By Steve Carpenter
Hutchinson CC Sports Information Director

The Hutchinson Community College men's golf team hopes to pick up where it left off when its 2020 spring season was suddenly cut short because of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The last time the Blue Dragons were on a golf course was March 10 at the Lubbock Christian University Chap Classic in Lubbock, Texas. Sophomore Charlie Crockett wrapped up an individual title and the No. 3 nationally ranked Blue Dragons finished fifth in the predominant NCAA Division II field.

Then the pandemic struck and the NJCAA ultimately canceled the 2020 spring season, leaving the Blue Dragons to wonder what might have been.

"It was so weird how it all happened last year," said head coach Chris Young, who is in his 21st season at the Blue Dragon helm. "We get home from a tournament and the next day we find out that all the international kids are going home. Then we didn't have contact with everybody for months. Since the restrictions were lifted, Charlie has been working hard on his game and Trae and Tyler have also been working hard because they want to go somewhere.

"We have talented bunch to join them this year, so it's not a given that those guys to make the lineup."

The Blue Dragons begin a unique season on Monday and Tuesday at the Farmers' Insurance Samuel Proal Invitational at Walking Stick Country Club in Pueblo, Colorado. The 54-hole tournament is hosted by Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Part of the unique nature of the 2020-21 season is that Charlie Crockett returns to the Blue Dragons for a third season.

Crockett (Oxted, England) is a two-time PING All-American who has won seven individual tournament championships and helped the Blue Dragons to seven tournament team championships, including a Jayhawk Conference and Region VI crown. For his career, Crockett is averaging 72.38 strokes per round with 17 rounds below par. He is the defending Jayhawk Conference and Region VI individual champion.

Because of the Pandemic wiping out the 2020 spring season, the NJCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all spring student athletes. Crockett chose to come back to Hutchinson for a third season.

"We feel very fortunate that Charlie chose to come back," Young said. "He's a special player and he's going to make us a special team."

Along with Crockett, two other players return from last season.

Trey McCrae (Plainville) averaged 75.57 strokes per round last season. His best single round was 69 twice. He had two Top 10 performances, including a season-best fifth-place effort at the KCK Fall Classic.

Tyler Trudo (Wichita) averaged 76.83 strokes per round. His best finish was a tie for 20th at the KCK Fall Classic. His low round last season was a 73.

McCrae and Trudo will be listed as freshman this season and will have an option for a third season at Hutchinson in 2021-22 because of the pandemic.

Five freshmen and one transfer make up the rest of the 2020-21 Blue Dragon roster.

Charlie Crockett's brother, Harry, is one of the freshmen to join the team.

Ben Partridge (London, England), Cameron Rios-Ceballos (Sydney, Australia) and Charlie Hilton (Crawley, England) are other international players on the roster. Both Crockett's, Partridge and Hilton all played in the English Amateur this summer.

"Harry and Ben are both very good junior players from England and Harry is ranked in the Top 50 in Europe and does have a world amateur golf ranking. Ben has played in a lot of tournaments and he's just a shot or two short of a world ranking."

Rios-Ceballos is the third member of his family to play at Hutchinson. His brothers, Douglas and Andrew, played golf for the Blue Dragons in 2017 and 2018.

The rest of the roster is made up of in-state players Addison Alonzo (Topeka West), and Jake Winchester (Hutchinson High), who transferred from Coffeyville Community College. Like the three returning Blue Dragons, Winchester will be a freshman this season and will have an option for a third season in 2021-22.

The Blue Dragons are scheduled to play in four fall tournaments this season. When the spring season begins in March. Hutch will then open defense of its Jayhawk Conference championship on March 29 with the first of three KJCCC league tournaments at Colbert Hills in Manhattan. The remainder of the league tournaments will be at Crestview Country Club's North course in Wichita and at Sand Creek Station in Newton.