ROCHESTER, N.Y.— Three Central College men finished on the podium to highlight the final day of action at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday.
In the team standings, Central's men's team was tied for 34 th with six points while the women were tied for 49 th with three points. The University of Wisconsin – La Crosse won the men's title and Massachusetts Institute of Technology won the women's crown.
A pair of Central men gathered All-America honors in the heptathlon.
Kale Hobart (sophomore, Mason City) led the way with 5,067 points and a sixth-place finish to land on the podium with first team honors. It was a new career-best total for Hobart.
Reid Pakkebier (senior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) is second team All-American after placing 13th with 4,806 points.
"When you get to the national meet, to put up a PR is big a deal," Sturman said. "Super proud of how they competed and put together a great effort.
Jack Brown (sophomore, Norwalk) made his first appearance on the All-America list with a seventh-place finish in the men's mile, crossing the line in 4:11.90.
"Jack ran great," Sturman said. "He's still only a sophomore and continues to impress with his confidence and ability to handle those big situations."
Gunner Meyer (junior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) placed eighth in the men's 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 8.17 seconds. He ran an 8.03 in the prelims Friday.
"You always want to run fast and better in the finals and that wasn't the case, ""He did the hard work yesterday getting into the finals and we'll take the All-America honors and use today to get ready for outdoor'
Addison Parrott (senior, Danville) secured second-team All-America in the women's 3,000 meters with a time of 9:51.39 in 15 th place. Teammate
Peyton Steffen (junior, Marion) was 18th in 9:57.94. The duo were key legs of the All-America distance medley relay Friday night.
"It wasn't their best race," Sturman said. "The race went out really fast and they had some tired legs but gave a great effort. We're still proud of what they accomplished this weekend.
In the men's triple jump,
Kale Purcell (senior, Holton, Kan.) was 18th overall with a mark of 46 feet, 7.25 inches.
"It's frustrating to be jumping well and get to the biggest stage and not do what you need to do," Sturman said. "We just weren't on the board so the marks weren't counting as they should. We'll grow from it and use it as motivation for outdoors."
The Dutch will open the outdoor season with a contingent going to the Washington University Distance Carnival in St. Louis, Missouri on March 27 and 28. The Central Invitational will be held at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium on March 29.
