By Greta Klein
Sports Editor
X: @gmklein32
Having your name on a title or record is a major accomplishment and often an ambition for many athletes. Running cross country and track at Hutchinson Community College, Jordyn Picolet has broken two school records in addition to setting her personal bests.
Since coming to HutchCC, the sophomore has been a leader for the cross country and track teams. While she was not planning on running in college, Picolet realized her chances as she got closer to graduating high school.
“I wasn’t thinking about running in college until my junior year when coaches started reaching out,” Picolet said. “I never thought I was going to be a college athlete or anything. As I started doing decently well in high school and then looking at my times, I thought I could run in college.”
The transition from high school to college is already a worry for some, but also competing as a collegiate athlete can also be overwhelming.
“I didn’t really think it was going to be as serious as it is now,” Picolet said. “But then I got here and just bought into the program and went from there.”
During her upperclassman years at Council Grove High School, Picolet pushed herself and graduated with some eye-catching times. Her personal best times were in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters in track, and 5,000 meters in cross country. Picolet ran the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 36 seconds, the 3,200 in 12:13, and the 5,000 in cross country in 20:11.
Blue Dragons ross country head coach and assistant track coach, Jafet Molinares, said he knew Picolet would be an incredible asset to the team.
“I had several other coaches in my ears letting me know how good she was and what type of potential she had,” Molinares said. “She was one that wanted to be good. So as a coach, when you have individuals on your team that you know are willing to do the extra things, they have some pretty good potential there.”
While her times were competitively good in high school, she raised the bar for herself just in the past year and a half. Picolet has set two school records in the 3K and 5K indoor track times, clocking 10:19 in the 3k and 18:06 in the 5K.
Breaking both records was an important milestone for Picolet, but getting the 3K title will be a memory she remembers for a while.
“It was actually funny because that was the first time I’d ever raced the 3K,” Picolet said. “I was coming back from a bit of an injury, so I didn’t know where my fitness was at. I was just hoping to qualify for nationals in the 3K which was a 10:40. Then throughout the race, I was feeling so good and ran faster than all my splits. I had no idea what a good 3K time was because I had never done it before, but finished with a 10:19 and I was like, oh my gosh.”
Excited about her time, Picolet ran off the track and hugged her coach. She immediately asked what the school record for the 3K was and sure enough, the prior record was 10:26.
“I was so surprised,” Picolet said. “That one felt really good because I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
The momentum from breaking the 3K record carried over into the next meet which was the Region 6 Indoor Championship at Pittsburg.
“I broke the 5K record at Region 6,” Picolet said. “My goal was to break it at the next meet after the 3K race since it went so well. I was just glad to hit the goal I was expecting to be able to. It wasn’t like a, ‘Oh my gosh, like that just happened’ but it still felt good.”
While Picolet might have been astonished by her own skill set, Molinares had seen her hard work and dedication over the season.
“She has been one of the most enjoyable athletes to coach,” Molinares said. “I’ve had individuals that have tremendous breakthroughs but (I) haven’t necessarily had a female have a breakthrough the way she has had.”
The progress Picolet made from her freshman to sophomore year with the Blue Dragons was massive. From finishing 77th at the 2023 cross country nationals to finishing 20th at the 2024 cross country nationals was an indication of Picolet’s success. She has also improved her personal best time for the 5K in cross country, clocking 17:48 and shaving off almost three minutes compared to her high school time.
“I’ve been extremely proud and happy to see the marks and the runner she was in high school to who she is today, two years later,” Molinares said. “A lot of it just comes down to the amount of work that she’s put in. That’s pretty much what I’m most proud of, is the individual she has become throughout this journey.”
Given her accomplishments and performance at HutchCC, Picolet has already committed to running cross-country and track at Wichita State University.
“I’m excited to see what I’m able to do with more competition,” Picolet said. “I think the next level will bring out even more in me, and I’m excited to see that.”
