Dutch Track and Field Teams Finish Top 50 Nationally

Three Central College men finished on the podium to highlight the final day of action at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday.

In the team standings, Central’s men’s team was tied for 34th with six points, while the women were tied for 49th with three points. A pair of Central men gathered All-American honors in the heptathlon, as Kale Hobart led the way with 5,067 points and a sixth-place finish to land on the podium with first team honors, while Reid Pakkebier earned second team All-American status after placing 13th with 4,806 points. Jack Brown made his first appearance on the All-American list with a seventh-place finish in the men’s mile, crossing the line in 4:11.90. Gunner Meyer placed eighth in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 8.17 seconds. Addison Parrott secured second-team All-American honors in the women’s 3,000 meters with a 15th place finish in a time of 9:51.39. Teammate Peyton Steffen was 18th in 9:57.94. In the men’s triple jump, Kale Purcell was 18th overall with a mark of 46 feet, 7.25 inches.

The Dutch will open the outdoor season with a contingent going to the Washington University Distance Carnival in St. Louis, Missouri on March 27 and 28. The Central Invitational will be held at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium on March 29.

Sixth-Place National Finish for Dutch Men’s Wrestler Baldwin

Suffering a trio of tough losses at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, Central College men’s wrestler Pierre Baldwin took sixth in the 141-pound bracket Saturday.

The Dutch tied for 35th in the team standings with 12 points. Baldwin is the first Dutch wrestler on the All-America podium since Shandon Akeo took third at 125 pounds in 2022. Baldwin was 2-0 entering Saturday’s semifinal match, but suffered a 6-5 setback to Sean Conway of the University of Chicago (Ill.), after Conway recorded 1 minute, 2 seconds of riding time for the decisive point. In the consolation bracket, Baldwin was pinned by No. 4 Ty Bisek of Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) and finished with a 4-2 loss against No. 1 and defending national champion Josh Wilson of Greensboro College (N.C.). The junior finishes his season 25-4.

Baldwin is one of eight returners from Central’s dual lineup, including six all-region honorees and another national qualifier in 165-pounder Carson Martinson.