WAVERLY — Shaving two seconds off its previous season-best time, the Central College women's 4x400-meter relay team made a strong bid for a national meet appearance at the Wartburg Qualifier Friday.
           
The quartet of Ava Parkins (junior, Monmouth, Ill., Burlington Notre Dame [Iowa] HS), Alivia Roerdink (junior, Tiffin, Ohio, Hopewell-Loudon HS), Kennedy Petersen (freshman, Story City, Roland-Story HS) and Emily McMartin (senior, Pella) finished third in the 4x400-meter relay. The finishing time of 3 minutes, 46.33 seconds makes the foursome the No. 8 team in the country, improving the chances of a spot in the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 21-23 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
           
McMartin won the women's 200-meter dash (25.49 seconds), Jimmy Seeman (sophomore, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) won the men's 200-meter dash (23.03 seconds). Olivia Phillips (freshman, Saint Charles, Interstate 35 HS) won the women's 400-meter dash (1:00.27) and Mara Redenius (freshman, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) won the women's 100-meter hurdles (15.78 seconds). Roerdink was second in the women's 800-meter run in 2:12.88, a top-50 mark in Division III.
           
At the Cyclone Twilight at Iowa State University, Jack Brown (junior, Norwalk) ran the men's 1,500 meters in 3:47.48. One of just two Division III runners in the field, Brown placed fif.
           
Central will have a final chance at qualifying marks next Wednesday and Thursday at the Augustana Midwest Twilight Qualifier in Rock Island, Illinois.