Roundup: Golf team takes first in conference tournament

By Rebecca Carney
Co-Sports Editor

The Hutchinson Community College men’s golf team continued its run to the Jayhawk Conference championship, winning the second of three conference tournaments on Tuesday in Newton.

The Blue Dragons had a three-round score of 913 at Sand Creek Station, nudging past Dodge City’s 915.

Charlie Crockett was the tournament winner, as he played the 54-hole tournament under par, finishing with a 1-under 215.

Liam DeBatissta finished third overall, eight shots behind Crockett. Peyton Austin tied for sixth, while Charlie Herbert was eighth.

Overall, the Blue Dragons are first in the conference team standings with 18 points, two more than Dodge City, headed the conference finale Monday and Tuesday at Crestview Country Club in Wichita.

Crockett is the individual leader with 17.5 points, two more than Dodge City’s Danny Taggart.

Women’s track – Hannah Smith exceled at one of Kansas’ top track-and-field stages Saturday, as the HutchCC sophomore captured the hammer throw at the K.T. Woodman Classic at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium.

Smith broke her own Blue Dragon record with a winning throw of 166 feet. Smith topped her own school record by 5 1/2 feet and has the nation’s fifth-best throw for this season. Smith unloaded her top throw of the day on her first attempt of the preliminary round.

The No. 18 Blue Dragons picked up another national qualifier on Friday when Katy Commons finished 11th overall in the javelin. Her throw of 120 feet, 8 inches broke the qualifying standard and is the sixth-best throw in the NJCAA.

Men’s track – Long jumper Elijah Fisher broke 23 feet for the first time in his career on Saturday at the K.T. Woodman Classic. That PR helped Fisher to a first-place tie. No. 13-ranked Hutchison had three top-five finishes over the two-day run of the Woodman Classic.

Freshman Andrew Kibet became the fourth Blue Dragon to qualify for the NJCAA outdoor championships in the 5,000 meters. Kibet ran the ninth fastest time in the NJCAA this season and third-fastest time in Blue Dragon history with a time of 14 minutes, 42.58 seconds, which was fourth at the Woodman. Kibet joins Sylvestre Kibarar, Brett Hillabrand and Jared Stark as 5,000 meter national qualifiers.

Baseball – Will Reetz and the Blue Dragon baseball team had a big day on Sunday. Reetz hit an extra-inning, three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in the first game at Hobart-Detter Field to give the Blue Dragons a 6-3 victory.

Then, with the Blue Dragons clinging to a one-run lead in the top of the seventh of the series finale, Reetz caught a fly ball and threw out the potential game-tying run at the plate for a game-ending double play in a 2-1 Hutchinson victory.

The Blue Dragons won their third Jayhawk West series, 3-1 over Pratt. The Blue Dragons are now 3-0-2 in conference series this season.

Softball – HutchCC exploded for one of the biggest offensive outputs in program history on Friday in a Jayhawk East doubleheader sweep of Pratt at Fun Valley.

The Blue Dragons earned a pair of five-inning, rule-rule victories with wins of 27-2 and 8-0 to secure their hold on third place in the Jayhawk East. The Blue Dragons improve to 17-15 overall and are 12-10 in the Jayhawk East.

The 27 runs is tied for the second most in program history. The 24 hits were the third most in a single-game history.

Women’s basketball – Dejanae Roebuck and Jada Mickens have been tangled together since their first games for the Blue Dragon basketball team.

Roebuck was named to the 2019 NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball All-America third team on Monday. Mickens was an honorable mention selection. The Blue Dragon are the 14th and 15th All-Americans in program history.

This is the sixth-straight season a Blue Dragon women’s player has appeared on the NJCAA All-America team.

Men’s basketball – Sophomore James Rojas added another postseason award, earning first-team NJCAA All-America honors.

Already named the 2019 Jayhawk West Player of the Year, the 6-foot-8 forward from Jamestown, New York, became the fourth Blue Dragon in as many years to earn first-team All-America honors. He is Hutchinson’s 12th first-team All-American and 33rd overall All-American in team history.

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