Better weather = Better times

Cross country runners were greeted with the coolest temperatures of the season Thursday and they responded with some of the best times of their careers.

The Kingfisher High School girls took fourth place and the boys 10th at the Oklahoma Baptist University Pre-State Challenge in Shawnee.

The meet was run on the same course in which teams will compete at the state championships later this month.

Kingfisher’s junior high girls won their team title in 4A and the Hennessey girls were second in Class 3A.

“It was a great day,” said KHS head cross country coach Kerri Lafferty. “I was so proud of all of them.”

Junior Zoey Evans led the KHS girls with a sixth-place finish in the Class 4A race.

She ran the 3,200 meter course in 12:35.56. Her previous career mark was the 12:44.0 she ran on the same course at last year’s state meet, which was won by the Lady Jackets.

“It definitely helped,” Evans said of the lower temperatures.

“I love running in the cooler weather.”

Katon Lunsford just missed a personal record (PR) as she was 11th in 12:52.09. She ran 12:50.7 at state last season, but her time Thursday was the best of this year.

Ashtin Witt was 24th for KHS in 13:25.47, which was 11 seconds faster than her previous PR.

Also scoring for KHS were Dani Ramirez (58th) and Allyson Scammahorn (72nd). Jacee Mueggenborg wasn’t far off at 74th.

“Those three ran the times I wanted them to,” Lafferty said. “We still need to get their times down a little more by the time state rolls around, but they made great improvements at this meet.

“They’re right on track.”

KHS scored 151 points.

Madill won the pre-state meet with 73 points, easily beating runner-up Weatherford’s 124. Pauls Valley was third with 137.

There were 21 full teams in the event.

Twenty-three teams competed in the 4A boys race.

Weatherford won it with 57 points while Madill was second with 80.

KHS posted 327 points.

The Jackets were led by Jon Henry’s 15th place finish as he crossed the finish line of the 5K course in 17:36.72. His time at last year’s state meet was 18:31.9.

Jayden Newkirk ran last year’s state meet in 19:04. He finished it Thursday in 18:11.44 and was 30th overall.

Joel Munoz was 48th in 18:36.53, about 16 seconds faster than last year’s state meet. McCall Sinclair, 119th, ran the course about 14 seconds faster than a year ago.

“I couldn’t have asked anything more out of them,” Lafferty said.

In the 2A girls race, Cash-ion senior Kaitin Taylor was second overall in 12:49.31.

Kingfisher’s junior high girls edged Metro Christian by five points to claim the pre-state championship.

Peyton Walker finished seventh, Scout Snodgrass eighth, Emmy Lunsford ninth and Raegan Snider 11th. All four scored one place higher for the team point totals.

Liberty Starr’s 17th place finish (16th team) also led to Kingfisher’s victory.

In 2A junior high girls, Hennessey’s Taryn Jech bested the field with a time of 9:40.78 to claim a gold medal.

Star Torres was fourth and Tayler Franklin eighth for the Lady Eagles, who were second behind Plainview.