CORONA DEL MAR MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR:Hutchison sets the pace

Many exceptional student-athletes lead their teams by example.

But to say that about Corona del Mar High Male Athlete of the Year Tommy Hutchison wouldn’t really do him justice. Hutchison, who will attend Harvard, leads more by aspiration.

That is, Hutchison, who competed on the Corona del Mar track and field and cross country teams, reaches for the stars and pulls his teammates along with him.

Hutchison has a quiet sophistication that makes him “wise beyond his years,” said teammate Thomas Dialynas, who has known Hutchison since elementary school.

“He doesn’t say too much at first but once you talk to him, you realize how he has everything so well-thought out,” Dialynas said. “Everyone almost immediately respects him and everyone gets along with him really well too.”

That sort of deep analysis, which Hutchison puts into everything from sports to schoolwork to cross country, is what made track and field coach Bill Sumner think Hutchison would make an excellent coach.

Hutchison was ninth in the 1,600 meters at this year’s CIF Southern Section Division III finals. As a sophomore, he was part of the cross country team that finished second at Pacific Coast League finals and took second in the league standings.

Last fall, he finished fourth at the Pacific Coast League cross country finals. He then went on to place 19th at the CIF Southern Section Division III finals and 43rd at the CIF State Division III meet.

Hutchison is a bit of a statistics junkie who knows a ton of information about football, basketball and baseball, Dialynas said.

Whenever the two would have a conversation about sports, Hutchison would invariably come up with some fact for Dialynas that he’d never seen or heard before.

He also took the time to pore over times from other Division III schools the Sea Kings would be facing, a task Sumner put on the shoulders of Hutchison and Dialynas as team captains. The two would find times from opponents, and figure out what everyone needed to run in order to win meets.

“In the end, if we didn’t meet our goals, it was nice having people like Tommy figure it out and have it clear for everyone,” Dialynas said. “It’s nice to have someone be that far ahead of the game. You’re definitely not going out there blind.”

Hutchison also won a $2,500 scholarship from the Irvine Co. as part of the company’s annual Student Leadership Award Program.

Hutchison brings focus to everything he does, Dialynas said.

“Even if coach hadn’t asked him to do it, he would still be doing it just because he wants to have a game plan,” Dialynas said. “Just like he’s going to be prepared for a class or a test, he’s going to be prepared for a big meet.”

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at [email protected].