DMR RELAY LEADS HUTCHCC WOMEN TO 7TH-PLACE REGION VI FINISH

The Blue Dragon distance medley relay team of (l to r) Ellie Van Zelfden, Tanasia Hampton, Abigail Grantham and Taylor Hoskinson set a school record in the event at the Region VI Indoor Championships in Pittsburg. (Photo by Jafet Molinares)
The Blue Dragon distance medley relay team of (l to r) Ellie Van Zelfden, Tanasia Hampton, Abigail Grantham and Taylor Hoskinson set a school record in the event at the Region VI Indoor Championships in Pittsburg. (Photo by Jafet Molinares)
February 18, 2024

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

PITTSBURG – The Hutchinson Community College women's Distance Medley Relay team broke a school record to lead the Blue Dragons to a seventh-place finish at the 2024 Region VI Indoor Championship at Pittsburg State University's Robert Plaster Center.

The Blue Dragon relay team of Ellie Van Zelfden, Tanasia Hampton, Abigail Grantham and Taylor Hoskinson beat the 2005 Blue Dragon record with a time of 12:31.04, which also eclipsed the 2024 national qualifying standard.

The DMR relay finished third on Day 1 of the championship meet on Saturday. That was one of five Top 3 regional finishes this weekend.

The Blue Dragons finished with 57 team points. Cloud County won the team regional title with 180.5 points. Barton was second with 141 and Fort Scott was third with 70 points.

Hutchinson added five new national qualifiers at regionals, giving it a total of 11 national qualifiers for the 2024 NJCAA Indoor Championships March 1-2 at Gainesville, Florida.

Freshman Brooke Hawkins had a pair of runner-up finishes to lead the Blue Dragons individually with 16 points. Hawkins was the Region VI runner-up in the triple jump with a top effort of 38 feet, 5.75 inches (11.73 meters). Later on Sunday, Hawkins finished second in the high jump with a PR mark of 5-5.75. That mark is fourth in Blue Dragon indoor history.

Hoskinson punched her ticket in an individual event for the third time with a fifth-place performance in the 1,000 meters. Hoskinson ran a PR time of 3:04.83 and moved into second place on the Blue Dragon all-time charts.

Sophomore Serenity Larson qualified for nationals late on Saturday with a regional runner-up finish in the 5,000 meters. Larson ran a career-best time of 18:41.76, improving her second-best time in Blue Dragon indoor history.

Other Blue Dragon highlights from the Region VI Championships:
+ Sophomore Kaylee James qualified for nationals in the 60-meter hurdles with a third-place regional time of 8.93 seconds.

+ Freshman Aiyanna Green qualified for nationals with a ninth-place performance in the shot put. Her top throw was her second in the preliminary round of 40-9 (12.42), which ranks 10th in Blue Dragon indoor history.

+ The 4x400 relay team of James, Nhubia Coney, Hampton and Kemisha Dominique posted the second-team time in Blue Dragon relay history of 4:02.57, which placed fifth on Sunday.

+ The 4x800 relay team of Larson, Avila, Chloe Inskeep and Daisy Orozco placed fifth in a time of 10:44.02.

+ Alivia Noll placed sixth in the pole vault going 9-4.5 (2.86m). Raylee Johnson was eighth at 8-6.75 (2.61m).

+ Van Zelfden placed eighth in the Mile run with a PR time of 5:25.44, the fifth-best time in Blue Dragon indoor history.

+ Laura Avila placed eighth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 19:24.31, which is No. 5 in Blue Dragon indoor history. Her 11th-place time of 11:14.26 in the 3,000 meters ranks sixth in Blue Dragon history.

+ Grantham posted the sixth-fastest Blue Dragon time of 3:11.65 in a ninth-place finish in the 1,000 meters.