HUTCH MEN REGION VI, JAYHAWK WEST RUNNER-UP

Sophomore Sylvestre Kibarar ran the third-fastest time by a Blue Dragon in a Region VI Championship on Saturday, leading the Blue Dragons to a runner-up regional finish.

October 26, 2019

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

IOLA – Sophomores Sylvestre Kibarar and Andrew Kibet posted Top 5 Region VI performances to lead the Hutchinson Community College men's cross country team on Saturday.

Kibarar and Kibet finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at the 2019 Region VI Men's Cross Country Championship. Hutchinson had three Top 10 finishes – freshman Teagan Flanagan was 10th – and fourth-ranked Blue Dragons were runner-up to NJCAA No. 1 Cloud County in both the region and Jayhawk West final standings.

Cloud County, which had four runners place in the Top 10, edged the Blue Dragons – the 2018 Region VI and Jayhawk West men's champion – 35-56. The Thunderbirds defeated Hutch 34-43 in the conference race. How tough was the Jayhawk West this season? Nine of the Top 10 runners in the region came from the Jayhawk West.

FINAL REGION VI/JAYHAWK WEST RESULTS

Kibarar, who was Hutchinson's top finisher for the third-straight race, ran a time of 24:56.17 to placed fourth in both the region and conference. Kibarbar's time was the third-fastest Region VI Championship time by a Blue Dragon in program history. Only Kibet (2018) and David Zuk (1976) shared time of 24:01 was faster in a regional race than Kibarar on Saturday.

Kibet, the 2018 Region VI champion, was fifth on Saturday with a time of 25:00.88

Both Kibarar and Kibet earn All-Region VI and All-Jayhawk West honors for the second-straight season.

Flanagan had another big performance for the Blue Dragons on Saturday, placing 10th in the region and ninth in the conference with an 8,000-meter time of 26:08.06. Flanagan also earned all-region and all-league honors.

Freshman Lorenzo Austin and sophomore Brett Hillabrand were the other Blue Dragon runners to figure in the team scoring. Austin ran 26:48.48 to place 16th in the region and 13th in the Jayhawk West. Hillabrand was 21st in the region and 14th in the league with a time of 27:11.25.

+ Jacob Mcelhanon ran a time of 27:50.84 to finish 31st in the region and 19th in the conference.

+ Matthew Schrag was 37th and 20th in a time of 28:04.45.

+ Jeffrey Klopf was 43rd and 23rd in a time of 28:19.63.

+ Zach Haxton was 49th and 26th in a time of 28:55.52.

+ Alex Nava was 67th and 33rd with a time of 29:51.71.

Colby's Wesley Banguria was the Region VI and Jayhawk West individual champion after posting a time of 23:30.56. He had a winning margin of 38.15 seconds.

The Blue Dragons will next compete in the NJCAA Division I Men's Cross Country National Championship on Saturday, November 11 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.