Final track poll keeps Central squads in top 25

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — The Central College men’s and women’s track and field programs combined to have 23 individual entries into the national top-50 lists, keeping both teams in the top-25 in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Association National Team Rating Index, released Tuesday.

The Dutch men came in at No. 22 and the women are No. 24.

Points in the National Team Rating Index are based off placement in the National Descending Order Lists. The higher an athlete sits on the top-50 list, the more points he or she adds to his or her team’s total. These points do not reflect placement or scoring at the NCAA Championships but are to show the individuals and teams that have the best chances at scoring well at said meet.

Central’s women had eight individual entries and two relay squads in the national top 50 list, headlined by Olivia Bohlen (junior, Belle Plaine) at No. 3 in the heptathlon (5,045 points) and Peyton Steffen (junior, Marion) at No. 4 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10 minutes, 33.21 seconds).

The Dutch men had 15 individual entries, most prominently Kale Hobart (sophomore, Mason City) at No. 2 in the heptathlon (6,922 points) and Gunner Meyer (junior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) at No. 6 in the 110-meter hurdles (14.10 seconds).

The University of Wisconsin – La Crosse is No. 1 on the men’s list and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the top women’s team heading into this weekend’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Geneva, Ohio.