By Steve Carpenter
Hutchinson CC Sports Information Director

Last season, the Hutchinson Community College women's cross country team quietly turned themselves into a national contender, doing so under the radar.

With a group of talented freshmen and a third-year All-American runner in Louise Cocking, the Blue Dragons just kept getting better and better.

A Jayhawk West and Region VI championship and a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA national championships later and a vast majority of that team returning, everybody is watching Hutchinson women's cross country this season.

That includes new first-year head coach Jafet Molinares, who takes over for the architect of the 2022 Blue Dragons, Justin Riggs.

"Coach Riggs definitely did a great job with that (2022) recruiting class and building up to last year," said Molinares, whose team opens the 2023 season Friday night with the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic at Fun Valley. "He definitely left it in a great spot and was able to keep the momentum going. He also recruited from freshmen for this year who I think can help us get over the hump."

Molinares comes to Hutchinson after spending the last four seasons at Fort Scott Community College, the last three as the Greyhounds' cross country head coach.

Molinares has one NJCAA All-American and two NJCAA Coaches Association All-Americans and six sophomores returning from a 2022 team that posted best overall finishes at the conference, regional and national level since winning the 2001 NJCAA Division II national championship under Terry Masterson.

"From a team mentality, those things were great, but we aren't going to speak about those accomplishments," Molinares said. "We aren't going to worry about anything else. We are going to worry about today and getting to the next level.

"It's hard to say that there is no pressure, but at the same time, we are focusing on the process. They are doing a really good job of doing that."

Sophomore Serenity Larson (Dodge City) is the top returning runner for the Blue Dragons.

Her 12th-place national finish earned her third-team NJCAA All-America honors and she re-wrote the Blue Dragon women's cross country record book. Larson owns the top Blue Dragon 5K time at the Region VI Championships (18:49.09), the program's top time at the NJCAA Championships (19:07.10) and the all-time record of 18:12.10.

"Serenity is definitely the heart of our team," Molinares said. "Last year she just went out there and ran. Now she has the experience to fall back on and she is primed to have a great season. She is our team leader."

Taylor Hoskinson (Haven) and Gracie Lambert (Lindsborg) both earned NJCAA Coaches Association All-America honors after finishing 34th and 36th, respectively, at the national championships last season.

Hoskinson owns the seventh-best 5K time in program history at 19:14.50. Lambert has the 14th best time in program history at 19:25.90.

Hoskinson, Lambert and teammate Ellie Van Zelfden (Whitewater) teamed up with Larson to capture the 2022 NJCAA Indoor 4x800 national championship last March in Topeka.

"Those three runners are very understanding of the sport and are still learning," Molinares said. "That first semester they learned quite a bit about knowing what to expect and the training at the college level. That helped them out."

Daisy Orozco (Dodge City) and Lauren Aden (Inman) are the other returning runners for Hutchinson this season.

Council Grove's Jordyn Picolet and international runner Laura Avila leads a talented group of freshmen runners for the Blue Dragons in 2023, which includes Hutchinson High's Chloe Inskeep and Maize High product Abigail Grantham.

Picolet is a state cross country placer and she owns the 1,600- and 3,200-meter records at Council Grove High School.

"Jordyn had a great summer of training and Abigail surprised a lot of people with her performance her senior year," Molinares said "I think we have a great freshman group."

Adding to the depth of the freshman class is Avila (Medellin, Columbia), who signed with the Blue Dragons late in the summer.

"She put up great marks coming in, but she is still developing," Molinares said of Avila. "She never did long runs or tempo runs. When she learns how to train properly, she could do some special things."