Photo Courtesy of d3photography.com

No. 3 on our countdown of the top 10 sports stories at Central College this past school year saw a local athlete earn All-American honors in three different seasons.

Junior Caroline McMartin, who graduated from Pella High School, became the first Dutch women’s runner in school history to earn All-American finishes in the cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field seasons. 

McMartin’s first All-American nod came in the harsh weather conditions of the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 19th. In 22 degree weather with 15 mph winds at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers Golf Course, the junior finished in 24th place with a time of 22:31.0. The finish made McMartin just the ninth ever women’s cross country All-American at Central and the first since Beth Cunningham placed 20th in 2004. 

Following her success during the cross country season, McMartin earned her first track and field  All-American honor at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, March 10th. As the final leg of the distance medley relay team, McMartin helped the Dutch drop another 10 seconds off of the school record that they had set a few weeks prior, and finish in fifth place with a time of 11 minutes, 44.98 seconds.

Completing her fantastic year, the junior added her third All-American effort at the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, May 27th. McMartin took third  place in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10 minutes, 24.39 seconds.