DOGGER DETERMINATION: Dewey's Mullikin bounced back from adversity to earn bronze medal

Going back approximately 20 years since he took charge of the Dewey High program, Dan Close has proven a special talent to locate and develop wave after wave of top-flight hurdlers.

Dallas Mullikin fit that billet this season and added his share of glory to the tradition by finishing third in the 300m hurdles at last month’s Class 4A state track meet.

Mullikin blitzed to the bronze with a personal-best time of :40.27.

But, there was a story behind the story.

About an hour-and-a-half earlier, Mullikin had suffered a tremendous disappointment in the 110m hurdle final.

“He was leading the race (110m) after the first four hurdles,” Close explained. “But the kid who eventually won it caught up to him … and in the second half of the race (Dallas) hit three hurdles hard in a row and it knocked him back to seventh. He was devastated after. I wish for him he had been able to run his best race. I would have really liked his chances for second or third.”

But, Mullikin took out his emotional whisk broom to sweep away his shattered hopes and refocus for the 300m test and hour and a half later.

“He was able to shake that (110m race) off,” Close said. “He ran his best time ever in the 300m. I was proud of him coming back from how horrible he felt after the first final. He felt better about things.”

Mullikin displayed prolific potential but lacked the seasoned experience of many of his competitors. He adopted the event as a sophomore, but that season )2020) was cancelled due to the virus-induced spring lockdown.

That meant Mullikin had only two seasons to try to perfect his technique and adjust to the changing dynamics of a hurdles race. As a junior, Mullikin had medaled twice in state in both hurdles races and this past season earned a bronze — both accomplishments of note and another chapter in Dewey’s strength in the hurdles during the Close era.

Dewey might very well have sent two different hurdlers to the medals podium last spring. Through her junior season (2021), Gabby Higbee established herself as one of the top girls in the state in hurdles competition. But, due to the injury the past year — and the concern of not endangering her college softball career by risking a hurdles’ injury this past spring — Close didn’t utilize Higbee in the event.

However — and to her credit — Higbee still qualified for state in the high jump.

“I was really glad she made it (to state),” Close said.

Even with Higbee not running hurdles, two other Dewey athletes — Kayah Weathers for the girls and Chris Williams for the boys — also competed in last month’s state meet.

'We kept up our tradition of being a great hurdles school by getting three hurdlers to state,” Close said.

But, Dewey’s impact went beyond that.

Sophomore Braden Garrison put on a powerful display to place third in the boys shot put.

His previous career best prior to state had been 46-feet-11-inches.

At the state meet, he pumped the put 50-feet-6-inches on his first throw, which would net him third place.

In fact, in five of his six throws at state he measured further than his previous top mark.

“It’s pretty impressive to improve your best throw by three-and-a-half feet at state,” Close aid. “Talk about peaking at the right time. He was really excited as a sophomore. He’s still got a couple of years ahead of him. … Nobody works harder than him. He loves the throws. He really studies his events.”

Close praised the effort at state by all his athletes. Higbee made it to state three different years and would have also qualified in 2020 had the season not been cancelled.

Close eyes the return next season of several of this year’s state qualifiers or near-state qualifiers.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Focus on Dewey High track