Lady Dog’s Jayden Lee Wins 3rd Place Medalist; Morgan Brown Finishes In 7th Place For Dogs
Despite wet and muddy conditions, both Sulphur cross country teams brought home runner-up titles from last Saturday’s regional meet in Waurika.
Jayden Lee led the Lady Bulldogs with a third place medalist run while Morgan Brown paced the boys with a seventh place overall finish.
Head Sulphur boy’s coach, Emile Heitland, complimented Brown for his performance.
“Morgan Brown had a standout race, holding his own in probably the toughest region in 4A,” said Heitland. “It had six returning state medalists from last year in our region alone—and only 15 total medal at state—the competition was incredibly strong.”
Following Brown in times were Calvin Downey (16th), Keaton Seitz (19th), Landy DeArman (27th), Zak Kirk (3rd), Noah Heitland (44th), and Korbin Mayo (48th).
All total, there were 13 boy’s teams competing and 96 individual runners.
Two runners, Seitz and DeArman, ran personal record times while Downey finished just two seconds off his best time.
“It’s encouraging to see the team start peaking at the right time of year,” said Heitland.
Sulphur head girl’s coach, Kari Seitz, said her team battled hard to earn medals.
“This is a very special group of girls with great work ethic and a lot of talent,” said Seitz. “They’ve been working incredibly hard since June for this moment, and I’m excited to see what they can accomplish at state on Saturday.”
Following Lee crossing the tape were Hannah Hail (7th medalist), Rory McMillan (14th medalist), Paxtyn Hiser (16th), Landry Eason (24th), Mady Hafield (42nd) and Daniela Rojo Rios (44th).
Said Seitz of her team, “all demonstrated grit and determination throughout the race. Despite running with a sprained ankle, Mady showed a lot of heart and toughness.”
She said the heavy rain during the girl’s competition didn’t let it hamper her team.
“The Sulphur girls team didn’t let those obstacles stand in their way, finishing as regional runner-up and earning three individual medals,” she said. “The athletes showed tremendous resilience on Saturday, pushing through difficult conditions against some of the fastest runners in the state, including several past state placers.”
Both high school teams will now get ready for Saturday’s state meet at North Rock Creek High School near Shawnee.
Junior High Teams Compete In State Meets
Both junior high cross country teams were in competition in Chickasha last Thursday in the junior high state meet, the girls winning 5th overall in team standings, and the boys winning 9th.
The girls were led by Jozi Gilliam (5th place medalist), Gabbi Pettigrew (9th medalist), and Huntley Hatfield (27th medalist). Others included Madelyn Mann (53rd),Adalyn Whitehead (94th), Jenny Calvo (126th), Phoeniz Lakey (137th) and Abril Calvo (146th).
“Competing in one of the biggest and most competitive meets of the season, the team rose to the challenge, with three runners earning individual medals — an impressive accomplishment,” said Seitz. “The Sulphur girls finished fifth overall in the team standings, capping off an excellent season of growth and hard work. Our girls really stepped up and competed hard. To have three medalists at a meet of this level is a big achievement, and I’m proud of how they’ve improved and supported each other all season.”
In boy’s competition at Chickasha, Sulphur was 9th overall as Jake Mann led the team with a first place medal.
“Jake had a remarkable performance, finishing 1st overall out of 136 runners,” said Heitland. “This capped off an unbelievable season for Jake, who placed first in all six meets he competed in this year. Jake is one of the most dedicated runners I’ve had the opportunity to coach. He would show up every morning to run with the high school team before school, and then put in a second run during junior high practice.”
Following him were Skyler Sloan (23rd medalist), Dautry Smith, Levi Wather, Camp Goodman, Drew Digby, and Eli Wright.
