STEVE CARPENTER
HutchCC Sports Information
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The 2021 national champion Hutchinson Community College men's golf team earned another major award on Wednesday as head coach Chris Young earned a second National Coach of the Year Award.
The Golf Coaches' Association of America (GCAA) named Young the 2021 NJCAA Division I Dave Williams National Coach of the Year after the veteran Blue Dragon mentor guided his team to team and individual national championships in May.
Each year the GCAA names the Williams Coach of the Year Award in each of the three NCAA Divisions, NJCAA Division I and Division II and NAIA.
Young was also named the Delnor Poss NJCAA Division I Coach of the Year in May.
On May 13, the Blue Dragons completed a nine-stroke victory over Odessa College to capture the program's first NJCAA National Championship in men's golf. Also, Young then watched two of his freshmen – Ben Partridge and Harry Crockett – duel in a playoff for the individual NJCAA championship. That was won by Partridge on the fourth playoff hole.
Partridge and Crockett became Hutchinson golf's first two first-team NJCAA All-Americans and freshman Cameron Rios-Ceballos was a third-team All-American with a 13th-place national showing. Partridge was also named the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman of the Year and Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year. Partridge, Crockett and Charlie Crockett were named PING All-Americans as well.
While winning the national championship was the overriding storyline to the 2020-21 Blue Dragons, there was so much more that Young's team achieved this past season.
Going back the fall season, the Blue Dragons decimated scoring records on the same Rawls Course where they raised the national championship trophy, breaking records for team scores for 18 holes (270), 36 holes (475), 54 holes (828) and tournament margin of victory (45 strokes).
When the spring season rolled around, the Blue Dragons raised the bar even higher.
A team victory at the Texas A&M-Commerce Lion Classic started what turned into a six-tournament win streak capped by the NJCAA Championship victory.
The Blue Dragons won all three Jayhawk Conference-designated tournaments and captured the District III/Region VI championships. Ben Partridge and Charlie Crockett tied as KJCCC individual champion and Harry Crockett captured the District/Region individual crown.
Young has been the Blue Dragon head coach for 22 seasons. Over that span, the Blue Dragons have:
+ 20 consecutive NJCAA Tournament appearances;
+ 9 Jayhawk Conference team championships (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021);
+ 8 Region VI team championships (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021);
+ 3 District III team championship (2007, 2009, 2021);
+ 1 NJCAA National Championship;
+ 1 NJCAA Individual National Champion;
+ 1 NJCAA Individual National Runner-Up;
+ 1 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year winner;
+ 3 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year finalist;
+ 2 Phil Mickelson National Outstanding Freshman Award winners;
+ 3 Phil Mickelson National Freshman of the Year finalists;
+ 11 NJCAA All-Americans;
+ 11 PING/NJCAA All-Americans;
+ 8 Jayhawk Conference individual league champions;
+ 7 Region VI individual champions;
+ 3 District III individual champion;
+ 9 NJCAA Tournament Top 10 national placings.
The other five winners of the Williams Coach of the Year awards were: Sam Kieschnick of Sam Houston State (Division I), Luke Calcatera of Arkansas Tech (Division II), Jim Ott of Illinois Wesleyan (Division III), Dalton State's Ben Rickett (NAIA) and Parkland's Corbin Sebens (NJCAA DII).