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Hutchinson CC Sports Information
LINCOLN, Nebraska – Running her first collegiate 5,000-meter race, Hutchinson Community College freshman Serenity Larson posted the second-fastest 5K time in Blue Dragon women's cross country history on Saturday at the Woody Greeno/Jay Dirksen Invitational at Mahoney Golf Course.
Larson ran a time of 18 minutes, 41.0 seconds to lead the Blue Dragon women to a fourth-place showing in the Gold Division on a rainy morning in Nebraska.
Larson is just the fourth Blue Dragon in history to break the 19-minute mark over 5,000 meters. Only Lisayo Ewoi has a faster time. She ran 18:29.1 in 2018. Larson moves past Ruth Limo, who ran 18:50.9 in 2001. Louise Cocking is the only other Blue Dragon to break 19 minutes. Cocking ran a 18:56.4 in 2020.
Larson was the second-highest finisher among junior college runners on Saturday. Colby's Emily Diercks was the top NJCAA runner on Saturday with a 22nd-place time of 18:20.8.
Larson was one of four Top 100 finishers for the Blue Dragons in the 29-team event that featured numerous NCAA Division I teams, as well as NCAA Division II and III teams, several NAIA teams and NJCAA teams.
Freshman Gracie Lambert posted the 14th-fastest Blue Dragon time at 5,000 meters with a time of 19:25.9. Lambert finished 82nd.
Freshman Taylor Hoskinson was 97th in a time of 19:39.9. Cocking was 98th with a time of 18:41.7. The fifth Blue Dragon scorer was freshman Ellie Van Zelfden, who was 183rd with a time of 21:16.1
Northwest Missouri State won the women's Gold Division team title with 28 points. Nebraska-Kearney was second with 56 points. Concordia University was third and the Blue Dragons were fourth. The Blue Dragons were the top NJCAA team to place. Cloud County was seventh and Garden City was 14th overall.
Other Blue Dragon performances were:
+ Freshman Adaline Fulmer was 184th with a time of 21:17.2.
+ Sophomore Sydney Grauer was 191st with a time of 21:31.5.
+ Freshman Lauren Aden was 203rd with a time of 21:49.9.
+ Sophomore Courtney Baetz was 216th with a time of 22:07.3
+ Sophomore Aidyn White placed 284th with a time of 24:42.1.
Nebraska's Alea Hardie was the women's individual champion with a time of 16:57.9.
The Blue Dragons next run at the Chili Pepper Classic on Friday, September 30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.