2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach, SC on May 23, 2024

Central College women’s track and field senior Caroline McMartin (Pella) stood on the first team All-American podium for the second night in a row after finishing sixth in the 5,000 meters Saturday.

Weather delays pushed the last few races of the meet late into the night with the women’s 5,000-meters starting at 11:10 pm eastern time. McMartin was 2,600 meters into the race and in 20th place before making a steady climb over the next six laps. Her final lap of 1:11.06 was the second fastest in the field and enabled her to go from 10th to sixth and finish in 17 minutes, 2.80 seconds. She was coming off a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday night. The only faster final lap belonged to Dutch teammate Megan Johnson who closed in 1:10.02 to move up into 10th and finish in 17:02.80. Johnson was in last place through 3,400 meters before surging forward 10 spots. McMartin, Johnson and Addison Parrott combined for 23 points, enough to give Central an eighth-place finish as a team. It was the women’s first outdoor national top-10 finish since placing runner-up in 1984.

In the women’s 1,500 meters, Peyton Steffen was one spot away from a podium finish, taking ninth in 4:36.07. She was credited with second team All-American honors. Kale Purcell also just missed the podium in the men’s triple jump despite setting a new school record with a leap of 48’ 0.5” on his final preliminary jump. He finished 10th for second team All-American accolades. Noah Jorgenson also earned second team All-American honors by finishing 11th in the men’s 1,500 meters. He crossed the line in 4:02.55 and was also a national qualifier in the 800 meters.