While humbling may not be the perfect word to describe Hutchinson Community College cross country runner Julio Martinez’s sophomore season, it could certainly be classified as different.
As a freshman in 2010, the Phoenix, Ariz., native, was consistently one of the frontrunners for the Blue Dragon men’s cross country team.
There were high expectations for Martinez heading into 2011, both for himself and for his team. But continual pain in his side after running a certain distance hampered Martinez’s 2011 season to the point where he was no longer finishing in one of the top spots for the Blue Dragons.
“It’s always tough when you aren’t performing at the level you think you should be performing at,” HCC head coach Dave Smith said, referring to Martinez’s travails in 2011.
Now, hopefully with the injury in his rear view mirror, Martinez gets one more opportunity, just like sophomores Nic Rogers and Kyle Sooter, to put it all together.
The Hutchinson men’s cross country team is set to compete in the NJCAA national championships, which will be Saturday in Hobbs, N.M.
“It’s a blessing,” Martinez said of running at nationals. “I would like to thank my teammates for all getting together and helping each other during workouts and during the races to push each other to get where we are at right now. For us sophomores, it’s a blessing to have such an once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
So how did the injury affect Martinez? In his first two meets at Wichita State and Friends, Martinez finished out of the top five, something he never thought imaginable.
“Every race, the same distance into the race, I would start to have pain in my side,” Martinez said. “I started getting farther and farther in races. This last race was given to me to complete the whole race and give it my best. I’ve been getting better and feel very confident for this race.”
“If you take it the right way, it will make you a better runner over time,” Smith said of Martinez’s resiliency. “If you take it the wrong way, you sort of give up, but Julio is hanging in there. He’s getting right where he needs to be to have a great race.”
As for the other two sophomores, they also get another chance in performing on the national stage after the HCC men didn’t go to the NJCAA championships last season.
Rogers (Hutchinson) has had a strong season, finishing as high as No. 2 in the team order this season. Sooter (Halstead) is saving his best for last. He was the Dragons’ No. 2 finisher at Region VI on Oct. 31.
“I thought regionals was my last race,” Sooter said. “I gave it my all and I didn’t think we were going to nationals. This was a big surprise. I am honored to be able to make it.”
The Blue Dragons were ranked as high as No. 11 this season. After a sixth-place Region VI performance, HCC is no longer ranked despite running against some of the nation’s top runners within its own region.
The 2011 Blue Dragons have been led by a pair of freshmen in Austin Lettau (Newton) and Isaac Williams (Pretty Prairie). Freshmen Andy Schepis (Wichita) and Zach Webber (Hesston) have consistently been among the team leaders we well.
But to a man, all think the 2011 Blue Dragon men’s cross country team has yet to put its best race together.
“Not even close,” Martinez said without hesitation. “I think we can go Top 15. Every race, somebody different steps up. I think this going to be the race that everybody steps up.”
“Last year we didn’t have all of our team together and this year we really didn’t either, but we worked well together,” Rogers said. “When some runners didn’t run well, others stepped up to the plate. We really had a good rotation of runners to get is where we are at right now.”
(By Steve Carpenter, HCC Sports Information Director)