PELLA — Nine individuals and a pair of relay squads will represent the Central College men's and women's track and field programs at the 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championship this weekend.
The national meet is to be held in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday and Saturday.
The Dutch women will send a distance medley relay team for the fourth year in a row.
Maddy Stevens (freshman, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS), Olivia Phillips (freshman, Saint Charles, Interstate 35 HS), Kyra Cordes (freshman, Marion) and
Peyton Steffen (senior, Marion) qualified this year as the ninth-fastest group in the country. The women's 4x400-meter relay team will make its first appearance since 2024 as
Alivia Roerdink (junior, Tiffin, Ohio, Hopewell-Loudon HS), Kennedy Petersen,
Emily McMartin (senior, Pella) and Ava Parkins are the No. 7 qualifiers.
Individually,
Olivia Bohlen (senior, Belle Plaine) comes in fourth in the pentathlon. Steffen has the No. 9 mark in the 3,000-meters and Parkins is No. 19 in the 400-meter dash.
Six Dutch men qualified as individuals.
Kale Hobart (junior, Mason City), Gage Huyser (senior, Pella) and
Gavn Smith (senior, Audubon) all made the entry list in the heptathlon. Hobart is No. 3, Huyser is No. 7 and Smith is No. 16.
Jack Brown (junior, Norwalk) qualified second in the mile,
Gunner Meyer (senior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) qualified fourth in the 60-meter hurdles and
Kale Purcell (fifth year, Holton Kan.) qualified eighth in the triple jump.
Central College NCAA Championships schedule of events
Friday, March 13 (times are EST)
10 a.m. – men's heptathlon (60 meters)
10:20 a.m. – women's pentathlon (60-meter hurdles)
10:40 a.m. – men's heptathlon (long jump)
11:20 a.m. – women's pentathlon (high jump)
12:30 p.m. – men's heptathlon (shot put)
1:05 p.m. – women's pentathlon (shot put)
1:45 p.m. – men's 60-meter hurdles (prelims)
2:50 p.m. – men's mile (prelims)
3:05 p.m. – women's 400-meter dash (prelims)
2:35 p.m. – women's pentathlon (long jump)
3 p.m. – men's heptathlon (high jump)
4:20 p.m. – women's pentathlon (800 meters)
5:30 p.m. – women's 4x400 relay (prelims)
6:10 p.m. – women's distance medley relay
Saturday, March 14
10 a.m. – men's heptathlon (60-meter hurdles)
10:40 a.m. – men's 60-meter hurdles (prelims)
11 a.m. – men's triple jump
10:50 a.m. – men's heptathlon (pole vault)
2 p.m. – men's heptathlon (1000 meters)
4:10 p.m. – men's mile (finals)
4:25 p.m. – women's 400-meter dash (finals)
5:35 p.m. – women's 3,000-meter run
6:20 p.m. – women's 400-meter dash (finals)
