Claiming the top spot on our countdown of the top 10 sports stories from Central College this past school year, the Dutch women’s track and field team dominated the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 24th. 

In her final race for the Dutch, senior Megan Johnson ran the seventh-fastest time in Division III history, winning the national title in 10 minutes, 13.46 seconds. She became Central’s first female individual national champion since Alicia Whisner won the javelin throw in 2007. Johnson was joined on the All-American podium by teammates Caroline McMartin and Addison Parrott, who finished second (10:22.61) and seventh (10:37.31), respectively. The three top ten finishes for the Dutch in the 3,000 meter steeplechase gave Central 20 of their 23 points on the weekend, helping the Dutch take 8th place overall. McMartin said that the dominant effort in the event was a great way to cap off her time at Central and that it’s a testament to how good the program is. 

“I think it really speaks to all the hard work and success that our program has been able to build over the last few years, and twenty points in one event isn’t too bad at nationals so that definitely helped with the steeple. And then to be able to add a few more points in the 5K, it felt really cool to contribute to that.”

The three top ten finishes in the steeplechase marked the first time since 2002 that three Dutch women were individual All-Americans in the same event.