OKLAHOMA STATE MEET

Edmond North Wins First Boys State Cross Country Title At Oklahoma State Meet And Standout Liesel Kehoe Rolls 58-Second Win In Girls Final

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

The Edmond North boys scored 66 points to secure the program’s first Class 6A cross country state title. at the Oklahoma state championships at Edmond Santa Fe on Saturday.

Junior Zach Rutherford led the way with a third-place finish as the team placed three in the top eight. Stillwater High’s Keegan Thomas was the overall winner, covered the 5,000-meter course in a time of 15:23.78. 

Standout Edmond North junior Liesel Kehoe, the Nike Outdoor Nationals 5,000 meters champion, won the 6A girls individual title in dominant fashion, winning by nearly a minute in 17:14.34, and leading her team to a third-place finish. It was just her third meet of the season. Tabitha Fox of Deer Creek (Edmond) was second in 18:12.26.

Owasso won the girls team title tallying 72 points as five runners placed in the top 21. 

The Piedmont boys and girls swept the 5A titles, as the boys claimed the program’s third since 2018. Senior Reese Fricke paced the team with a first-place finish in 15:57.21, while teammate Dade Humes was runner-up in 16:18.14.

The Piedmont girls used a strong team effort with four runners in the top 10 to secure the program’s first state title. Sophomore Gwyneth Meyers of Bishop Kelly (Tulsa) placed first overall in 18:54.37 for her second consecutive title. 

Less than 20 points separated first through fourth place in the 4A girls team race, as Byng won for the first time with 108 points. Pauls Valley, which placed fourth, went 1-2 with junior Isabella Gutierrez (12:00.42) and Kenzie Readnour (12:11.31) the first two runners to finish the 2-mile course. 

Lincoln Christian’s Andrew Smithwick claimed the 4A individual title with an impressive time of 15:28.53, leading his team to a 4A team championship, the first since 2019. 

In 3A, the Regent Prep (Tulsa) girls and boys both won 3A titles. The boys picked up the first team title in school history with freshman Jeremiah Tangren leading the way with a first-place finish in 16:15.09. 

The Regent girls scored 56 points with strong pack running with all five finishing in the top 25. Kat Bosley of Oklahoma Christian won the 2-mile race in 12:11.42.

The Tulsa Regent Prep boys and girls both won championships. The girls have now claimed three titles in a row, while the boys won their first. 

The Hooker girls defended the 2A title with a dominating effort, scoring 41 points. Velma-Alma was runner-up with 154 points. Laverne junior Kamryn Baggs won the 2A title in 11:52.09. The Hooker boys also won the 2A title with 58 points. Individually, Meeker senior Riley Randall won the 2A title in 15:45.07, nearly 45 seconds faster than the next finisher. 

Team Champions 

Class 6A - Edmond North boys boys 66 points, Owasso girls 72 points - RESULTS

Class 5A - Piedmont boys 51 points, Piedmont girls 41 points - RESULTS

Class 4A - Lincoln Christian boys 80 points, Byng girls 108 points - RESULTS

Class 3A - Regent Prep boys 88 points; Regent Prep girls 56 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - Hooker boys 58 points, Hooker girls 41 points - RESULTS