Sandite Cross Country gives best performance of season at Fayetteville

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity cross country teams traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas this past weekend for the prestigious Chile Pepper Festival and several Sandites posted remarkable times and personal records in the 5K race.

Varsity Girls 5K

17:35.54 Cheyenne Walden 2nd Place
21:03.66 Tiqvah Soap 185th Place
21:30.42 Alexis Davis 230th Place
23:04.64 Sara Abbet 417th Place
23:10.52 Elizabeth Watts 424th Place
24:11.93 Chezney Kelley 496th Place (PR-1:42.67)

Varsity Boys 5K

17:24.19 Aden Baughman 243rd Place
17:56.24 Kaegan Murray 361st Place
17:59.24 Landin Green 373rd Place
18:16.33 Jacob Garbey 418th Place
18:18.66 Nelson Yazzie 424th Place (PR-0:50.34)
18:42.78 Ian Baustert 482nd Place (PR-0:19.22)
18:51.36 Jaden Weiser 502nd Place (PR-0:22.04)

Three-time State Champion Cheyenne Walden's seven-straight victory streak came to an end, but not due to a substandard performance. In fact, she was a mere half-second away from beating her personal record. In a field of 629 runners, she placed second with a time of 17:35.54, just a few steps behind Blue Springs South junior Victoria Findley who finished in 17:33.09. This is Walden's second time competing at the event, and she also placed second last year in an otherwise undefeated season. Her time was the sixth-best in the eleven-year history of the event. Prior to 2005, the girls only ran a 4K at the Chile Pepper Festival.

Overall, the Lady Sandites took 43rd place of 86 teams with an average time of 21:17.0. They improved by 21.8 seconds over last year's performance when they placed 42nd of 71 teams. Junior transfer Tiqvah Soap placed 185th with a time of 21:03.66. Freshman Chezney Kelley placed 496th with a personal record of 24:11.93, shaving nearly two minutes off her last week's performance.

The varsity boys improved by 0:32.2 seconds over their last year's performance for a team average of 17:58.9. They placed 66th of 99 teams compared to 64th of 84 teams last year. Sophomore state qualifier Aden Baughman led the team with a 243rd place finish out of 757 runners. He finished in 17:24.19, followed by freshman Kaegan Murray in 361st place with a personal record of 17:56.24. Sophomore Nelson Yazzie, senior Ian Baustert, and freshman Jaden Weiser all set personal records.

Both the boys and girls teams had their best performances of the season by significant margins. Prior to Fayetteville, the boys' best performance of the season was 18:02.6 and that was at Broken Arrow on a 300 meter short course. Their best true 5K was at Holland Hall with an average time of 18:49.9. The Chile Pepper marked a 0:51 second improvement over Holland Hall. The girls' best 5K of the season was also Holland Hall where they finished in 22:20.0. They knocked 1:03 off that time. Both performances were their best since last year's Regionals. 

The cross country season is rapidly coming to a close with only two races left before the State Championship. The Sandites will return to action on Tuesday the Eleventh at the Frontier Valley Conference race at Bacone College in Muskogee. 

Walden wins sixth-straight Cross Country meet, Sandites perform well at Holland Hall

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Cross Country teams are continuing to impress, finishing among the top teams at the 31st Annual Holland Hall invitational, which attracted some of the top teams in the State.

Three-time State Champion Cheyenne Walden finished in first place in the first 5K of the year for her sixth-straight win with a time of 18:12.1. She had a 0:39.4 lead on her closest competitor, Shay Stayton of Bartlesville, and a 1:13.2 lead on Elysia Burgos of Deer Creek in third place, both of whom were top-twenty State placers last year.

Senior Alexis Davis placed 14th with a time of 21:44.3 and junior Tiqvah Soap took 20th with a time of 22:09.7. The Varsity Girls finished fourth of twelve teams.

Landin Green led the Varsity Boys with a 18:22.5 time for 30th place, followed closely by Aden Baughman in 34th place with a 18:26.5 time. The team finished eighth of sixteen teams.

JV Girls took fourth of ten teams, led by Chezney Kelley in 22nd place with a time of 26:05.7. JV Boys took fifth of ten teams, led by Jaelyn Jackson in sixteenth place with a time of 19:46.0. 

The Junior High teams ran a short 1600 meter track and Kalea Fleming took second place for the girls with a time of 5:36.9, less than a second behind the first place runner. The girls placed seventh of ten teams. The boys only had two runners and were unable to place. KJ Clark took 77th place in 6:43.1.

The Sandites will return to action next Saturday in Stillwater at the Oklahoma State University Cross Country course. Varsity girls will begin at 10:10 a.m. and boys will run at 10:40 a.m. JV girls will take the field at 11:10 a.m. and the boys will follow at 11:40 a.m. The junior high season will conclude October 11th at the Frontier Valley Conference meet.

Click HERE to see photos from the event.

Photo: Virgil Noah

Varsity Girls 5K

18:12.1 Cheyenne Walden 1st Place
21:44.3 Alexis Davis 14th Place
22:09.7 Tiqvah Soap 20th Place
24:19.4 Elizabeth Watts 39th Place
25:14.1 Stephanie Genn 53rd Place
25:31.1 Nia Byrd 61st Place

Varsity Boys 5K

18:22.5 Landin Green 30th Place
18:26.5 Aden Baughman 34th Place
18:57.8 Jacob Garbey 46th Place
19:09.0 Nelson Yazzie 51st Place
19:13.4 Jaden Weiser 52nd Place
19:24.7 Kaegan Murray 56th Place

JV Girls 5K

26:05.7 Chezney Kelley 22nd Place
27:23.4 Kaitlyn Walden 37th Place
28:04.2 Madelynn Adams 41st Place
28:55.9 Madison Englestead 53rd Place
29:36.5 Lily Reed 58th Place
34:05.3 McKenzie Cypert 106th Place
37:21.6 Hope Pollard 119th Place

JV Boys 5K

19:46.0 Jaelyn Jackson 16th Place
20:35.5 Phillip Elleman 31st Place
20:36.5 Nathan Mcknight 34th Place
20:38.3 Elijah Titone 36th Place
20:38.7 Cooper Lynch 37th Place
21:19.8 Austin McCaskey 47th Place
21:34.6 Danny Murray 55th Place
22:53.8 Charlie Everett 86th Place
24:15.8 Russell McCaskey 113th Place

Junior High Girls 1600

5:36.9 Kalea Fleming 2nd Place
6:48.2 Kaylee Hall 20th Place
7:22.9 Mackenzie Burkes 45th Place
8:13.5 Kaitlynn Converse 73rd Place
8:34.3 Sidney Cross 85th Place
8:47.8 Hailee Scott 89th Place
9:22.9 Emma Hamby 104th Place
9:26.4 Katy Lee 105th Place

Junior High Boys 1600

6:43.1 KJ Clark 77th Place
6:55.8 Caleb James 95th Place
 

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Sandite elementary & middle school cross country signups

SUBMITTED

This is a running program for Kindergarten through 8th graders. Please come join us on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:45-6:30 at the high school track for practice starting August 30th. The runners will break up into groups based on abilities. Younger runners will be playing mostly games involving running and older runners will follow more of a traditional workout schedule.

It is $20.00 to join the team. Cash only please. Competitive racing is optional. Middle school kids race for free while most elementary races are either free or $5. Come to practice for a race schedule or visit www.revolutionrunningandfitness.com . Racing jerseys will be provided as available. All you need to provide are black shorts and the running shoes.

Elementary races are 1 mile. Junior high races vary from 1 to 2 miles. You can still race even if you don’t practice. Practices are every T/Th from August 30th through September 29th. Come out, get fit and have fun.

If interested, please contact Chris Corbin.

chris.corbin@sandites.org

Cheyenne Walden wins sixth State Championship

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Cheyenne Walden is quickly becoming one of the most heavily decorated athletes in school memory. The Charles Page High School junior is already a three-time State Champion in Cross Country, and she now holds three State Championship medals in Track as well. 

The 2016 season came to a close Saturday afternoon at Moore High School with Walden standing high atop the podium hand in hand with her fellow medalists, a place quite familiar for the extraordinary runner.

This past fall Walden went undefeated for the entirety of the Cross Country season with nine first-place finishes. At the Regional Championship she smashed her personal record with a 17:35.02 finish and went on to win her third-straight State Championship. 

Walden also went undefeated in the 3200 all season long in Track and only failed to win the 1600 once. She won fourteen events and expanded her resume to include the 800 and the 4x800 relay. At the Regional track meet she won the 1600 and 3200 and placed 3rd in the 800 while also helping her teammates to a fourth-place finish in the relay. She became the first Lady Sandite ever to qualify for State in four different events in the same year, and also became a member of the first ever 4x800 relay team to qualify for State from Sand Springs.

Friday afternoon the relay team, which included Nia Byrd, Alexis Davis, and Elizabeth Watts, placed thirteenth with a time of 10:28.63. Walden defended her 3200 State Championship with a 10:55.99 finish and an incredible thirty-eight second lead on her closest competitor. 

Saturday she competed in the 800 and took fourth place, a mere six seconds behind the Champion with a career-best 2:17.58 time. She later competed in the 1600 and won her first State Title in that event with a career-best 5:02.46.

Walden now holds six State Championship medals as a junior. This past November she traveled to The Woodlands, Texas South Regional and improved to a sixth place finish, earning her way to the Nike Nationals in Portland, Oregon where she placed 59th with a time of 18:19. 

Walden quickly made her mark on the field her Freshman year when she won her first two-mile run and went on to rack up seven more by the end of the season, including Conference, Regional, and State Championships and a post-season win at the Meet of Champions. Not only did she win State by an eleven-second margin, but she did it with a nineteen second improvement over her personal best. 

As the Spring Track season came around Walden didn't slow down a bit, coming in runner-up in her first two 3200 meter runs and winning the next four. She also began competing in the 1600 and placed top-five in three meets. She won Conference and Regional Championships and qualified for State in both events, placing third in the 3200 and eleventh in the 1600.

Her sophomore Cross Country season saw five first place medals and Walden defended her Conference, Regional, and State Championship titles. After beating teammate and University of Oklahoma-bound Morgan Long by fifteen seconds for an incredible 11:19.5 5K State Title, Walden traveled to The Woodlands, Texas for the Nike South Regional where she placed 22nd. 

Walden went undefeated in the 3200 during her Sophomore Track season, winning eight meets and setting a new career best of 10:54.63. She also picked up a win in the 1600 and qualified for State in both events. She won her first State Championship in the 3200 and came in Runner-Up in the 1600.

CPHS junior Cheyenne Walden wins fifth State Championship by wide margin

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Cheyenne Walden picked up her fifth State Championship medal Friday afternoon at Moore High School, and she's not done yet. The State Championship Track Meet will continue Saturday morning where the Sandite of the Week will compete in the 800 meter and 1600 meter races. 

Walden won her first state championship in cross country as a freshman, then came in third in the 3200 meter run at the State Track Meet in Yukon after being edged out by less than three seconds. Last year she defended her cross country state title and picked up her first gold medal in track after beating the runner-up by a full 18 seconds in the 3200. 

Now a junior, Walden has set her sites on even bigger fish. She won yet another cross country championship this past fall with a remarkable 52.3 second lead over her closest competitor. Friday the 13th in Moore, she won her 13th competition of the season--and it was the most important one of all. 

Beating her closest competitor by an incredible 37.34 seconds, Walden defended her 3200 title for her fourth state championship with a time of 10:55.99. 

Earlier in the day Walden competed in the 4x800 relay with Nia Byrd, Alexis Davis, and Elizabeth Watts. The four were the first team ever from Sand Springs to qualify in the 3200 relay and placed 13th with a time of 10:28.63. 

The incredible athlete will get the chance to win two more medals Saturday when she competes in the 800 meter run at 12:20 and the 1600 meter run at 2:35. Last year she came in runner-up in the 1600 behind fellow Lady Sandite Morgan Long, who is now a freshman at the University of Oklahoma.

It's worth noting that Walden is the first Lady Sandite in school history to qualify for State in four different categories in the same year. The Awards Presentation will be held at 4:00 PM. 

Sandite of the Week: Cheyenne Walden

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

This week Sandite Pride News would like to recognize Charles Page High School junior Cheyenne Walden as Sandite of the Week for her outstanding performance at the Regional Track Meet Saturday at Claremore High School.

Walden is the first Lady Sandite ever to qualify for State in four different categories. She placed first in the 1600 meter run with a time of 5:17.06, first in the 3200 with a time of 11:00.78, and third in the 800 with a time of 2:21.30. 

Additionally, Walden carried the baton on the last leg of the two mile relay and helped her teammates become the first squad to ever qualify from Sand Springs in that category. Nia Byrd, Alexis Davis, and Elizabeth Watts will be joining her at the State Championship this weekend at Moore High School. 

Walden is quite possibly the greatest runner in school history and already holds four State Championship medals. She claimed her third-consecutive Cross Country State Championship this fall and she also won the 3600 at last year's State Track Meet.

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Sandite of the Week is a weekly recognition given to any one person with significant ties to the Sand Springs community who accomplishes remarkable achievements during the Sunday through Saturday week preceding the award. Prior achievements may be noted in the article, but do not bear direct influence on the selection committee which only considers prior week accomplishments. Candidates may be nominated by anyone by emailing SanditePrideNews@gmail.com. Bylaws prevent the giving of the award to anyone for two consecutive weeks, but any recipient may be nominated and awarded again in the future, so long as the weeks are not consecutive. Final selection is made by a majority vote of a three-person staff committee. 

Businesses or organizations seeking to sponsor the Sandite of the Week award may contact the above email for inquiries.