Hutchinson CC Sports Information

PITTSBURG – Sophomore Louise Cocking continued a tremendous indoor season on Sunday with a Region VI championship with a regional championship and a new Hutchinson Community College school record at Pittsburg State's Plaster Center.

Cocking scored 20 team points to lead the Blue Dragon women to a fifth-place finish in the 2022 Region VI Indoor Championships.

The Blue Dragons finished with 53 team points. Cloud County ran away with the team title scoring 203 points. Barton was second with 143 points and Fort Scott was third with 85 points.

On Saturday, Cocking ran the leadoff leg of the national qualifying Blue Dragon 4x800-meter relay team. The All-American cross country runner is a four-event qualifier for the 2022 indoor championships in two weeks.

Cocking was the Blue Dragons' only regional champion this weekend. She won the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:39.84, winning the event by 4.25 seconds over Cloud County's Melody Ochana.

Cocking was also the Region VI runner-up in the Mile Run. Cocking's runner-up time of 5:19.22 was a personal best and a new Blue Dragon team record. Cocking surpassed Ruth Limo, who ran 5:22.21 in 2002.

Sophomore Noel Buckhaltz completed an 11-point performance with two placings on Sunday. Also a members of Saturday's national-qualifying 4x800 relay team, Buckhaltz placed fourth in the 1,000 meters and fifth in the Mile Run.

Buckhaltz posted a PR in the 1,000 meters with a time of 3:14.06. That is the seventh-fastest Blue Dragon indoor 1,000-meter time in program history. Buckhaltz ran 5:28.72 to place fifth in the Mile.

Gabi Unruh placed eighth in the high jump after clearing 4 feet, 9 inches.

Keneah Romney was eighth in the 600 meters at 1:43.17.

Romney ran the anchor leg of Hutchinson's eighth-place 4x400 relay team. Courtney Baetz, Kiana Brown, Emme Watkins and Romney ran a time of 4:20.95.

The Blue Dragons will return to the Plaster Center in two weeks for the 2022 NJCAA Indoor Championships.