By Steve Carpenter
Blue Dragon Sports Information Director

The 2022 season was one of close calls for the Hutchinson Community College men's track and field team.

Several national qualifiers in both in the indoor and outdoor seasons didn't turn into a ton of points and the national events on a team that had potential.

The 10 returning athletes from last season are ready to turn that potential and turn it into tangible results in 2023. That season begins on Saturday in Topeka with the Washburn Rust Buster Classic.

"We have some returning national qualifiers who did some good things last season," fourth-year Blue Dragon head coach Robert Spies said. "This year, that group is more focused, more prepared and just better physically. We have some new kids who are going to make a splash, too."

One athlete who could be primed for a huge year is sophomore Dimetre Browne (Gibbons, St. Kitts), who is Hutchinson's lone returning All-American from 2022. Browne was a multi-event qualifier, but his top national finish was eighth in the indoor long jump. Browne, as well as his fellow returning teammates returns with renewed confidence with a year of competition under their belts.

"These kids this year are much more in tune with Kansas and the college experience," Spies said. "They struggled with that last year. Dimetre his year trained really hard over the break. He came in at semester last year and didn't have the fall to work and prepare. He is in much better condition this year and he should have a breakthrough season."

Browne placed eighth nationally in the indoor long jump with a top distance of 23 feet, 8.75 inches. His best outdoor jump with 23-9.25.

Other returning qualifiers from 2022 are Sharim Hamilton (St. Pauls, St. Kitts), Caleb Manning (Kansas City, MO) and Alex Holt (Lago Vista, TX).

Both Hamilton and Holt are hurdlers – Hamilton (the 2002 outdoor Region VI champion in the event) qualified in the outdoor 400-meter hurdles and Holt in the outdoor 110-meter hurdles. Both didn't qualify for the finals in the 2022 national championships at Gowans Stadium. Manning qualified in the outdoor triple jump with a qualifying mark of 48-1.25.

"When you get a freshman in here and they think two years is an eternity and then they blink and it's done," Spies said. "That's what happened with Sharim. He was the region in the 400 hurdles, but to nationals and he didn't perform well. That didn't sit well with him at all. That's what set him off. He went home and trained hard."

One of the new Blue Dragons to keep an eye on is Christopher Brown (Montego Bay, Jamaica), who transferred to Hutchinson from Highland Community College. Brown was a multi-event national qualifier last season in the throws and he brings a high technical aspect to the Blue Dragons this season.

"He's an All-American thrower already, but he's got some bits and pieces to work through to improve. He is learning them. He's from Jamaica and he's trained in track and field since age 5. He has a technical aspect to him. I have high expectations for him."

Hutchinson high product Ezekiel Seamster could be the team leader in the short sprints. Seamster originally went to CSU-Pueblo, but transferred back to Hutchinson for this season. He also is primed to run the relays as well.

Adrian Dimond (Shawnee, KS) will be in the mix in the jumps. He was a state champion in the triple jump in high school and was among the top triple jumpers in the national as a senior at Mill Valley High School.

"We will find out where we are as a program on Saturday," Spies said. "Last year we had just a week to prep for the Rust Buster. This year we had a whole week of training and another week before the event. We've had more time to knock some of the rust of the technical aspects. Now it will be how we compete in the mental aspect. We are going to have first-meet jitters. We've prepped these kids for that."