One had already been nationally ranked as an eighth grader and was contemplating a second event to qualify for state. The other, it seemed, had mostly joined track to hang out with his friends and didn’t really have an individual event.
But by the end of the 2026 track season, the two Hugoton track athletes had qualified for the KSHSAA track and field championships in four events each, and led a resurgence of the Hugoton High School boys track program. As sophomores.
Adrian Adigun won the 4A state title in the triple jump on May 30 at Cessna Stadium in Wichita, jumping 47 feet, 11.25 inches, the second longest jump at this year’s state meet in any class. It was the fourth longest triple jump in Kansas for the entire season, behind only Grady Richlin, a junior from St. Thomas Aquinas in 5A and two seniors in 6A from the Kansas City area.
As just a sophomore, Adigun has already received at least one small-college track scholarship offer and, according to head coach Heber Jimenez, is being contacted by NCAA Division I programs. Adigun also took fourth at last weekend’s state meet in the long jump, the event he added this year. He also qualified for state in the 4×100 relay and 4×400 relay, along with teammates Eli Camacho, David Gamez and Sergio Tinoco.
Tinoco spent most of the 2025 freshman season as a middle distance runner, filling up the less heralded relays like the 4×800. He seemed to be a good athlete, so coaches tried him at distances all the way out to two miles, but they hadn’t quite figured out his true strength. Turns out, it was speed. One day, Jimenez saw him running with the sprinters and not only was Tinoco keeping up, he was doing it pretty easily.
“I think he just did track to be part of the group,” Jimenez said. “Later in the season, he realized he was good at it. He snuck under the radar a little bit.”
Thus began Tinoco’s sophomore season transformation into a sprinter, and it didn’t take long. He ran a 22.70 in the 200 meter during the regular season, just missing the school record, then qualified for state meet in the 100 meter dash and the 400 meter, as well as both relays. It was quite an accomplishment as a sophomore, and he proved it wasn’t a fluke either. Tinoco went to Wichita and took third in the state last week in the 400 meter in 4A and was part of the Hugoton 4×400 relay that placed sixth. The pile of five medals from the two sophomores, Adigun and Tinoco, helped the Hugoton boys to 34 points and an 8th place finish as a team.
With all that momentum and young talent, Jimenez said one of the boys team goals will inevitable be to finish in the top three as a team next season.
“I don’t know why we can’t,” he said.
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2026 KSHSAA Track and Field Championships
Triple jump champions by class
6A – Carlos Lopez-Ledbetter Sr. Shawnee Mission Northwest … 48’ 7.5”
5A – Grady Richlin Jr. St. Thomas Aquinas … 47’ 3.75”
4A – Adrian Adigun So. Hugoton … 47’ 11.25”
3A – Bowen Bryan Sr. Royal Valley … 44’ 2”
2A – Noah Little Sr. Sedgwick … 44’ 6.5”
1A – Edward Horinek Sr. Beloit-St. John’s … 45’ 7.75”
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Final team standings
4A – Boys
1. Andale … 79.5
2. Buhler … 70
3. Wamego … 67
4. Bishop Miege … 58
5. Eudora … 54.5
6. St. George – Rock Creek … 40
7. McPherson … 37
8. Hugoton … 34
9. Chanute … 31.5
9. Labette Co. … 31.5
Others … Ulysses (12th), Pratt (13th).