomore, Bondurant, Bondurant-Farrar HS) was fifth in the high jump at 6-1.5. Jack Brown (sophomore, Norwalk) was sixth in the 800 meters in 1:55.73. In the 60-meter hurdles, Grant Miller (sophomore, Norwalk) was fifth (8.30 seconds), Connor Miklos (senior, Lockport, Ill., Providence Catholic HS) was sixth (8.37 seconds), and Pakkebier was seventh (8.46 seconds).
           
Central will have limited entrants at the Wartburg Qualifier next weekend in Waverly.