Dutch in Fifth After First Day of Men’s Wrestling Regional

The Central College men’s wrestling team is in fifth place and eight individuals remain in contention at the NCAA Division III Region VI Championships after the first day of action Friday.

Central has 74.5 points as a team, trailing the leaders from Wartburg College with 104.5 points. Four Central wrestlers went unblemished and advanced to the semifinals. Pierre Baldwin, the top seed at 141 pounds, won his opening match with a technical fall against Austin Johnston of Illinois Wesleyan University and followed it up with an 8-0 major decision in the quarterfinals against Gaige Owens of Eureka University (Ill.). Cade Siebrecht only needed one win, a 15-0 technical fall over Coe College’s Dresden Grimm, to get to the 149-pound semifinals after a first-round bye. Carson Martinson gave Central another technical fall over Seth Littrell of Nebraska Wesleyan University in the first round at 165 pounds before earning a semifinal trip with a 9-7 decision against Kale Roth of the University of Dubuque. Sam West also opened with a 21-6 technical fall over Nick Kendrick of Huntingdon College (Ala.) and then edged Austin Wetzel of Westminster College (Mo.) 4-3 in the 184-pound quarterfinals.

Dominick Marre at 125 pounds, Carter Martinson at 157 pounds, Jason Hermann at 174 pounds, and Austin Roos at 197 pounds are alive in the consolation bracket after going 2-1 on the opening day.

The remaining wrestlers will have a chance to punch their ticket to the NCAA Division III Championships in Providence, Rhode Island March 14th-15th by finishing in the top three of their weight classes.

Two Individual Crowns for Central to Start League Track and Field Championships

Amber Vroman and Addison Parrott each won their events Friday to spark the Central College track and field squads at the 2025 American Rivers Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Central is fourth in both the men’s and women’s standings after the opening day. The women have 31 points and trail first-place Wartburg College by 23 points through six of the 18 events, while the Dutch men have 17 points and are chasing Wartburg’s 68 points through five of the 18 events.

Running her first 5,000-meter race of the season, Parrott crossed the line in 17 minutes, 31.26 seconds to win and become the third-fastest runner in program history. Vroman outlasted the pole vault field and clinched the title with a final clearance of 11 feet, 5.25 inches. It’s her first conference title after registering three runner-up finishes earlier in her career. Central’s men’s distance medley relay team earned a spot on the all-conference podium with a third-place finish in 10:16.44. The four-person unit featured Derek Webster, Jrake Van Hemert, Jack Every and Jack Brown.

In the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles prelims, a whopping eight Central athletes advanced to Saturday’s finals in those events. Four of the eight finalists in the men’s 60-meter hurdles are Central athletes.

The second day of the American Rivers Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships begins this morning at 10 am.

Central Softball Splits Opening Two Games in St. Louis

Opening its season in St. Louis, Missouri, the Central college softball team split its opening two games.

The Dutch earned a 4-3 extra inning win against the University of Washington-St. Louis in the second game of the day. Pitcher Emma Beck threw a complete game to hand Washington-St Louis its first loss of the season, meanwhile the comeback came up just short against No. 20 ranked Calvin College. Beck allowed three runs on eight hits while also striking out two hitters in her eight innings of work against the Bears.

Leading the offense against Washington-St. Louis was catcher Rylee Dunkin, who had two hits while also driving in a run and scoring another. Second base Haley Bach also had two hits, and a walk, while also scoring a run. Right fielder Mariah Parton was the third Central hitter with two hits as she also recorded her first RBI of the season, which ended up being the winning run. In the extra frame, a Parton single brought in the go-ahead RBI in the top of the eighth combined with Beck getting two key outs with a runner at third base pushed the Dutch over the Bears. Against Calvin the offense got off to a slow start being held scoreless for six innings before Dunkin singled to start the seventh inning. Bach followed and brought in two runs with a double. With the tying run on second base the Dutch rally was halted. Pitcher Rylie Van Wyk came in relief to finish the game and pitched three scoreless innings only allowing three hits.

The Dutch are back in action in St. Louis today, facing off again against Calvin at 11 am and Washington- St. Louis at 3 pm.

Central Men’s Basketball Takes on Nebraska Wesleyan for ARC Championship Tonight

Looking for their first league title since 2016, the Central College men’s basketball team squares off with Nebraska Wesleyan in the American Rivers Conference Tournament Championship game tonight.

The fourth-seeded Dutch defeated fifth-seeded Coe 99-83 at home Tuesday in the opening game of the league tourney, before going on the road and taking down top-seeded Dubuque 78-71 in overtime in the semifinals. The second-seeded Prairie Wolves earned a first-round bye on Tuesday night, and dominated sixth-seeded Wartburg 85-53 in the semifinals to reach the Championship game for the second consecutive season. Tonight’s contest will be the third meeting between Central and Nebraska Wesleyan this season, with the two teams splitting the regular season matchups. In the first meeting in Nebraska on January 15th, the Dutch used a big second half to secure a 70-55 road victory, while the Prairie Wolves evened the season series with a 63-54 victory in Pella on February 19th. The winner of tonight’s game will secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament, which will begin with the first and second rounds on March 7th and 8th.

Coverage of tonight’s American Rivers Conference Tournament Championship game between Central and Nebraska Wesleyan at Snyder Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska can be heard live on 92.1 KRLS, beginning with pregame at 6:30 pm.