The first week of Cross Country in Oklahoma has wrapped up. The weather is still super warm, and the summer wind is still blowing, but that's Oklahoma for ya.
This season has been hyped up all season after a very competitive track season for the distance runners. The spring brought great performances across all distance events, and it just seems that the depth of quality distance runners in Oklahoma keeps getting larger. To open up the season we had several small school meets and one major large school competition at Deer Creek High School.
Adarian Andrews took the fastest time of the weekend and got the win at the Deer Creek Field Run Festival. Andrews is a senior from Edmond Memorial who has seen a lot of improvement over the last couple years. He out kicked Micah John in a close end of the line finish. John should also be mentioned here, as he has bounced back from an up and down track season. He is a name to watch this year as he continues to face strong competition.
Ethan Jones from Cache placed 3rd overall. Jones has been consistent for multiple seasons now in both track and XC. The senior from Cache is another athlete to watch as he navigates the 4A division. He won the state title last season, so this season he has the opportunity to repeat.
Also at Deer Creek, Rubie Gross won the girls 5000m. Gross had a strong track season and has continued that momentum through the first competition of the year. Her time of 18:01.78 is a sensational opening time. She leads the state currently and officially holds one of the fastest times ever for the Deer Creek course.
Placing second overall was Emerlyn Laubach from Edmond Memorial. Laubach is a sophomore and ended up placing first overall for her team at Deer Creek. Her time of 18:15.66 is a major starting point for her this season. She out kicked Emma Britton at the end, who also had a great race. Britton is from Edmond North. This is now her junior season, so a leap is very plausible. Britton has had multiple great performances in the last year, so she is a name to keep in mind as we progress through the season.
Deer Creek boys and Edmond Memorial girls won the day for the team battle. The boys won with 34 points, while the Edmond Memorial girls won with 34 as well. These are two commanding team performances to start the season. Both of these squads have now placed themselves as some of the top favorites for the 6A state title this year.
Miles Occhiuzzo won the Alva meet this past weekend. Occhiuzzo has been a familiar face towards the top of the field in both XC and track these past couple years. This time around he is a senior and will likely look to have his best season yet.
Courtney Occhiuzzo broke 11 minutes in the 2 mile at Alva. She is now a sophomore who is looking to follow up on an outstanding record breaking freshman year. Occhiuzzo ran 10:52.00 on the field to win the day. To break 11 minutes already is a great sign for what's to come this season for her.
The first week of Cross Country in Oklahoma has wrapped up. The weather is still super warm, and the summer wind is still blowing, but that's Oklahoma for ya.
This season has been hyped up all season after a very competitive track season for the distance runners. The spring brought great performances across all distance events, and it just seems that the depth of quality distance runners in Oklahoma keeps getting larger. To open up the season we had several small school meets and one major large school competition at Deer Creek High School.
Adarian Andrews took the fastest time of the weekend and got the win at the Deer Creek Field Run Festival. Andrews is a senior from Edmond Memorial who has seen a lot of improvement over the last couple years. He out kicked Micah John in a close end of the line finish. John should also be mentioned here, as he has bounced back from an up and down track season. He is a name to watch this year as he continues to face strong competition.