Biggs, Central Open Spring with Women’s Golf Tourney Win

Mackenzie Biggs stayed steady amid fierce April winds and fired a 75 in propelling the Central College women’s golf team to the Wartburg Spring Invitational title Sunday.

Biggs was at 5-over-par on the par-70 Waverly Municipal Golf Course and ran away from the field. Thea Lunning was a distant second with 80. Central shot 326 for an 11-shot victory in the eight-team tourney. The University of Dubuque followed at 337 and Central’s second unit, the White squad, was another shot back at 338. Delaney Underwood tied for 12th at 85 while Madison Clark and Lydia Grond each shot 86. Peyton Bytnar and Parker Stout shared sixth place for the White squad with 83. Rachel Sohn shot 84, Avery Woods had 88 and Jaden Smith had 90.

Central returns to action April 15-16 at the Kathy Niepagen Invitational hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University at the Ironwood Golf Course in Normal, Illinois. The Dutch, who won the American Rivers championship last fall, gained a berth in the NCAA Division III Championships May 9-12 at Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.

Dutch Take on Stacked Wartburg Track and Field Meet

Competing in a field with multiple NCAA Division I and II programs, the Central College men’s and women’s track and field team finished off the opening weekend of the outdoor season at the Wartburg Select meet.

The Dutch men were 12th in the team standings with 18 points, while Central’s women were 13th with 13 points. Central’s top distance runners were all not competing at Wartburg after running Saturday night in St. Louis.

Sam Beatty gave Central an individual champion in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 6.75 inches. It’s the first outdoor appearance for Beatty after winning the indoor national title. Emily McMartin had a fourth place run in the women’s 200-meter dash, crossing the line in 26.21 seconds. Teammate Willa Sickelka was seventh in 26.33. McMartin and Sickelka ran the final two legs of the fifth-place women’s 4×100-meter relay team with Mary Gustason and Olivia Bohlen with a time of 49.81. Bohlen and Sickelka ran the women’s 4×400-meter relay with Abby Gruver and Lauren Brown, placing eighth in 4:15.42.

Lucas Heitz ran the 100-meter hurdles in 15.02 seconds, good for seventh place. Heitz also anchored Central’s top men’s 4×400-meter relay team to an eight-place finish in 3:29.78. He was joined by Noah Erickson, Reid Pakkebier and Carson Zeitler. Zeitler and Erickson were joined by Brian Hart and Tate Johnson to finish sixth in the men’s 4×100-meter relay in 43.56 seconds. Other place winners for Central included Sara Goodenbour taking seventh in the women’s 5,000-meter run (18:44.58), Gavin Smith taking eighth in the men’s pole vault (12-0) and Kale Purcell placing eighth in the men’s triple jump (43-52.5)

Central hosts the Dutch Invitational starting Friday at noon.