6A Girls XC Top Returners
This ranking focuses on the 2023 6A XC state meet placements.
1. Bella Nelson out of Owasso is your number one ranked athlete coming into this fall cross country season. The Oklahoma State commit is set to have a great season after winning last years title with a time of 17:29.10. Her track season was no different, once again running sub 5 in the 1600 meters and narrowly missing the 800m state record. Nelson has the tools to dominate this fall.
2. Natalie Duggan from Edmond Santa Fe finished 2nd last year at the state meet. Her time of 17:35.32 is a close second to Nelson, and could be something to watch out for. Duggan is a more distance heavy athlete, so she will likely work to do her work in the middle of the race. If it comes down to a kick, Nelson is tough to outrun.
3. Gwyneth Meyers out of Bishop Kelley finished 6th last year with a time of 18:20.06. Although new classification might move Bishop Kelley out of 6A, Meyers will likely do well in any class. She has the 800m speed and the 5k strength to set herself up well this fall. Look for a potential sub 17 performance from her this year.
4. Pressley Rutledge from Tulsa Union High School placed 8th last year with a time of 18:27.84. Last season, Rutledge and Cornelius were the one-two punch for Union. This season, Cornelius is absent from the team, so it will be interesting to see how Rutledge responds to being the clear number one going into the season.
5. Claire Collins out of Piedmont finished 9th last year in a time of 18:33.44. Similar to the boys program, the Piedmont girls program has adjusted well to the change from 5A to 6A. Collins is a major part of that success, as she will look to improve upon her 9th place finish from last fall.
6. Sienna Collins from Edmond Memorial finished 10th last year with an 18:35.50. Memorial has had many good years in the past, and Collins will look to lead them to another. She will get her fair share of good competition, as Memorial usually runs at big meets.
7. Brooke Collins from Piedmont High School finished 11th last year. Her time of 18:37.02 puts her in the mix to place high this fall at the state title race. Her and Claire Collins will get to train together and race together every day, this can allow for higher quality running for both athletes if done correctly.
8. Ava Cornelius ran 18:38.32 at last year's state meet, placing her 12th. Recently, Cornelius transferred to Owasso. This shakes things up in not only the team placements, but also for Cornelius, as she now will compete against Bella Nelson every day at practice.
9. Charlie Keely out of Jenks finished 13th last year with a time of 18:38.38. Keely had a solid track season this Spring, and with Kate Barber pushing her at practice, it is likely that she will have another good season. Something to note, Jenks recently got a new head Cross Country coach. So, it will be interesting to see how Keely, along with her teammates, do this cross country season.
10. Malana Eureste from Bishop Kelley finished 14th last year with a time of 18:40.27. With her and Meyers running together, this is a significant duo for BK. Eureste has good 800m speed as well, so she will likely look to do much of her work with her kick.
Good luck to all the athletes this season, thanks for reading!
- Shawn Rutledge