PELLA — Breaking into the top three for the fist time since 2018, the Central College men's track and field team secured bronze medal honors Saturday.

Central tallied 122.5 points as a team. Wartburg College won the team title with 208.

Jack Brown (junior, Norwalk), the indoor national champion in the mile, won the 1,500-meter race in 3 minutes, 47.80 seconds. Teammate Donovan Card (junior, Norwalk) was seventh in 3:55.63.

Gunner Meyer (senior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) had his second individual title of the weekend, setting a championship record in 110-meter hurdles in 13.83 seconds. Meyer was the first of four Dutch runners in the final as Gage Huyser (senior, Pella) finished fifth (14.89 seconds), Grant Miller (senior, Norwalk) was seventh (15.15 seconds) and Zeke Nelson (junior, Clear Lake) was eighth (15.16 seconds).

Huyser was the pole vault champion after clearing the bar at 14 feet, 9 inches. Teammate Kyle Rogers (freshman, Elburn, Ill., Kaneland HS) also finished on the all-conference podium sharing third place after completing a jump at 13-9.25.

Coming out of the slower heat of the 4x100-meter relay, Central's quartet of Jacob Birch (junior, Harlan), Owen Tomko (junior, Costa Mesa, Calif., Fountain Valley HS), Tommy Tavegia (sophomore, Arvada, Colo., Ralston Valley HS) and Lance Bunde (sophomore, Guthrie Center, ACGC HS) finished third in 42.26 seconds. Tomko added an eighth-place finish in the 200-meter dash after pulling up early with an injury.
           
Miller earned all-conference honors in the javelin throw, finishing third in 177-7. JT LaFleur (senior, Bondurant) was fifth (163-3) and Sam Stoecker (junior, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) was seventh (159-5). Kael Patterson (junior, Ankeny, Centennial HS) chipped in a point with his eighth-place effort in the hammer throw (165-3).
           
In the final event, Elijah Ajiri (freshman, Urbandale), Jrake Van Hemert (senior, Pella), Jimmy Seeman (sophomore, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) and Gabe Feldmann (junior, Mount Pleasant) took sixth in the 4x400-meter relay (3:19.73)
 
 
Results
200 meters – 8. Owen Tomko, 51.42
1500 meters – 1. Jack Brown, 3:47.80; 7. Donovan Card, 3:55.63; 9. James Brant, 4:01.21; 14. Dillon Starlin, 4:06.34
5000 meters - 12. William Wadsley, 15:23.20; 14. Austin Vander Werf, 15:27.99; 21. Mason Back, 15:54.50; 24. Conner Hansen, 16:03.81
110 hurdles - 1. Gunner Meyer, 13.83; 5. Gage Huyser, 14.89; 7. Grant Miller, 15.15; 8. Zeke Nelson, 15.16
4x100 relay – 3. Jacob Birch, Owen Tomko, Tommy Tavegia, Lance Bunde, 42.26
4x400 relay – 6. Elijah Ajiri, Jrake Van Hemert, Jimmy Seeman, Gabe Feldmann, 3:19.73
Pole vault – 1. Gage Huyser, 14-9; t-3. Kyle Rogers, 13-9.25
Hammer throw – 8. Kael Patterson, 165-3; 14. Sam Stoecker, 155-0; 17. Ambrose Savage, 149-1
Javelin throw – 3. Grant Miller, 177-7; 5. JT LaFleur, 163-3; 7. Sam Stoecker, 159-5