The Madill regional track meet on Saturday, May 2, proved to be a breakthrough moment for the Sulphur High School track and field program,with the Dogs claiming a runner-up finish while the girls placed fifth in a highly competitive field.
Sulphur’s boy’s team delivered a strong all-around performance, finishing second with 95 points, just behind Broken Bow’s 102. Ardmore followed closely in third with 94 points, underscoring how tightly contested the meet was from start to finish.
“We had a really strong meet and went into the 1600-meter relay in first place, which is exactly where you want to be,” said head coach Emile Heitland. “You can’t ask for much more than having a chance to be regional champions going into the final event and then delivering your best performance of the season.”
One of the biggest highlights of the day came in the 3200-meter relay, where Jaxon Freehill, Andrew Hail, Calvin Downey, and Morgan Brown set a new school record with a time of 8:17.71.
“I’m really proud of that group,” Heitland said. “All four legs ran extremely well and posted some of their best splits of the season, which shows how well they’re coming together at the right time.”
Hail stood out individually as well, recording a personal-best split of 2:03 in the relay and following it with a 2:02.82 in the open 800.
The Bulldogs nearly capped the meet with a championship, but came up just short in the 1600-meter relay. The team of Freehill, Mavric Lowrance, Rush Pittman, and Eathen Sales ran a season-best 3:27.11—just .01 seconds off the school record.
“They gave everything they had,” Heitland said. “I couldn’t be prouder of those guys, and I’m really excited to see what they can do at state.”
In field events, Sulphur’s pole vault crew turned in a dominant showing. Landy DeArman captured first place while Triston Barnes finished second, both clearing 13 feet, 6 inches—a mark tied for the best at a 4A regional this season. Drew Brinson also qualified for state with a fifthplace finish.
“Coach Joe DeArman has done an excellent job developing this group,” Heitland said. “They are peaking at the right time.”
Grady Hardoin led the charge on the track, winning the 110-meter hurdles and placing second in the 300-meter hurdles to qualify for state in both events.
“Grady had another outstanding meet,” Heitland said. “He ran clean races and did exactly what we expected.”
Morgan Brown added to the Bulldogs’ success by winning the 3200 meters and finishing second in the 1600, while Calvin Downey secured a state berth in the 1600 with a personal-best time of 4:36.21.
PHOTO BY DON COFFEY
Among Sulphur’s top placers in last Saturday’s regional track meet in Madill were, from left, Triston Barnes, 2nd in the pole vault; Jayden Lee, first in the 800-meter run; and Grady Hardoin, first in the 110-meter hurdles. PHOTO BY DON COFFEY
LEFT: Sulphur 3200-meter relay runners, from left, Calvin Downey, Morgan Brown, Andrew Hail, and Jaxon Frehill, are state bound after qualifying in last Saturday’s regional meet. ABOVE: Dax Lowrance also qualified for the state meet with a 5th place in the high jump. PHOTOS BY DON COFFEY
Meanwhile, Dax Lowrance battled through a hamstring injury to post a personal-best 6-foot-2 in the high jump, earning a state qualifying spot.
“Even with the hamstring still bothering him, Dax put together the best performance of his career,” Heitland noted.
Girls Win 5th
On the girls’ side, Sulphur finished fifth with 61 points, highlighted by several standout performances and multiple state qualifiers.
Jayden Lee led the way with a first-place finish in the 800 meters, while Amaurie Peters qualified in both the 100 and 400, setting a personal record of 59.62 in the latter. Rory McMillan added a third-place finish in the 1600 with a PR of 5:33.87.
The Lady Bulldogs’3200-meter relay team of Kate Woods, McMillan, Daniela Rojo Rios, and Lee placed second, while the 1600-meter relay team also secured a state berth with a fifthplace finish.
In the field events, Kenleigh Johnson qualified for state in both shot put and discus, continuing Sulphur’s strong showing across disciplines.
The Lady Bulldogs are led by head coach David Gilliam.
With numerous athletes advancing and several peaking at the right time, Heitland is optimistic heading into the state meet.
“It’s exciting to see this group peaking right now,” he said. “They’ve put themselves in a great position, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do at the state meet next week.”
Boys Medalists, State Qualifiers
•1600m relay 4th (Jaxon Freehill, Morgan Lowrance, Rush Pittman, Eathen Sales, *State Qualifiers,* PR 3:27.11
•3200m relay 3rd - Jaxon Freehill, Andrew Hail, Calvin Downey, Morgan Brown,*State Qualifiers,* PR 8:17.71
•Morgan Brown, 1st 3200m, *State Qualifier*
•Grady Hardoin, 1st 110m hurdles, *State Qualifier*
•Andrew Hail, 6th 800m, PR 2:02.82
•Grady Hardoin, 2nd 300m hurdles, *State Qualifier*
•Rush Pittman, 4th 300m hurdles Eathen Sales, 6th 200m, PR 23.16
•Morgan Brown, 2nd 1600m, *State Qualifier*
•Calvin Downey, 3rd 1600m, *State Qualifier,* PR 4:36.21
•Acer Dixon, 5th shot put
•Kaleb Walker, 6th shot put, PR 41-00.75
•Dax Lowrance, 5th high jump, *State Qualifier,* PR 6-02
•Landy DeArman, 1st pole vault, *State Qualifier,* PR 13-06
•Triston Barnes, 2nd pole vault, *State Qualifier,* PR 13-06
•Drew Brinson, 5th pole vault, *State Qualifier*
•JoJo Gray, 5th long jump, PR 20-01.5
Girl’s Medalists, State Qualifiers
•1600m relay 5th - (Zoli May, Kate Woods, Jayden Lee, Amaurie Peters) *State Qualifier,* PR 4:13.46
•3200m relay 2nd (Kate Woods, Rory McMillan, Daniela Rojo Rios, Jayden Lee), *State Qualifier,* PR 10:20.89
•Hannah Hail 6th, 3200m
•Amaurie Peters 4th, 100m, *State Qualifier*
•Amaurie Peters 3rd, 400m, *State Qualifier,* PR 59.62
•Jayden Lee 1st, 800m, *State Qualifier* •Rory McMillan 5th, 800m
•Amaurie Peters 5th, 200m
•Zoli May 6th, 200m
•Rory McMillan 3rd, 1600m, *State Qualifier* PR 5:33.87
•Kenleigh Johnson 3rd, shot put, *State Qualifier*
•Kenleigh Johnson 6th, discus, *State Qualifier*
•Zoli May 5th long jump PR 15-10.5 Team Scores Regional Track Meet (at Madill, May 2)
Boys: 1. Broken Bow 102 , 2. Sulphur 95, 3. Ardmore 94, 4. Bethany 85, 5. Elk City 62, 6. Purcell 49, 7. Poteau 44, 8. Madill 34, 9. Lone Grove 30, 10. McLoud 21, 11. Pauls Valley 18, 12. Harding Charter Preparatory 17.
Girls: 1. Bethany 127.5, 2. Elk City 100, 3. Broken Bow 95, 4. Ardmore 70, 5. Sulphur 61, 6. Madill 57, 7. Purcell 47, 8. Lone Grove 35.5, 9. Pauls Valley 23, 10. McLoud 18, 11 Poteau 8.
Rory McMillan broke her own school record for the third time this season in the 1600-meter run with a 5:33. She is shown above in a relay race in last Saturday’s regional meet in Madill. “Breaking records is never easy, doing it 3 times in one season is a testament to her hard work and determination,” said assistant coach Kari Seitz. McMillan was among several local girls to qualify for next weekend’s state meet. PHOTO BY BLAKE SEALE
Lady Bulldog Kenleigh Johnson won third in the shot put and sixth in the discus, qualifying for the state track meet in both events. She is pictured in the discus in last week’s regional tournament in Madill. PHOTO BY DON COFFEY
Sulphur’s Amaurie Peters runs a leg in the 1600-meter relay team, a fifth place winner in the regionals in Madill last Saturday and a state qualifier. Peters also qualified for state in the 100 and 400-meters, winning fourth and third respectively in the regional in Madill. PHOTO BY DON COFFEY
