Blue Dragon Sports roundup: Softball’s spring starts

By Laci Sutton Staff Writer

The Hutchinson Community College softball team started the year strong with two wins over Ottawa University on Friday, giving the Blue Dragons a 2-0 start for the third-straight season.

Sophomore Aspen Goetz brought Hutchinson back from a 2-0 deficit with two home runs alongside freshman third baseman Olivia Sandoval who went 4 for 4 with five RBI’s, earning the Blue Dragon a 14-5 victory in game one.

HutchCC catcher, sophomore Allie Stipsits, went 3 for 5 with two doubles and an RBI.

Sophomores Ella Dougherty and Madison Grimes each had two hits. Freshman Annie Kealey drove a triple with bases loaded, bringing the Dragons to a 7-2 lead.

HutchCC pitcher, sophomore Emily Munson, worked the first three innings striking out four, giving up three hits, and earning two runs. Sophomore Kierstan Weitze followed up by pitching three innings with four strikeouts, three hits, and allowed one unearned run.

Game two brought a run-rule 13-4 victory with eight different Blue Dragons driving in at least one run each. Ottawa’s pitching gave Hutchinson nine walks, six of which resulted in scores.

The Blue Dragons will play a doubleheader against McPherson College at Bulldog Park at 1 p.m. Friday.

Women’s Indoor TrackThe women’s indoor track team continued to show success while at the Herms Wilson Invitational at Wichita State University on Saturday, finishing with three national qualifiers and several program career top-10 performances.

Freshman Kaylee James qualified for nationals with a time of 9.03 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, posting the fourth-best time for the event in Blue Dragons women’s history.

Freshman Taylor Hoskinson and Gracie Lambert both earned national qualifications in the 1,000 meters, placing fifth and seventh and taking the thirdand fifth-best times in program history.

Goddard freshman Madelyn Hernandez made a statement with two top-10 finishes. With a time of 9.46 seconds, she earned sixth place in the 60-meter hurdles at the invitational and the seventh-best time in team history. Hernandez also took fourth in the high jump, clearing 5 feet 5 inches, tying for the fifth-best height in team history.

The Blue Dragond had three other top-10 finishers including freshman Serenity Larson, Ellie

Van Zelfden, and the 4x400-meter relay team consisting of James, Hoskinson, Lambert, and Keneah Romney.

Larson finished in seventh place in the 3,000 meters. Van Zelfden placed 10th in the 1,000 meters. The 4x400 relay team finished in fourth.

The Blue Dragons will compete in Topeka for the Washburn Open on Friday and Saturday.

Men’s Indoor Track - The men team prevailed with two more national qualifiers at the Herm Wilson Invitational.

Hutchinson sophomore Ezekiel Seamster took home the gold and a national qualification in the 60 meters with a time of 6.82 seconds, leaving a 0.001-second difference between first and second place.

Super sophomore Sharim Hamilton also won an event Saturday, winning the 400 meters with a time of 49.88.

Athlete of the week (Jan 22-28)

Caleb Manning Men’s Track & Field

The Week:

Hillsboro freshman Nathanial Hein became the fifth Blue Dragon to earn a national qualification, clearing 14 feet 7.5 inches in the high jump.

Other top-ten finishers included freshman Christian Darrah, sophomores Christopher Brown and Alex Holt, and super sophomores Darrien Holloway and Brayden Peterson.

Darrah placed seventh in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:13.11.

Brown threw his season-best throw with 51 feet 0.75 inches earning a second-place finish. Holt tied for 10th in the high jump and finished fifth in the 60 hurdles.

Peterson finished tenth in the pole vault.

Women’s Basketball - The Blue Dragons women’s basketball team fell to 4-5 on the road this season after coming up

Manning qualified for nationals in the triple-jump. He jumped 46 feet, 8.25 inches at the Herm Wilson qualifier in Wichita. He is the third Blue Dragon to qualify for nationals this season.

Manning

This Season: Manning is a Sophomore from Kansas City, Mo. It is early in the season but Manning has been impressive. He won the Herm Wilson triple-jump and has done well at other meets this season. Manning will head with the Blue Dragons to Topeka the next two weeks, as they’ll compete this week at the Washburn Open, and then return for the Ichabod Open.