COCKING TO COMPLETE AMAZING BLUE DRAGON STORY AT NATIONALS
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
From all of the successes to the oddities, Louise Cocking is going to have some great stories to tell about her time at Hutchinson Community College.
The legacy of one of the best cross country runners in Blue Dragons history will be completed on Saturday when the No. 3-ranked Blue Dragon women compete at the NJCAA Division I Cross Country championships in Tallahassee, Florida.
Over her three seasons with the Blue Dragons, the third-year sophomore from Derbyshire, England, earned first-team All-America cross country honors, Coaches Association All-America honors, one team Top 10 national finish, the third-best cross country 5,000-meter time in program history and a Region VI and Jayhawk West championship and two NJCAA track and field All-America honors.
Along the way, Cocking's career endured through the height of the Coronavirus pandemic and the slow return to normal. Now, just as her Blue Dragon career is wrapping up, Cocking and her 2022 Blue Dragon teammates rode out a good part of Hurricane Nicole after arriving in Tallahassee on Thursday.
"This is an experience," Cocking said about the hurricane.
Hurricane withstanding, Cocking is very motivated to return to the Top 15 on Saturday.
First and foremost, there is the team aspect as the Blue Dragons have been ranked either No. 2 or No. 3 all season long in the USTFCCCA national rankings all season long. The highest the Blue Dragons have finished in a Division I national meet is seventh, which came in Cocking's freshman season in 2020.
Last season, Cocking finished 21st to earn Coaches' Association All-America honors. She went into the 2021 championship not feeling 100 percent and didn't run up to her expectations.
"She's as motivated as she has ever been," head coach Justin Riggs said. She's very motivated to be in the Top 15 this year."
Cocking's career at Hutchinson started with a fourth-place showing at the 2020 Terry Masterson Twilight Classic. After a tough Region VI meet, Cocking rebounded with a fifth-place showing in 39-degree weather with a national time of 19:05.94.
Cocking's sophomore season was highlighted with her winning the Region VI individual championship, running a career-best 18:50.
Then came this season and the team success the Blue Dragons have enjoyed.
"This year has been absolutely phenomenal," Cocking said. "This season has been pretty emotional. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that coach gave me to run my extra year here."
"I'm super thankful and grateful that she used her extra eligibility semester that she was granted because of Covid that she chose to use it at Hutch," Riggs said. "It means a lot to me and the team. She has done a lot of tremendous things for our women's program."
Whatever happens on Saturday, Cocking's place in Blue Dragon cross country is secure. And her feelings about being a Blue Dragon are secure as well.
"I've matured a lot as an athlete since I got here," Cocking said. "We have a great coaching system here. Coach Riggs, Coach Al (Petz) and Coach Hannah (Heidebrecht) have all been tremendous and they've been a huge help to me.
"I don't want to leave (Hutchinson), but I know I have to. It's been a great three years here."