Event Results:
Central Football Defeated Simpson 69-14 – 92.1 KRLS
Central Women’s Cross Country 3rd, Men’s Team 4th at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional
Central Men’s Basketball defeated Concordia (Wis.) 70-62
Central Women’s Basketball downed Wisconsin-Eau Claire 69-53
Event Recaps:
Central Men Make Push for NCAA Men’s Cross Country Berth
Making a strong statement in its quest for a national meet berth, the #21-ranked Central College men’s cross country team posted a fourth-place finish in the fiercely contested 32-team NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Saturday.
At a minimum, two Dutch runners appeared to lock in return trips as individual qualifiers. Noah Jorgenson matched his eighth-place regional finish from a year ago, covering the 8,000-meter course in 24:33.9 while Caleb Silver was 12th in 24:38.7, up a notch from last year. Silver, who will likely make his third national meet appearance, gained all-American distinction last year by finishing 25th nationally. Jorgenson was 79th at the national meet. The top seven individual finishers in the region who are not part of a qualifying team advance. Among finishers from teams other than Saturday’s top three, Jorgenson was third and Silver was fifth.
Adam Sylvia, who missed last year’s regional due to illness, was 28th in 25:09.2, Derek Webster was up 12 spots from last year to 40th in 25:25.7, and Jack Orengo, who hadn’t cracked Central’s varsity seven prior to the American Rivers Conference meet, continued his dramatic late-season surge by placing 42nd in 25:26.4. Completing the top seven, William Wadsley was 56th in 25:48.6 and Jack Brown was 74th in 26:15.7 in their regional debuts.
The 32-team NCAA Division III Championships will be staged Saturday at 10 a.m. at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pennsylvania. The champions of Saturday’s 10 regional meets receive automatic national berths while the remaining 22 teams in the 32-team field are chosen at-large. The field will be announced late Sunday morning on NCAA.com, making for an anxious 24 hours for several squads.
Record McMartin Run Leads #16 Central at Women’s Cross Country Regional
With a determined finishing kick to the best race of her memorable career, Central College’s all-American Caroline McMartin took second place at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championships Saturday and likely helped her team gain its third NCAA national team berth in school history.
McMartin, who was in seventh at the 900-meter mark, steadily climbed throughout the race and finished the 6,000-meter course in a school-record 20:52.3. McMartin’s previous best time was 21:16 at the Connecticut College Invitational October 14th. She and Megan Johnson are assured of at least gaining individual national meet berths as Johnson finished eighth in 21:27.7. The top seven individual finishers in the region who are not part of a qualifying team advance.
Following Johnson were Addison Parrott and Kira Hooper in 16th and 17th, respectively. Parrott, 40th in last year’s regional, finished in a career-best 22:02.7 while Hooper also topped her previous best, finishing in 22:05.5. Central’s other scorer was Lindsey Davidson, who turned her career best as well with 23:04.2 to finish 39th. She was closely followed by Leah Bontrager in 40th in 23:05.7, with Hailey Hill 45th in a personal-best 23:04.2. Ranked No. 16 in the USTFCCCA Division III national coaches’ poll, Central was an impressive third in the competitive 33-team regional field.
The 32-team NCAA Division III Championships will be staged next Saturday at 11 am at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pennsylvania. The champions of Saturday’s 10 regional meets receive automatic national berths while the remaining 22 teams in the 32-team field are chosen at-large. The field will be announced late Sunday morning on NCAA.com.
7 Blocks, 17 Boards for Johnson Lift Central Men’s Basketball Team
Even with a sluggish opening-day offense, the defense delivered as the Central College men’s basketball team overcame Concordia University (Wis.) 70-62 in the Loras Mike Moklestead Motors Tipoff Classic on Saturday.
Forward Grant Johnson again spearheaded the defensive effort with seven blocked shots to go with 14 points, 17 rebounds and five assists. The Dutch trailed by as many as seven points midway through the first half and trailed 32-31 at halftime. Central took the lead early in the second half but it was still a one-point game at 53-52 with 7:20 left before a late 9-0 flurry stretched the advantage to 68-55 with 2:56 remaining.
Concordia hit just 39.1% for the game. Central was at 44.4% in the opening half but hit 62.5% (15-24) in the second half and 52.9% for the game. The Dutch also held a commanding 39-26 rebounding advantage but committed 21 turnovers. All-American center Joshua Van Gorp had 22 points and eight rebounds while forward Kole Tupa had 15 points. Point guard Drew Edwards and guard Kaleb Brand each had four assists.
Central continues play in the event today with a 2 p.m. contest against Principia College (Ill.).
Central Knocks Off Eau Claire for Weiland’s First Women’s Basketball Win
The best way for the Central College women’s basketball team to erase memories of Friday’s opening-night loss was to see the ball go through the hoop.
The Dutch did a lot of that Saturday, draining more than 60% of their second-half shots and knocking off 2023 NCAA Division III tourney qualifier Wisconsin-Eau Claire 69-53 for first-year coach Justin Weiland’s first Central win. Playing in the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Tip-Off Classic, Central (1-1) put four players in double figures, led by guard Abby Johnson with 17 to go with eight rebounds and three steals. Guard Samantha Scott had 13 points while center Allison Van Gorp and freshman guard Emily Naughton each had 10 while guard Gabby Moore added nine. Freshman center CeCe Moore had six rebounds. Central used a 7-0 second-quarter run to break away from a 13-13 first-quarter tie. The Dutch were up 31-24 at the break, then stretched the lead by hitting 66.7% from the floor in the third quarter for a 51-38 advantage. Central led by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter and shot 56.1% for the night while limiting Wisconsin-Eau Claire to 32.3% shooting. The Dutch also held a 33-30 rebounding advantage.
Weiland has a bit of a homecoming Wednesday as the Dutch travel to Grinnell College for a 7 p.m. game. Weiland was an assistant at Grinnell from 2021-23.
Two Individual Champions for Dutch Men’s Wrestling Team at Millikin
Sophomore 141-pounder Pierre Baldwin and senior 197-pounder Gage Linahon were both individual champions at the Millikin Open Saturday for the Central College men’s wrestling team.
In addition to Central’s two champions, three other Dutch wrestlers made it to the championship bout before placing runner-up. There were no team scores kept. Baldwin won his second individual tournament title of the season by going 4-0 with two technical falls and a pin. He polished it off with a 7-5 decision against Jake Penzato of Aurora University (Ill.) in the championship. Linahon, who was coming off a runner-up effort last week at the Pointer Open, won his first three matches by pin before a 13-1 major decision against Aurora’s Angel Jaimes to win the title. In his first tournament of the season, Brock Beck started with a pair of technical fall victories and secured a first period fall in his semifinal match. He was defeated in sudden victory in the final against a Division II wrestler from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Cael Cox and Colby Tool both also started their days 3-0 at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively. Cox had a fall and a technical fall in his victories while Tool had one pin. They were both defeated in the title matches.
Central hosts its only home dual of the fall semester on Thursday at 7 p.m. against Coe College. In conjunction with the match, Central’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is hosting a food drive for the Pella Food Shelf. SAAC representatives will be at the entrance to collect any non-perishable food items. There is currently a higher need for canned fruit, canned meat, peanut butter and cereals.
Central Women Step Up Wrestling Competition Level
The Central College women’s wrestling squad traveled to the Waldorf Open Saturday and faced a stiffer test as Emma Carter finished in sixth place again.
There were no team scores kept as 20 teams were represented in the field. Carter won her first two matches by fall at 170 pounds, dropped her next two bouts and then forfeited the fifth-place match. Aniya Coleman went 2-2 at 116 pounds, notching a 5-4 decision against a Grand View wrestler in the third round of consolations. One of Aniya’s wins came against teammate Jeanna Hernandez who continues to learn in her first season of wrestling while losing both of her matches. Freshman Gwen Canney was on the mat this week after not wrestling a week ago. She dropped both of her matches at 191 pounds. Leilani Asis Nonog and Selena Snell were both beaten twice but continue to show potential.
Central is headed to the Missouri Valley Open next weekend in Marshall, Missouri. The two-day tournament will begin at noon on Friday.
Dutch Triathlon Squad Strong at National Meet
Closing out its season at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships, the Central College triathlon squad competed in the young program’s toughest competition, yet.
After previously scoring the meet separately as Division I, II and III schools, this year the field of 210 runners and 30+ teams competed and were to be scored as one team. Team scores were not immediately available. A sprint triathlon includes a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike and a five-kilometer run. The best four entries from each team compile the team score.
Grace Benson was the first Dutch athlete across the line in 1 hour, 21 minutes and 13 seconds. She finished 132nd overall. Luci Laidlaw was second for Central in 1:23.08. She dropped five minutes off the time from her first trip to the national meet last November finishing 142nd. Freshman Addie Smith placed 147th overall in her first national competition in a time of 1:24.19. Dual-sport athletes Taylor Jones and Sophie Lunning finished 157th and 186th, respectively. Jones finished in 1:26.30 and Lunning crossed in 1:36.44
With all five student-athletes eligible for another season, the group is already thinking ahead to 2024.