FLANAGAN STEPS UP FOR BLUE DRAGON MEN AT TIGER OPEN
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
VICTORIA – Running minus defending NJCAA national champion Andrew Kibet, Hutchinson Community College men's cross country coach Justin Riggs was looking for another runner to step up for the Blue Dragons on Saturday at the FHSU Tiger Open.
Freshman Teagan Flanagan was that runner.
Flanagan and sophomore teammate Sylvestre Kibarar both placed in the top 10 and led the No. 4-ranked Blue Dragon to a runner-up finish at the Sand Plum Nature Trail course in Victoria.
The Blue Dragons scored 70 team points, finishing behind only Iowa Western, which had 54 points. Colby was third with 83 points. Highland placed fifth with 160 points, Cowley was seventh with 181 points and Dodge City placed ninth with 208 points.
CLICK FOR COMPLETE TIGER OPEN FINAL RESULTS
Riggs decided not to run Kibet after the Blue Dragons suffered a minor injury on the Sand Plum Nature Trail Course as a freshman.
Enter Flanagan, who earned his first career Top 10 finish and earned a spot in the Blue Dragon all-time Top 20 times for 8,000 meters. Flanagan ran a career-best time of 25 minutes, 31.9 seconds to place sixth overall. That time is the 18th-best time in Blue Dragon history at 8,000 meters.
Kibarar also posted a career-best time of 24:32.2 seconds. He has the sixth-fastest 8,000-meter time in Blue Dragon men's history. Kibarar placed fourth overall.
Hutchinson had two more runners place in the Top 20.
Sophomore Brett Hillabrand was 14th overall with a time of 26L19.7, his second best time of 2019. Freshman Austin Lorenzo ran a season's-best mark of 26:39.7 to finish 19th overall. Jeffrey Klopf was the fifth runner who counted against the team score. Klopf placed 34th with a personal-best time of 27:055.5.
For other Blue Dragons posted all-time personal best times on Saturday.
Jacob, Mcelhanon was 36th overall with a time of 27:18.4. Matthew Schrag placed 47th with a time of 27:34.6. Zach Haxton was 56th with a time of 28:01.0 and Alex Nava was 90th with a time of 29:32.1.
Hutchinson will now have two weeks to prepare for the Region VI Cross Country Championships on October 26 in Iola.