BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA — For just the third time in Central College men's track and field program history, the Dutch secured a pair of individual national champions in the same meet Saturday at the 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Gunner Meyer (senior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) claimed the 60-meter hurdles crown and
Jack Brown (junior, Norwalk) finished first in the mile run.
The Dutch men were sixth as a team with 28 points. On the women's side, Central finished 14th with 15 points.
Gunner Meyer (senior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) clocked a school record time of 7.89 seconds to win the men's 60-meter hurdles. Initially, Meyer was second but the first runner to finish was disqualified moving Meyer to the top of the podium.
Brown's winning time was 4 minutes, 14.01 seconds. He didn't take the lead until the last lap of the race. His penultimate lap was the fastest split of any runner in the fielder in 27.59 seconds. He closed with a split of 27.69 to win the race by .38 of a second.
Kale Hobart (junior, Mason City) added a runner-up finish in the men's heptathlon with 5,373 points. His score makes him No. 3 in school history.
Peyton Steffen (senior, Marion) had a podium finish for the Dutch women by finishing fourth in the 3,000-meter run in 9:34.56.
Also in the heptathlon,
Gage Huyser (senior, Pella) and
Gavin Smith (senior, Audubon) finished 12th (4,953 points) and 13th (4,896 points) for second-team All-America honors.
Kale Purcell (fifth year, Holton Kan.) also earned second team All-American accolades, placing 14th in the triple jump with a mark of 45 feet, 7 inches.
