2008 outlook

baton handoffCoach Kevin Sanger is banking on his Central College men’s track and field squad making the kind of dramatic improvement by May that has been its trademark as it eyes more successful showings at the Iowa Conference and NCAA Division III meets.

Central had some exceptional performances in winning seven events at the league meet last season and had five athletes earn all-America honors in three events. The Dutch were 25th at the national meet and finished 12th in the Division III power rankings.

The Dutch have 23 returning letterwinners on their 49-man team, including three all-America honorees.

“Historically, we’ve been able to develop a lot from the start of indoor season to outdoor season,” coach Kevin Sanger said. “The athletes have a good attitude and they’ve worked hard. Establishing some depth will be a challenge for us, but we’ve got some good individuals which is a good starting point. But we’ve got to improve. Everyone has to get better. That’s how you establish and maintain a program.”

Sanger speaks from experience. His team has finished in the top 25 at the national meet eight times since 1998, placing as high as third (2000).

Jumping events
Central gets a boost with the return of senior Zac Bailey after a year’s absence. An all-America honoree in the 4x100 meter relay, Bailey will be the Dutch leader in the long jump. He was a provisional national qualifier in the long jump in 2006, leaping 23 feet, 0.75 inches.

The Dutch, who failed to place in the long jump and triple jump at last year’s league meet, are also expecting better things from sophomores Kevin Good and David Vonnahme.

“David and Kevin competed last year and learned a lot,” Sanger said. “Hopefully a year of experience translates to improvement.”
Newcomers in the long jump include freshmen Stuart Miller, Shane Hallengren and Breighen Powell.

Good, Vonnahme and senior Austen Schueler are the best hopes in the triple jump.

“They were able to get some technique down last year,” Sanger said.
Hallengren and freshman Rich Plagman will also compete.

“We’ve got some young kids with ability,” Sanger said. “But we’ll have to work at it.”

Sophomore Jordan Gegner captured eighth place in the league high jump last year. Sophomore Cory Hall also returns, joined by Plagman and Powell.

“It’s a group with some potential,” Sanger said. “I think they’ll put us in position to at least have some placewinners at the conference meet, but they’re still pretty raw.”

Iowa Conference teams are traditionally thin in the pole vault since it’s not a contested event in Iowa high schools. But Central has six athletes for assistant coach Eric Pingel to train.

“We typically have an inexperienced group but Coach Pingel does a great job with them,” Sanger said. “He’s got some young guys who are excited about competing.”

Junior decathlete Greg Foote finished seventh in the conference last year and senior Eddie Elkin narrowly missed placing. Also competing are sophomores Jake Contri and Zach Marks along with freshmen Hallengren and Noah Mortell.
           
Throws
Jason Fisher in discusThe return of all-America honoree Jason Fisher is reason enough for Sanger to be excited about the weight events, but the Dutch have depth as well.

Sanger is hoping his younger throwers will emulate Fisher, who placed third at the NCAA Division III meet in the hammer throw and was tabbed as the Central Region men’s field athlete of the year. His throw of 199-5 earlier in the season set a school record and he was a national qualifier in the discus as well. He took titles in both events at the conference meet.

“We’re hoping Jason has a big year,” Sanger said. “He’s certainly worked hard and his expectations have been raised. He’s got his sights set on a big finish to the year so hopefully that will happen.”

Sophomore Kyle Cheney was fifth in the league in the shot put with Fisher seventh. However Cheney is coming off back surgery which will likely slow him in the early going. But Sanger is also excited about freshman Matt Graber as well as junior Owen Haberman and freshmen Bill Hall, Matt Schmailzl and Trevor Hixon.

Senior Austen Schueler tried the javelin for the first time last year and is among Central’s best hopes there.

“Austen took to it pretty quickly,” Sanger said. “I think he’s excited about throwing it this year.”

Schmailzl arrives with some AAU experience in the event. Sophomores Elkin, Luke Bolander and Hall and freshman Jameson Rosien will compete as well.

Sprints
Depth is a concern in the 100 meters but look for the Dutch to shine again in the 200 and 400 meters. The latter has become a signature event for the program.

Sanger is encouraged by the early showing of sophomore Mitch Morris in the 100 and 200 meters.

“Mitch Morris has really started out well,” Sanger said. “We’re excited about how he finished the season last year and his potential this year.”
Jumpers Powell, Vonnahme and Hallengren will run the 100 as well, along with sophomore Seth Meany and freshman Stuart Miller.

“Our jumpers are going to sprint more this year and I think that will help them,” Sanger said.

Senior Guy Dierikx, a six-time all-America honoree, and Bailey give the Dutch a pair of marquee performers in the 200 and 400 meters. Dierikx was the league champ in the 400 meters in 47.68 seconds while finishing seventh in the 200. Dierikx was also a national qualifier in the 400 meters.

“Obviously Guy is as good of a sprinter as we’ve ever had here at Central and he is a leader as well,” Sanger said.

Others in the mix are Foote, Bolander, Gegner, sophomores Matt Patrick and Jake  and freshmen Kenny Outlaw, Brad Williams, Jake Coughenower, Stuart Miller and Connor Daily.

“The younger guys had a good fall,” Sanger said. “They really worked hard, which is usually a good precursor to having success.”

The Dutch will again be pushing for an NCAA berth in the 4x400 meter relay, a Central specialty. Central was fourth at the national meet last year, the 11th time since 1993 that the Dutch have received all-America distinction in the event.

Dierikx and sophomore Alex Miller return from last year’s unit, and Bailey should be a strong contributor as well.

“Zac (Bailey) coming back will help and Alex (Miller) will improve,” Sanger said. “And anytime you have a runner like Guy Dierikx on the end makes a big difference. Some of the other guys will have to step up and improve.”

Dierikx and Morris were part of a 4x100 meter relay unit that was a provisional national qualifier last year while Dierikx and Bailey were part of a foursome that finished seventh nationally in 2006.

Hurdles
Foote, Outlaw and freshmen Andrew Hopper and Jason Goulden will run the 110 meter hurdles, where Central lacks a returning league placewinner. In the 400 meter hurdles, Hopper and Outlaw will run with sophomores Cory Hall and Gegner.

“We’ll be pressed to develop some depth in those two events because we don’t have much experience,” Sanger said.

800-1,500 meters
Miller has all-America potential in the 800 meters. He was a provisional national qualifier as a freshman in 1:52.90 and finished second at the league meet.
“Alex had a great year,” Sanger said.

He’s also counting on junior Derek Townsend and expects to get help from Bolander and freshmen Spencer Coulter, Elliot McDowell, Dustin Draisey and Micah Seuferer.

“They all had nice high school careers and made strides in the fall,” Sanger said. “They’ll have to step up for us.”

Junior Teddy Clark will likely lead the 1,500-meter group which also includes senior Andy Green, juniors James Armstead, Tyler Husak and Brandon Williams and sophomore Cory Fitzsimmons.

Distance events
Sanger is searching for numbers in the distance events. Clark finished fifth in the league in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

“Teddy has potential there,” Sanger said. “He made nice progress last year. It’s a matter of continuing to make that development.”

In the 5,000 and 10,000 meters the Dutch have senior Brett Dietrich, Husak, sophomore Pierre Taylor and freshman Austin Vondracek.

“Pierre did some nice things at times during the cross country season,” Sanger said. “It’s a matter of developing more consistency. Brett (Dietrich) has run well but has struggled to stay healthy.”

Decathlon
The Dutch look to continue their string of decathlon success stories under assistant coach Guy Mosher, whose Central athletes have earned all-America distinction in the event 10 times. Next in line could be Foote, who was sixth in last year’s conference meet.

Jordan Gegner“Greg really made nice progress last year,” Sanger said. “He improved across the board in each event. He’s become a real student of it.”

Sophomore Jake Contri will take on the decathlon this year as well.

“Jake’s sort of following in Greg’s footsteps,” Sanger said. “He’s got some ability.

Post-season
Central was third in last year’s Iowa Conference indoor and outdoor meets behind Wartburg and Loras and ahead of Luther. Sanger said preseason picks for 2007 would likely fall in the same order.

“There are so many things you don’t know about the other teams,” Sanger said. “Things even change a lot from indoor season to outdoor. We’ve traditionally been a team that does better in the outdoor season and I think that will be true again this year.”

The Dutch are capable of again making noise at the NCAA meet.

“Guy Dierikx is really in position to have a big year and so are Jason Fisher and Alex Miller,” Sanger said. “Having Zac Bailey back is a big plus. Our relays should also be pretty salty.”