NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — With championship season beginning this weekend, the Central College men's and women's track and field teams both came in at No.8 in the fifth USTFCCCCA Indoor Checkpoint of the season released Tuesday.

Points in the National Team Rating Index are based off placement in the National Descending Order Lists. The higher an athlete sits on the top-35 list, the more points he or she adds to his or her team's total. These points do not reflect placement or scoring at the NCAA Championships but are to show the individuals and teams that have the best chances at scoring well at said meet.

The women's distance medley relay team of Maddy Stevens (freshman, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS), Ava Parkins (junior, Monmouth, Ill., Burlington Notre Dame [Iowa] HS), Alivia Roerdink (junior, Tiffin, Ohio, Hopewell-Loudon HS) and Peyton Steffen (senior, Marion) have the No. 4 qualifying time in 11 minutes, 48.70 seconds at the Caged Eagle Open Friday night. Olivia Bohlen (senior, Belle Plaine) also added the No. 17 60-meter hurdles time of 8.82 seconds at the Liz Wuertz Invitational.

The only new mark in the top 35 for the Dutch men was Kale Hobart's (junior, Mason City) 60-meter hurdles time of 8.15 seconds at the Liz Wuertz Invitational moves him to No. 16 nationally.
           
Central will be at the American Rivers Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday and Saturday in Decorah on the campus of Luther College.
 
Central men top-35 nationally
2. Kale Hobart, heptathlon – 5,093 points
3. Gunner Meyer, 60-meter hurdles – 7.90 seconds
6. Jack Brown, mile – 4:04.25
6. Kale Purcell, triple jump – 49-0.75
9. Gunner Meyer, high jump – 6-8.75
9. Lance Bunde, high jump – 6-8.75
10. Gavin Smith, heptathlon – 4,941 points
15. Gage Huyser, heptathlon – 4,848 points
16. Kale Hobart, 60-meter hurdles – 8.15 seconds
25. Landon Pote, heptathlon – 4,664 points
28. Grant Miller, 60-meter hurdles – 8.22 seconds
 
Central women top-35 nationally
2. Olivia Bohlen, pentathlon – 3,592 points
3. Alivia Roerdink, Kennedy Petersen, Emily McMartin, Ava Parkins, 4x400-meter relay – 3:49.85
4. Maddy Stevens, Ava Parkins, Alivia Roerdink, Peyton Steffen, distance medley relay – 11:48.70
5. Peyton Steffen, 3,000-meter run – 9:36.26
16. Ava Parkins, 400-meter dash – 56.94 seconds
17. Olivia Bohlen, 60-meter hurdles – 8.82 seconds
23. Peyton Steffen, mile – 4:55.68
27. Emily McMartin, 200-meter dash – 25.32 seconds
28. Ava Parkins, 60-meter dash – 7.70 seconds
29. Peyton Steffen, 800-meter run – 2:15.75
31. Karlee Warnke, long jump – 18-3.25