The Sulphur High School cross country teams gained valuable experience on one of the state’s biggest stages Saturday at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree, with the Lady Bulldogs dominating the girls team competition and the Sulphur boys placing third in a highly competitive field.
The meet featured schools from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Arkansas and provided both Bulldog squads with an opportunity to compete in a major-meet atmosphere in preparation for the upcoming state championships.
Sulphur has made a point in recent years of competing in large, multi-state meets to expose its runners to the atmosphere and competition they will encounter at the state meet.
That experience proved especially valuable Saturday, as severe weather created delays and forced athletes to adjust to a constantly changing schedule.
Lady Bulldogs Dominate Girls Race
The Lady Bulldogs turned in a championship performance, scoring just 42 points to win the team title.
Sulphur placed five runners among the medalists, led by Jayden Lee, who captured the individual championship, and freshman Hensley Jarman, who finished second.
The Lady Bulldogs’ top seven finishers included:
•Jayden Lee — 1st
•Hensley Jarman — 2nd
•Hannah Hail — 10th
•Jozi Gilliam — 16th
•Hoda Garner — 18th
•Huntley Hatfield — 22nd
•Giada Chioccola — 70th Coach Kari Seitz said the meet provided an excellent opportunity for the runners to compete on a challenging college course while also experiencing the atmosphere surrounding a major meet.
The athletes also had the opportunity to watch several nationally prominent college programs, including Oregon, BYU, Oklahoma State and New Mexico, compete before taking to the same course themselves.
Multiple rain delays pushed the girls’ race several hours beyond its original starting time. The runners also faced a longer race than they were accustomed to and strong competition from several states.
None of those circumstances appeared to affect the Lady Bulldogs.
Lee moved into the lead approximately a quarter of the way through the race and never relinquished it, holding on for the individual championship.
Seitz praised Lee for running a smart, strong race and said it has been rewarding to see her hard work and dedication produce results.
Jarman turned in what Seitz called one of her best races of the season. The freshman remained patient throughout the race before making a strong push at the finish.
After trailing another runner for much of the race, Jarman dug deep in the final stretch and passed her at the finish line to secure second place.
“Hensley is an incredibly talented and competitive runner,” Seitz said. “As a freshman, she continues to show just how much she is capable of.”
Hail continued her recent improvement with a 10th-place finish, while Gilliam and Garner battled their way into the top 20 with 16th- and 18th-place finishes, respectively.
Hatfield finished close behind in 22nd.
Garner’s performance was particularly notable, as she recorded a personal record despite the difficult course. Seitz said she did not expect many runners to set PRs under the conditions.
Seitz said she was pleased with the way the girls handled every challenge Saturday.
“Overall, I couldn’t be happier with how the girls competed Saturday,” Seitz said. “They faced delays, a difficult course, a longer race and strong competition, and they still came out and put together an incredible performance.”
Bulldogs Finish Third The Sulphur boys also put together a strong team performance, finishing third overall in a talented field.
Senior Morgan Brown led the Bulldogs, placing fourth overall in 17:06 and earning a medal. Freshman Jake Mann also medaled, finishing 15th in 17:42. Mann’s time was the fastest recorded by a freshman in the race.
Sulphur’s remaining runners included:
•Calvin Downey — 30th, 18:50
•Banks Tucker — 35th, 19:14
•Jagger Jennings — 46th, 19:34
•Andrew Hail — 55th, 20:04
•Dautry Smith — 61st, 20:06 The boys’ race was originally scheduled for 11 a.m., but severe weather delayed the start until 1:15 p.m.
The Bulldogs had already completed their warm-up and were preparing to head to the starting line when another lightning delay forced the team back to the bus for shelter. Once the storm passed, the athletes had to warm up again before finally competing.
Head coach Emile Heitland said the delays also created challenges with nutrition. The team had eaten a substantial breakfast in preparation for an 11 a.m. race, but with the start pushed back more than two hours, the runners had to adjust and eat a light lunch before competing.
Heitland said the experience was valuable because championship meets don’t always go according to plan.
“We had weather delays, changes to our race schedule and challenges with nutrition, but our guys did a good job of not letting those distractions affect their performance,” Heitland said. “I thought we ran really well as a team, and I was proud of how they competed.”
Brown’s fourth-place finish was particularly impressive given the pace of the race.
The field went out extremely fast, but Brown stayed with his race plan rather than getting caught up in the early pace. On the hilly course, several runners who started quickly faded late, while Brown continued to run strong and finished fourth.
Mann also showed poise in his first experience at one of the season’s largest meets, said Heitland. Rather than getting caught up in the atmosphere or fast early pace, the freshman remained composed and executed his race plan.
Tucker, another freshman, continues to improve with each race, according to Heitland.
Jennings also bounced back strongly after struggling at the previous week’s Pre-State meet while battling an illness.
“I was really impressed with Jagger,” Heitland said. “He had a tough race last week, but he didn’t let that affect him. He came back and ran a really strong race at one of the biggest meets we’ve competed in all season.”
Valuable Preparation For State
One of the more difficult decisions of the day involved one of Sulphur’s top runners, Keaton Seitz, who is dealing with a nagging injury.
Heitland said the plan was for Seitz to warm up and determine how he felt before the race. He initially believed he could compete, but after running a couple hundred meters, he pulled out.
Although the decision was frustrating for Seitz, Heitland said the bigger picture — with the state meet approaching — made it the appropriate choice.
Both Sulphur coaches emphasized that the Cowboy Jamboree was about more than Saturday’s results. The meet provided the runners with experience handling weather delays, changing schedules, difficult courses, large fields and championship-level competition.
For the Lady Bulldogs, the day produced a team championship and additional confidence. For the boys, it provided a third-place finish and another opportunity to test themselves against strong competition.
Most importantly, both teams gained experience that could prove valuable when they return to the starting line for the state championships.
As Seitz put it, the meet gave the girls another reminder of “how much they can accomplish when they come together and compete as one team.”
PHOTOS BY STACEY SMITH A trio of Sulphur Lady Bulldogs lead a group of runners in last Saturday’s OSU Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater.They are, from left, Jozi Gilliam, Huntley Hatfield and Hoda Garner.
