Oklahoma high school track & field: Takeaways from Meet of Champions
The Oklahoma high school track and field Meet of Champions was held Tuesday at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee. Here are some takeaways.
Edmond North’s Kehoe wins distance races
Liesel Kehoe ended her record-breaking sophomore season with a pair of victories.
The Edmond North standout won the 1,600-meter race in five minutes, 19.09 seconds, then claimed the title in the 3,200 with a time of 10:57.69.
Kehoe placed third in the 1,600 (10:43.82) and second in the 3,200 (4:58.41) at the Class 6A state meet last week in Ardmore.
She broke the state record in the 3,200 twice this season, and her fastest time is 10:30.30.
“It’s been a good season,” Kehoe said. “It’s been really fun to get to race against a lot of competition. It was a really stacked group of girls this year. It was really fun to get to see what we can all do when we all work together to get fast times.”
Broken Arrow senior and Oklahoma State signee Payton Hinkle has been the best distance runner in the state the past few years, but Kehoe has a good shot at taking over that spot after Hinkle graduates.
Kehoe had a great cross country season and placed fifth at the state meet.
She made a big leap from her freshman to sophomore seasons. The reasons for her progress are pretty simple.
“Staying healthy,” she said. “Just prioritizing health and all the things that I feel like some people don’t think about, like getting enough sleep, eating enough and drinking enough water, stretching. All the simple things really.”
More: Oklahoma high school track & field 2022 state championship results
Harding Charter Prep’s McLaughlin, Meeker’s Randall claim boys distance titles
Harding Charter Prep’s Ryan McLaughlin finished strong in a close race in the 3,200, winning with a time of 9:42.74 and beating Cache’s Damien Williams by 1.94 seconds. Meeker’s Riley Randall won the 1,600 in 4:39.74.
McLaughlin is a senior and two-time defending Class 4A state champion in the 3,200.
Randall, a junior, has had a stellar career at Meeker. He’s the only athlete in school history to win a state title in cross country and is a two-time defending champion in Class 3A.
Oklahoma high school track & field: Takeaways from second day of Class 6A-5A state meet
John Marshall’s Threatt shines
Eric Threatt had a solid day.
The John Marshall junior won the 110 hurdles in 15.21, just 0.04 seconds ahead of Comanche’s Logan Bain, and placed second in the 300 hurdles (40.67).
Threatt placed second in both races at the Class 4A state meet this month.
Oklahoma high school winter sports: 2021-22 All-State and All-City teams in basketball, swimming & wrestling
Tuttle’s Surber dominates 300 hurdles
In not much of a surprise, Tuttle’s Madi Surber dominated the 300 hurdles race, finishing in 43.25 and winning by nearly four seconds.
Surber, an Oklahoma State signee, holds the state record in that event. She set the mark as a junior at the Class 4A regional in Madill with a time of 42.75. She rebroke it this year at the same place after finishing in 42.59.
Surber will go down as one of the best female high school athletes in state history.
She’s a state champion in four sports. Surber won individual titles in track and cross country and was part of championship teams in basketball and fastpitch softball.
Along with her win in the 300 hurdles, she helped Tuttle win the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:09.52.
Oklahoma high school track & field: Takeaways from first day of Class 6A-5A state meet
Other star performances
► Jones’ Emmett Murphy won the 400 with a time of 48.93. He was the Class 3A state champion in that race this season.
► Edmond North’s Molly Starrett claimed the pole vault title after clearing 12 feet, four inches. She won the Class 6A state title last week with an attempt that was four inches below that number.
► Crescent junior Kinidi Taylor won the long jump with a leap of 19-4¾. Taylor is a two-time Class 2A state champion in the event and the best in Oklahoma, regardless of class. Along with claiming the long jump title this month, she helped Crescent earn victories in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays at the state meet.
► Maggie Bookout of the Oklahoma City Storm won the discus (144-1) and shot put (43-6).
Reporter Nick Sardis covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nick_sardis. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at oklahoman.com/subscribe or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school track & field: Takeaways from Meet of Champions
