The final moment in our top ten countdown of the best at Central College in 2017-18 ends with a National Championship in the outdoor track season.
Ending his Central running career in style, Mark Fairley cemented his legacy by winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase national title in his final collegiate race at the 2018 NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships. It is the 34th individual NCAA title in Central College history and the 15th by the men’s track and field program. After running a school record time of eight minutes, 57.39 seconds in Azusa, California on April 19, Fairley entered the weekend with the best time in the country.
Despite never leading until the final lap of the race, Fairley outkicked DePauw University’s Polo Burguete down the stretch by almost four seconds to win his first national championship in a time of nine minutes, 4.50 seconds.