Central opened the indoor track and field season, the wrestling team earned a big meet win, and the men’s basketball team earned a non-conference win this Saturday…(click ahead for full results):

The indoor season for the Central College men’s and women’s track and field teams started Saturday at the Doane College Happy Holidays Multi-Event. No team scores were kept in a competition that featured 13 athletes from three different schools. Mary Gray paced the Central contingent with a new personal best score of 3,114 points. Kiki Pingel of Pella also added new career-best marks in the long jump (16-1) and shot put (29-8). She also matched her all-time best in the high jump (5-0.5). Her five-event total was 3,076 points. In the men’s heptathlon, Will Daniels leads after the first four events with 3,223 points. He’ll compete the last three events on Sunday morning.

Rising to meet the challenge, the Central College wrestling team won a fifth-straight team title at the MSOE Invitational on Saturday despite increased competition level. With a total of 163.5 points, Central outdistanced the second-place team from North Central College by just 17 points. In total, Central had 13 wrestlers finish in the top-six in their weight classes. Central bagged individual bracket champions at 133 pounds from Cam Timok and at 149 pounds from Rob Areyano. A trio of seniors, including Chase Petty of Pella, Jordan Challen and Chris Murino all had bronze medal performances. The final competition of the semester for Central is a dual next Thursday night at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Flashing the form that earned him all-conference recognition last year, guard Jamel McKnight erupted for a season-high 26 points and seven assists as torrid shooting propelled the Central College men’s basketball team past the University of Wis.-La Crosse 89-77 Saturday. Avenging a loss to the Eagles a year ago, Central (2-5) shot 56.7 percent from the field in racing to a 46-34 halftime lead and hit 53.2 percent for the game. McKnight was 11 of 18 from the floor and also had two steals. Central returns to American Rivers Conference play Wednesday, taking on Coe College in a women’s-men’s doubleheader at Cedar Rapids.