Hutchinson CC Sports Information

EL DORADO – Hutchinson Community College freshman Richard Newman was hoping history wouldn't repeat itself on Friday.

Back in March at the NJCAA Indoor National Championships in Lubbock, the Hutchinson Community College freshman was tantalizingly close to a national high jump championship, only to see a competitor match him and then defeat Newman at the next height.

Newman was in much the same circumstances on Friday at the 2018 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Championship at BG Products Stadium. This time, the Blue Dragon freshman stood atop the medal stand as a national champion.

In winning the national championship, Newman broke a 33-year record going 7 feet, 3 inches on Friday. He topped the 1985 record of Joe Edwards, who went 7 feet, 1 3/4 inches.

Newman becomes the first Blue Dragon individual national outdoor champion since Skylar Arneson won the hammer throw in 2013.

At the 2018 indoor nationals, Newman, Hinds' Milton Harrell and Eric Richards and Mesa's Antwan Ross-Jones were the final four competitors. Newman was the first to clear 7-0 1/2 on his first attempt, but the other three made on their final attempts. Only Harrell cleared 7-2 1/4 to keep Newman from a national title.

Those same four athletes were the final four competitors on Friday after clearing 6-11 3/4.

Newman cleared 7-1 on his second attempt after a narrow miss on attempt No. 1. Harrell, Richards and Ross-Jones failed to clear 7-1 giving Newman the national championship.

Newman then broke Blue Dragon team record when he cleared 7-3. He missed on three attempts at 7-5, which would have tied the national record.

Newman is now a two-time All-American to complete his freshman season.

Sophomore Kadrin Williams advanced to a pair of finals on Saturday. Williams posted the fifth-best preliminary time of 21.08 seconds in the 200 meters. He tied for the seventh-fastest qualifying time in the 100-meter preliminaries with a time of 10.45 seconds.

Freshman hurdler Tre'Juan Cash qualified in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.54, which was seventh fastest in the prelims.

In other action on Friday:

+ Alex Grays was 18th in the 200 meter preliminaries with a time of 21.63 seconds and didn't qualify for the finals.

+ Donovan Whitmore had a preliminary time of 10.71 seconds in the 100 and didn't qualify for the finals. His time of 22.04 seconds in the 200 with 25 in qualifying on Friday.

+ Hutch's 4x400 relay team of Aaron Shannon, Donovan Whitmore, Denilson Whitmore and Elijah Smith didn't advance to the finals with a 12th-place time of 3:16.0

On Saturday, freshman Anthony Gallardo and sophomore Trey Teeter will compete in the javelin throw. Both are ranked in the Top 8 in the NJCAA this season.