HCC runners set for nationals, with 'tens of thousands of dollars on the line'
Hagerstown Community College track coach Mike Spinnler isn’t looking forward to someday saying goodbye to his stable of standout runners.
But when he does bid them farewell, he wants to make sure they remain in good hands, competing at the next level.
At this weekend’s NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Pittsburg, Kan., the Hawks will be on a mission to find new homes.
“The No. 1 priority is to get these kids recruited, to go out there and put on the best show we possibly can,” Spinnler said. “All the Division I and NAIA schools are going to be watching.
“They’re going for individual national honors, trying to get recruited,” he added. “The spotlight is on them. It’s a pressure situation. They’re sitting there with tens of thousands of dollars on the line, not in prize money, but in scholarship money. Literally, they’re racing like pro athletes Friday and Saturday, and we’ve prepared them as such.”
The two-day meet begins Friday at the Robert W. Plaster Center, and it’ll be action-packed, with all of the running events being held in a period of just over 24 hours.
While HCC’s two stars — Iggy Chalker (Williamsport) and David Butts (North Hagerstown) — are both entered in multiple events, each is focused on one race.
For Chalker, it’s the men’s 5,000-meter run on Friday afternoon. For Butts, it’s the men’s mile on Saturday afternoon.
Chalker is seeded ninth in the 5,000 with his indoor school-record time of 14:49.45.
The top eight finishers in each event earn All-American honors, and Chalker is 5-for-5 so far in NJCAA national championships, having achieved All-American status twice in cross country, twice in the half marathon and once in outdoor track in the 10,000.
HCC didn’t compete in last year’s national indoor meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The 5K is the main priority,” Chalker said. “I’m also qualified in the 3K (Friday night) and the mile, but we’ll take that one step at a time.
“It’s probably going to be a really fast race, so I just have to hang in,” Chalker said of the 5,000. “Coach is thinking that the last mile (of the 5,000) is going to be pretty quick, so that’s kind of where we’ve been focusing in training.”
Butts is seeded seventh in the mile in 4:11.56, the No. 2 time in HCC history. He’s aiming for his first All-American honors — and more.
The top seed is Paradise Valley’s Gilbert Olivas at 4:06.96.
“All-American is really the goal, but winning would be awesome,” Butts said. “There’s a tight group of guys there, and we all really have a shot at winning it. So it will be a super fun race.”
The school record for the mile is 4:10.56, set by Tony Clement in 2006 when he placed third at indoor nationals.
“That record has stood for 16 years, and I think that record is ready to go,” Spinnler said. “And Tony, we know how good he was. He went to Oklahoma University on a scholarship.”
“That’s another big motivation for me,” Butts said of the school record. “After I ran that (4:11.56), I had a little bit left. I think I can run 4:08. That’s really the goal, to run 4:08.”
A 4:08 would put him in the hunt.
“He’s going to go elbow to elbow with six or seven really good Kenyan athletes, but I think he’s ready to go under 4:10,” Spinnler said of Butts. “That 4:11.56 he ran was a shock to some people, but it wasn’t a shock to him. He’s a very confident kid, and he’s training very hard.”
Also set to race for the HCC men are Gabe Conder (Williamsport) in the 3,000 and relays, Ryan Rasco (St. Maria Goretti) in the 800 and relays, Jaron Pearson (South Hagerstown) in relays and Griffin Knipp (Williamsport) in relays.
Josey Reineman (Chambersburg) will compete in the women’s high jump for the Hawks.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: HCC runners set to compete at NJCAA national championships
