Sports
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The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, November 17, 2017
Allie Schweizer/ HutchCC Sports Information HutchCC volleyball player Leonie Wienkaemper, a native of Germany, hits the ball during the Region 6 Tournament in Liberal earlier this month. Wienkaemper is a freshman who has gotten used to a new country. “The volleyball program is so much better and you can really focus on everything more than when you study in Germany,” Wienkaemper said.
Joel Powers/HutchCC Sports Information HutchCC golfer Andrew Rios-Ceballos, an Australia native, hits off the tee during a tournament earlier this season. Rios-Ceballos and his brother, Douglas, have adjusted to many things by coming to the United States to attend college.
From across the globe By Cassidy Crites Staff writer Traveling halfway across the world for vacation is stressful enough. Now imagine traveling halfway across the world to an unknown country. The hope is to pursue a college degree while balancing athletics as well. Approximately 20 international student athletes attend Hutchinson Community College. Included in that group is freshman Leonie Wienkaemper and sophomore Andrew Rios-Ceballos. Both students chose to come to the United States as student-athletes. Wienkaemper plays on the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team and Rios-Ceballos golfs for HutchCC. Wienkaemper enjoys the benefits of being able to play volleyball while getting an education. “The volleyball program is so much better and you can really focus on
everything more than when you study in Germany,” Wienkaemper said. In Germany, getting an education is more important than sports. “Here in college you can play volleyball and study at the same time, and in Germany you can’t do that,” Wienkaemper said. Wienkaemper comes from a town in northern Germany called Westerkappeln. She is the first person in her family to travel to the United States. Although there were nerves, Wienkaemper was confident about this adventure. “I knew Coach (Patrick) Hall and I had all my teammates’ phone numbers so I wasn’t alone,” Wienkaemper said. For the most part, Wienkaemper feels as though the adjustment to the United States has been smooth. Rios-Ceballos traveled from Sydney, Australia to play golf.
International Student Athletes Leonie
Andrew
Wienkaemper Home: Germany Sport: Volleyball Year: Freshman Age: 18
“In Australia, it is very tough to become a golfer over because it is not golf specific. They focus more on rugby,” Rios-Ceballos said. Rios-Ceballos did not come alone, however. Joining him was his brother, Douglas. “We’ve played golf since we were young,” Rios-Ceballos said. “We’ve always thought of coming to America to find a better path to go to golf and to get an education as well.” Perhaps one of the biggest adjustments for Rios-Ceballos has been schoolwork and the weather.
Rios-Ceballos Home: Australia Sport: Golf Year: Sophomore Age: 21
“School is tougher here. It’s very relaxed at home. You just have to pass with a 50 percent. Here especially being an athlete you need a C grade,” Rios-Ceballos said. Weather-wise, the coldest it gets in Australia is about 40 degrees. “Here, winter gets really cold so we have to buy a lot of clothes to warm up,” Rios-Ceballos said. Rios-Ceballos plans to stay in the United States after graduating from HutchCC. He would like to continue playing golf at another college. Besides going out of
Hutchinson for tournaments and volleyball games, Wienkaemper has not gotten the chance to explore much of Kansas or the United States. Aside from visiting states like Texas and Iowa for golf tournaments, Rios-Ceballos has explored a bit more of the United States. “I’ve been to Manhattan and Missouri. We have a teammate from Missouri and we went to his house. I’ve been around to see what it’s like and it’s more country here I feel like,” Rios-Ceballos said. All in all, both student athletes feel as though they fit in well. Gracious for the opportunities that have come and the ones that await, they have captured experiences that will stick with them forever. “I will always remember making it to nationals. It means we were one of the best sixteen teams in JUCO colleges,” Wienkaemper said.
Men’s basketball opens Jayhawk with win, but both teams struggle at Cloud By Lucas Barlow Sports Editor After four non-conference games, the No. 1 Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team began its first Jayhawk Conference matchup this past Saturday against Seward County Community College. The top-ranked team in the country had no problem handling their first four opponents this season, but the Saints weren’t keen to lose their first of the year either. Hutchinson held off Saints’ challenge and won 76-69. The Blue Dragons’ first half was mediocre as they only shot
10 of 30 (33.3 percent) from the field while also committing six turnovers. They also faced their first halftime deficit of the season, trailing 35-29 after 20 minutes.
The Blue Dragons faced a 13-point deficit at one point in the first half. However, after their sluggish start, The Blue Dragons began to look like their championship-self in the second half. The trio of J.J. Rhymes, Devonte Bandoo and Kai Mitchell scored 32 collectively in the second. The whole team shot much better as well, shooting 14 of 27 (51.9 percent) in the last 20 minutes. The Blue Dragons also tight-
ened their defense, forcing Seward County into some bad shots. They shot 12 of 31 (38.7 percent) in the second half. Rhymes was the leading scorer for the Blue Dragons, scoring a season-high 21 points. Bandoo dropped three 3-pointers and 15 points. Mitchell added 14 points. Although winning the game 76-69, the Blue Dragons shot a season-low 42.1 percent and got out-rebounded for the first time this season. Wednesday’s didn’t end as well, with Cloud County ignoring James Rojas’ last-second basket that sent the game to overtime, and beat Hutch 82-79. HutchCC fell to 5-1.
The women’s team has labored through a tough start to conference play. After losing at Seward County 60-47 on Saturday, Cloud County held off Hutchinson’s second-half surge and beat the Blue Dragons 70-63. Dejanae Roebuck led HutchCC in Liberal with 15 points and five rebounds. Roebuck had another strong game at Cloud County with 13 points, nine rebounds and five steals. The Blue Dragons’ next matchup is Saturday evening, when they take on Pratt Community College in Pratt. The women start at 5 p.m.
Athlete of the week
(Nov. 5-11) Jerry Jacobs, football The week: Jacobs helped the Blue Dragons finish the regular season in a positive way, as he had five Jacobs tackles, an interception and a pass broken up in Hutchinson’s 27-6 win at Dodge City. Jacobs also returned a blocked field goal 86 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. The season: Jacobs has 33 tackles this season for the 7-4 Blue Dragons, who finish the season Dec. 2 in the Salt City Bowl against Eastern Arizona.
Football heads to bowl with road win By Lucas Barlow Sports Editor The Hutchinson Community College football team’s regular season came to a close as the Blue Dragons cruised to a 27-6 win over Dodge City Community College on Saturday. The Blue Dragons snapped their three-game losing streak, finishing 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Conquistadors finish 4-7 and 1-6. After leading by seven late in the first half, the Blue Dragons pulled off one impressive play to head into halftime. Dodge City lined up for a 24-yard field goal when Hutchinson blocked the kick. The play wasn’t over however, because Hutchinson’s Jerry Jacobs picked up the loose ball, and took it back for a 86-yard touchdown. The Blue Dragons led 13-0 at halftime, and they didn’t slow down in the second half. Hutchinson used an interception, a goal line stop, and a punt return for a touchdown to secure the victory over the Conquistadors. See Football, Page 5
Blue Dragon sports schedules, results. All home games, events in caps.
Football
Aug. 28, COFFEYVILLE, W 50-42 Sept. 2, at Iowa Western, L 27-21 Sept. 9, REZOLUTION PREP, W 91-0 Sept. 16, at Garden City, W 31-28 Sept. 23, HIGHLAND, W 13-10 2OT Sept. 30, IOWA CENTRAL, W 42-14 Oct. 14, at Ellsworth, W 25-13 Oct. 21, BUTLER, L 38-10 Oct. 27, at Independence, L 24-19 Nov. 4, FORT SCOTT, L 29-24 Nov. 11, at Dodge City, W 27-6 Dec. 2, EASTERN ARIZONA, 1 p.m.
Men’s basketball
Nov. 1, FRIENDS JV, W 102-56 Nov. 3, NORTH LAKE, W 87-62 Nov. 4, NEO, 7:30 p.m., W 87-42 Nov. 7, at Tabor JV, W 125-61 Nov. 11, at Seward County, W 76-69 Nov. 15, at Cloud County, L 82-79 OT Nov. 18, at Pratt, 5 p.m. Nov. 21, COFFEYVILLE, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 25, at Neosho County, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 29, COLBY, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2, at Garden City, 6 p.m. Dec. 6, at Butler, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 9, BARTON, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 29, Santa Fe, at Bradenton, Jan. 3, at Cowley, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 6, ALLEN, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10, at Independence, 6 p.m. Jan. 13, DODGE CITY, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 17, SEWARD COUNTY, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 20, CLOUD COUNTY 5:30 p.m. Jan. 24, PRATT, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27, at Coffeyville, 5 p.m. Jan. 31, NEOSHO COUNTY, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4, at Colby, 4 p.m. Feb. 7, GARDEN CITY, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, BUTLER, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14, at Barton, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17, COWLEY, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21, at Allen County, 8 p.m.
Feb. 24, INDEPENDENCE, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, at Dodge City, 7:30 p.m.
Volleyball
Sept. 1, at Cloud County, W 3-0 Sept. 6, DODGE CITY, W 3-0 Sept. 8-9, CSI Invitational, W 2-2 Sept. 13, BUTLER, W 3-1 Sept. 16, at Colby, L 3-1 Sept. 18, at Barton, W 3-0 Sept. 20, at Pratt, W 3-0 Sept. 22-23, BLUE DRAGON CLASSIC, 3-1 Sept. 25, at Garden City, W 3-0 Sept. 27, SEWARD COUNTY, L 3-1 Sept. 29-30, at Tyler Junior College Invitational, 2-2 Oct. 4, CLOUD COUNTY, 3-0 Oct. 9, at Butler, W 3-1 Oct. 11, BARTON, W 3-1 Oct. 13-14, at MSU-West Plains Grizzly Classic, 2-2 Oct. 16, at Dodge City, W 3-0
Oct. 18, COLBY, W 3-0 Oct. 20, PRATT, W 3-0 Oct. 28, at Seward County, L 3-0 Oct. 31, DODGE CITY, W 3-0 Nov. 4, vs. Garden City at Liberal, W 3-0 Nov. 4, at Seward County, W 3-0 Nov. 16, IOWA WESTERN, L 3-0 Nov. 17, ST. PETERSBURG, 10 a.m.
Women’s basketball
Nov. 1, BETHANY JV, W 81-35 Nov. 7, LAMAR, W 82-45 Nov. 11, at Seward County, L 60-47 Nov. 15, at Cloud County, L 70-63 Nov. 18, at Pratt, 5 p.m. Nov. 21, COFFEYVILLE, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 25, at Neosho County, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 29, COLBY, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2, at Garden City, 6 p.m. Dec. 6, at Butler, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 9, BARTON, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 29, Santa Fe, at Bradenton,
Florida, noon Dec. 30, at Florida Southwestern, 2 p.m. Jan. 3, at Cowley, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 6, ALLEN, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10, at Independence, 6 p.m. Jan. 13, DODGE CITY, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 17, SEWARD COUNTY, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 20, CLOUD COUNTY 5:30 p.m. Jan. 24, PRATT, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27, at Coffeyville, 5 p.m. Jan. 31, NEOSHO COUNTY, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4, at Colby, 2 p.m. Feb. 7, GARDEN CITY, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10, BUTLER, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 14, at Barton, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17, COWLEY, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 21, at Allen County, 6 p.m. Feb. 24, INDEPENDENCE, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26, at Dodge City, 5:30 p.m.