DAVIS KNOCKS NATIONAL QUALIFYING DOOR DOWN IN HAMMER

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Hutchinson CC Sports Information

HILLSBORO - Hutchinson Community College sophomore thrower Lushous Davis has been ever so close this season reaching a national qualifying mark in several events.

Saturday at the Tabor Invitational at Wiens Stadium, the third-year Blue Dragon sophomore punched her ticket to national by uncorking the sixth-best hammer threw in Hutchinson women's track and field outdoor history.

Davis finished second in the Tabor Invitational hammer throw with a career-best and national-qualifying mark of 149 feet, 9 inches (45.65 meters). That throw is more than 13 1/2 feet better than her previous career high.

Davis is the fourth Blue Dragon women's qualifier for the NJCAA Track and Field Championships in May at Hobbs, New Mexico.

Davis also finished fourth on Saturday in the discus with a throw of 119 feet, 4 inches.

Davis' national qualifying performance in the hammer highlighted a good day for the Blue Dragon women at the Tabor Invitational, which included four event championships.

Freshman Madelyn Hernandez continued her strong outdoor season with two event victories. Hernandez won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.15 seconds, her second-best time in the event this season. Hernandez won the high jump with a clearance of 5-2 1/2 (1.59m).

All-American pole vaulter Violet Martinez won her second-straight meet title and led a 1-2-3 Blue Dragon finish in the pole with a clearance of 10 feet (3.04m). Alivia Noll was second at 9-6 (2.89m) and Kiana Brown was third at 9-0 (2.74m).

Freshman middle distance runner Taylor Hoskinson ran a PR and won the 800 meters on Saturday with a time of 2:28.41. Five Blue Dragon runners placed in the top nine – Gracie Lambert was second (2:29.01), Ellie VanZelfden was fifth (a PR time of 2:34.14), Daisy Orozco was sixth (2:44.77) and Courtney Baetz was ninth (2:45.53).

Freshman distance runner Serenity Larson posted the eighth-fastest 5,000-meter time in Blue Dragon outdoor women's history with a second-place time of 19:58.33. Lauren Aden was third in the 5,000 at 20:51.51 and Adaline Fulmer was fourth at 21:51.05.

Other Top 8 performances for the Blue Dragons on Saturday were:

+ Liberty Limon and Emme Watkins finished second and fourth, respectively, in the triple jump. Limon's top jump was 33.10 (10.31m) and Watkins went 31-5 1/4 (9.58m).

+ Watkins placed third in the long jump at 14-1 3/4 (4.31m).

+ Limon placed third in the high jump after clearance of 5-0 1/4 (1.54m).

+ Chanelle Chandler placed fifth in the discus at 119-0 (36.23m).

+ Hayleigh Burke placed fifth in the hammer throw at 86 feet (26.21m).

+ Larson placed sixth in the 1,500 meters with a time of 5:12.89. Hoskinson was eighth at 5:18.19.

+ Raylee Johnson placed sixth in the pole vault after clearing 8 feet (2.43m).

The Blue Dragons' final regular-season meet is next Saturday at the Southwestern Invitational in Winfield.