OKLAHOMA STATE MEET

Simonsen Wins Third Straight 6A To Lead Mustang Boys

By Mary Albl of DyeStat 

Damage to the course caused by weather forced the OSSAA to delay the Oklahoma State High School Cross Country Championships, originally set for Oct. 31, a few days at Edmond Santa Fe High.

But a change in dates didn’t slow down Gabe Simonsen and the Mustang High boys cross country team Wednesday.

The Mustang senior raced to his third straight 6A title as he completed the 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 31.79 seconds. As a team, Mustang placed four runners in the top 15 to edge out defending champion Deer Creek, 57-62. With the victory, Simonsen became just the third runner to accomplish the three-peat in the largest classification. 

In the girls 6A race, standout junior Payton Hinkle of Broken Arrow defended her title, crossing the line in 18:23.64. The Owasso girls won the team title with 69 points.

The 5A boys title went to Piedmont, as it concluded a dominating season with all five runners finishing in the top 20. Senior Gage Mcelhaney of Elgin won the race in 16:10.08. 

The Bishop Kelley girls were able to defend their 5A title, on the strength of four runners in the top 21. Individually, Sapulpa sophomore Stailee Heard won the race in 19:08.32.

Senior Caden Goss of Fort Gibson was able to defend his 4A title in 16:05.15. Led by sophomore Ethan Stovall’s runner-up finish (16:14.91) the Oklahoma Christian Heritage boys captured the team title with 79 points.

In 4A, the girls 3,200-meter race was won by Holland senior Libby Rowland in 11:53.81. Plainview claimed the team championship with 87 points.

The Marlow boys scored 62 points to deny Kiefer a repeat of the 3A crown. Led by senior Noah Davis’ second-place finish, Marlow had four runners finish in the top 17. Meeker sophomore Riley Randall won the individual title by nearly 25 seconds, finishing in 16:43.09. 

In the 3A girls final, Regent High senior Natalia Cleveland guided her team to a state title, winning the 3,200-meter race in 12:08.36. Teammate Micah Dickens was runner-up in 12:12.21. 

The Watonga girls defended the 2A title with 55 points and Hollie Stalder, a junior from Hooker, was the top finisher, winning the 3,200-meter race in 12:06.71.

In the boys 2A race, Carnegie placed three runners in the top 20 to score 73 points and edge out Calvin (83 points) for the team title. Individually, Merritt sophomore Riley Herndon won in a time of 17:10.08.

Team Champions

Class 6A: Mustang boys 57 points; Owasso girls 69 points - RESULTS

Class 5A: Piedmont boys 52 points; Bishop Kelley girls 70 points - RESULTS

Class 4A: Oklahoma Christian Heritage  boys 79 points; Plainview girls 87 points - RESULTS

Class 3A: Marlow boys 62 points; Regent Preparatory girls 54 points - RESULTS

Class 2A: Carnegie boys 73 points, Watonga girls 55 points - RESULTS