JAVELIN THROWERS HELP DRAGONS TO TOP 10 NJCAA FINISH
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
EL DORADO – Javelin throwers Anthony Gallardo and Trey Teeter combined for nine points on Saturday to help the No. 10-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's track and field team to a Top 10 finish at the 2018 Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at BG Products Stadium.
The Blue Dragons scored 13 points on the final day of the championships to finish ninth with 28 points. This is the first time the Blue Dragons placed in the Top 10 of the national championships since finishing four in 2013 at Gowans Stadium.
The big point scorers on Saturday competed against one of the most talented fields in the 2018 championships.
Gallardo, who was only one of two throwers to break 200 feet in the 2018 season, He struggled in the preliminaries and posted the seventh-best throw heading into the finals. Gallardo unleased his best throw of the day on his final attempt of the finals with a throw of 198 feet 7 inches to move into third place.
Teeter entered the national championships with the ninth-best throw in the nation. He topped that on his first preliminary attempt when he produced a personal-best throw of 185 feet, 3 inches. That was the fifth-best throw entering the finals. Only Gallardo passed him in the finals and Teeter placed sixth.
The winner of the 2018 javelin national championship, South Plains' Markin Felix broke the national record twice on Saturday, winning the event with an enormous throw of 234 feet, 1 inch.
The Blue Dragons placed in three other events on Saturday.
Sophomore sprinter Kadrin Williams placed eighth in both the 100 and 200 meters. Williams' 100 time was 10.47 seconds. His 200 time was 21.14. Like his javelin teammates, Williams was beaten by a national record in the 200 as Hinds' Khance Meyers won with a time of 20.20 seconds.
Freshman Tre'Juan Cash placed seventh in the 110-meter hurdle finals. He posted a personal-best time of 21.14 seconds. Cash is now tied with Lynn Crawford (1996) for the fourth-best Blue Dragon time in program history.
The only other Blue Dragon to compete on Saturday was sophomore Michael Bryan. He placed 11th in the discus with a throw of 147 feet, 2 inches and didn't make the finals.
The Blue Dragons had seven different athletes score in eight events over the three-day run of the national championships.
Leading the way was freshman Richard Newman, who won the high jump national championship with a school-record 7 feet, 3 inches on Friday. On Thursday, Myles Hansen played sixth in the pole vault and Bryan was seventh in the hammer throw.
Jayhawk Conference rival Barton won the men's team championship with 128 points. South Plains placed second with 112.5 points and Jayhawk Conference team Cloud County was third with 67 points.