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Monday, November 2, 2026Winfield, Kansas

Winfield Courier

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Winfield native Hutchins sets school record

Alex Hutchins broke a 1987 Southwestern record in the 35-pound throw and qualified for the NAIA indoor nationals.

By Jolene Marquardt

Southwestern College wordmark
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Alex Hutchins had been knocking on the door for weeks. On Saturday he finally broke it down.

The Winfield native threw the 35-pound weight 55 feet at the Kansas State Invitational, beating the Southwestern College record of 52-6.5 set by Dan Dickey in 1987. The throw met the NAIA “A” national standard and earned him a spot at the national meet.

Hutchins had come within an inch of the record in three of his previous four meets. “He’s just kind of been flirting with it for a while and just popped one,” said men’s coach Jim Helmer.

Jordan Unruh also set a school record for the Builders, running the 600 meters in 1:29.77, another “A” qualifying time.