STEVE CARPENTER
HutchCC Sports Information
COLBY – Louise Cocking added a huge accomplishment to an already impressive Blue Dragon resume on Saturday by winning the Region VI Women’s Cross Country individual championship.
The sophomore from Derbyshire, UK, led the Blue Dragons to a third-place team performance, winning the first collegiate race of her career by 9.95 seconds with a time of 19:09.33 at Lakeside Golf Course in Colby.
The Blue Dragons scored 99 team points, finishing behind only team champion Cloud County (48 points) and Dodge City (59 points). The Blue Dragons also finished third in the Jayhawk West conference standings behind the Thunderbirds and Conquistadors.
Cocking became the first Blue Dragon women’s cross country runner since 2001 to win a Region VI individual championship. She is the first Blue Dragon to win a Division I regional title. When Ruth Limo won the 2001 Region VI championship, she was the Division II regional champion.
Cocking’s time is the third-fastest time in a Region VI championship by a Blue Dragon runner. Limo ran 18:50 in 2001 and Gabby Collins ran 19:06 in 2018. Cocking ran 19 seconds faster than she did at the Region VI preview in late September
Saturday’s victory was the Blue Dragon first-team All-American’s fifth Top 5 finish this season and 10th Top 5 finish of her career.
Four other Blue Dragon runners ran faster times on Saturday than they did at the Region VI preview in September.
Sophomore Noelle Hidalgo ran 1:52 better at Lakeside finishing 20th in a time of 20:55.53.
Freshman Anastasia Meyer was the third Blue Dragon to finish, placing 26th in a time of 21:26.15.
Freshman Michele Gage placed 37th overall with a time of 23:34.16.
Sophomore Izzy Wheeler was the fifth Blue Dragon to finish, crossing the line in 40th with a time of 22:42.87, 19 seconds better than in September.
Sydney Grauer placed 48th in a time of 23:22.74. Jurney Yung was 50th in 23:39.25. Aidyn White was 51st in 23:40.53.
The Blue Dragons will next compete in the NJCAA Division I championships on November 13 in Richmond, VA