Cheyenne Walden wins fourth Conference Championship, all Sandites perform well

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Photo: Virgil Noah

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Varsity Girls 5K (4900)

17:31 Cheyenne Walden 1st Place
19:43 Alexis Davis 7th Place
20:16 Tiqvah Soap 13th Place
22:09 Sara Abbett 33rd Place
22:36 Elizabeth Watts 40th Place
24:58 Chezney Kelley 60th Place

Varsity Boys 5K (4900)

17:22 Kaegan Murray 25th Place
17:36 Jacob Garbey 32th Place
17:53 Aden Baughman 37th Place
17:54 Nelson Yazzie 38th Place
18:41 Ian Baustert 51st Place

JV Girls 5K (4900)

23:59 Kaitlyn Walden 32nd Place
24:03 Stephanie Genn 35th Place
25:12 Madison Englestead 51st Place
25:36 Nia Byrd 58th Place
28:29 Kaileeann Worthington 92nd Place
28:29 Lily Reed 93rd Place
29:59 Erindira Cuevas 107th Place
30:48 Ayden Meade 112th Place
31:02 Hope Pollard 114th Place

JV Boys 5K (4900)

18:05 Phillip Elleman 11th Place
18:18 Jaelyn Jackson 17th Place
18:31 Jacob Smith 25th Place
19:17 Danny Murray 51st Place
20:18 Nathan McKnight 95th Place
20:46 Charlie Everett 113th Place
21:07 Alex Newport 129th Place
22:14 Cody Pulscher 143rd Place
23:24 Russell McCaskey 156th Place

JH Girls 3K (2900)

10:49 Kalea Fleming 3rd Place
12:57 Julia Reshetov 40th Place
14:46 Kenzie Burkes 86th Place
15:11 Sidney Cross 95th Place
15:34 Kaitlyn Converse 103rd Place
16:26 Evelin Marino 116th Place

JV Boys 3K (2900)

12:37 KJ Clark 88th Place
12:39 Blain Baldridge 90th Place
13:13 Caleb James 104th Place

The Charles Page High School Cross Country teams traveled to Muskogee last week for the Frontier Valley Conference 5K at Bacone College. The course was about 100 meters short, but several Sandites' times would have been impressive even on a full 5K.

The Varsity Girls team took fourth place out of ten teams with an average time of 20:27. Cheyenne Walden led the pack with one of the best times of her career. Her PR for a 5K is 17:35.02, set at last year's Regionals. At this course she finished in 17:31 and beat the runner-up by 0:26. Alexis Davis placed top ten for the third time this season with a 19:43 finish for seventh place. Tiqvah Soap finished in thirteenth place with a time of 20:16. Her 5K PR is 20:27, set during her freshman year at Jenks.

Varsity Boys had a rough week with two runners out and finished in eighth place out of ten teams with an average time of 17:54. Freshman Kaegan Murray led his team with a 25th place finish in 17:22, likely a personal record. His previous best was 17:56, set two meets ago in Fayetteville. It's unlikely that 100 meters would have bumped him back 34 seconds. Senior Jacob Garbey finished with one of the best times in his career for 32nd place in 17:36. 

The JV Girls took fifth of eighth teams with an average of 25:28, led by freshman Kaitlyn Walden in 32nd place with a 23:59 personal best, and Stephanie Genn in 35th place with a time of 24:03. 

The JV Boys placed fifth of nine teams with an average time of 18:54, led by junior Phillip Elleman in 11th place with a time of 18:05, a personal best, followed by Jaelyn Jackson in 17th with a personal best of 18:18. 

Clyde Boyd Middle School Eighth Grade student Kalea Fleming led the Junior High Girls team on the 3K (2900) course with a time of 10:49, trailing first place by 0:20. The girls finished eighth of nine teams with an average time of 13:52. 

The Junior High Boys only had three runners and were unable to place. KJ Clark finished in 88th place with a time of 12:37, followed closely by Blain Baldridge in 90th with a time of 12:39. 

The Varsity runners have only two more races left and will have to overcome some adversity at this weekend's Regional Championship. Jacob Garbey will be absent from the race, and several Sandites are nursing mild injuries. 

Sand Springs will run at Mohawk Park in Tulsa against Bartlesville, Bixby, Booker T. Washington, Broken Arrow, Choctaw, Deer Creek, Enid, Jenks, Muskogee, Owasso, Ponca City, Putnam City, Sapulpa, Stillwater, and Union. The Girls race will begin at 12:00 p.m. followed by the Boys at 12:45 p.m.

Cheyenne Walden commits to Oklahoma State University

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Photo: Scott Emigh

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School senior Cheyenne Walden announced her commitment to Oklahoma State University Wednesday evening in a celebration at the Sand Springs Lake Park. 

Walden is a three-time State Champion in Cross Country, and holds three gold medals running track as well. The Oklahoma State Cross Country team is currently ranked fourteenth in the Nation.

In her freshman year at Central Ninth Grade Center she won six of ten cross country meets, including the Frontier Valley Conference Championship, the Regional Championship, and the State Championship.She also won the post-season Meet of Champions. In the Spring track season she won four gold medals in the 3200 meter run, including the Conference and Regional Championships, and placed third at State. She also took eleventh in the 1600 at State.

During her sophomore year she took first in five of eight cross country meets and defended her Conference, Regional, and State titles. During the Spring season she went undefeated in the 3200, winning all eight competitions. She also got the gold medal in the 1600 at the Stillwater Cowboy Jamboree and took second place in the State 1600. 

She continued to improve into her junior year and was nearly perfect. She claimed first place in eight of nine cross country meets, going undefeated in the State of Oklahoma and only taking second place at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville to an out-of-State runner. She went undefeated in the 3200 that Spring, and was nearly undefeated in the 1600, taking first place five times and sixth place once. She also ran her first 800 meter run that year and took first place at the Oklahoma Baptist Invitational. She claimed her first State title in the 1600 and placed fourth at State in the 800.

This year she is once again undefeated in the State of Oklahoma, placing first in five of six meets and taking second only at the Chile Pepper festival, once again to an out-of-state runner. She secured her fourth Conference Championship Monday and will compete for her fourth Regional Title next Saturday, the 22nd. 

Walden is one of four Division One commits currently at Charles Page High School. Fellow classmate Sydney Pennington will also be headed to OSU for softball, while senior Jake Terry is headed to the University of Oklahoma for baseball. Junior volleyball player Gloria Mutiri is headed to a different OSU, having announced her Ohio State University commitment last month. Senior basketball player Kyle Keener is headed to the University of Central Oklahoma next fall, and senior three-time State wrestling Champion Daton Fix is expected to declare a division one commitment in the near future.

Sandite Cross Country gives best performance of season at Fayetteville

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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. 

Varsity Boys Cross Country give best performance at OSU 5K since 2012

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Photo: Virgil Noah

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School Cross Country teams traveled to Stillwater this weekend for the OSU Cowboy Jamboree and competed against runners from more than forty schools. 

Varsity Girls 5K

18:34.9 Cheyenne Walden 1st Place
21:40.2 Alexis Davis 44th Place
24:44.9 Sara Abbet 144th Place
25:11.4 Elizabeth Watts 157th Place
26:52.4 Stephanie Genn 196th Place

Varsity Boys 5K

18:03.5 Aden Baughman 56th Place
18:57.7 Kaegan Murray 111th Place (PR-0:27)
19:32.1 Jacob Garbey 156th Place
19:45.4 Nelson Yazzie 178th Place
19:48.8 Jaden Weiser 183rd Place
20:09.7 Ian Baustert 206th Place

JV Girls 5K

25:54.6 Chezney Kelley 57th Place (PR-0:11.1)
28:01.8 Kaitlyn Walden 107th Place
28:10.6 Madison Englestead 111th Place (PR-0:45.3)
29:18.9 Madelynn Adams 136th Place
29:32.0 Lauren Barkdull 138th Place
30:14.7 Lily Reed 150th Place
36:26.3 Hope Pollard 191st Place

JV Boys 5K

20:48.0 Danny Murray 73rd Place (PR-0:46.6)
20:50.4 Phillip Elleman 78th Place
20:52.2 Josh Ivy 81st Place
20:56.4 Jaelyn Jackson 88th Place
21:10.5 Austin McCaskey 102nd Place
21:43.9 Nathan McKnight 140th Place
24:09.2 Russell McCaskey 290th Place (PR-0:06.6)
25:05.6 Alex Newport 334th Place

Junior High Girls 3200

12:12.5 Kalea Fleming 2nd Place

 

Three-time State Champion Cheyenne Walden secured her seventh-straight first place finish with a time of 18:34.9, a full 29 seconds ahead of her closest competitor and 1:14 over the third place finisher. Walden and Shay Staton, of Bartlesville, were the only two runners from Oklahoma to finish in the top-ten. The Lady Sandites competed in a joint 5A/6A 5K race, but Walden's time also would have given her first place in the 2A/3A/4A race with a 35 second lead on the top finisher in that division. Overall the girls placed 18th out of 33 schools with an average time of 23:24.8.

Freshman Chezney Kelley led the JV girls with a personal-record 25:54.6 finish for 57th place. Her time would have earned her 174th in varsity. The JV girls finished in 13th place out of 16 teams with an average time of 28:11.6.

The varsity boys were led by Aden Baughman with a time of 18:03.5 for 56th Place. The boys placed 24th of 38 teams with an average time of 19:13.5, their best showing at the Jamboree since 2012 when they had State Qualifier Andrew Coleman. The Sandites have improved by 1:14.3 since 2014 and have their first State Qualifier since Coleman in Baughman, who placed 69th at State last year as a freshman.

Danny Murray set a PR of 20:48 to lead the JV boys in 73rd Place. The JV boys took 17th of 36 teams. 

The Sandites will return to action this Saturday at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Last year Walden rode an eight-straight winning streak before coming in runner-up at Fayetteville, twelve seconds behind Jackson, Missouri's Chelsea Drum. Drum's 17:46.23 performance that year was her personal-best to-date. She is now a freshman at Ole Miss. Walden's personal best is 17:35.02 and she has won her last seven-straight events, but will face tough competitors from as many as seventy schools from several states. 

 

City of Sand Springs plans second annual Keystone Ancient Forest 5K

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Sand Springs, OK- The City of Sand Springs has announced the second annual ‘5k Day’ called the Ancient 5k at the Keystone Ancient Forest, to be held on Saturday, October 15, 2016.

"Last year’s Ancient 5k was a big hit,” said Kasey St. John, City Marketing Manager. “It is a great day to enjoy the forest whether you’re a runner, looking for a family activity or just a nature lover.”

An online registration link for participants is available on the City’s Web site and social media. Registration deadline is October 7th.

“For this event, the 5k course is set up on the trails with fun obstacles,” said St. John. “We wanted to create a challenging course that makes this event unlike other 5k runs in the Tulsa area.”

Along the course, runners will come across the many natural, preserved assets along the trails including scenic overlooks, ancient trees and challenging switchbacks.

“Volunteer trailguides will be posted along the course to time runners, provide water and greet everyone at the finish line with a warm fire pit,” said St. John. “Our incredible volunteers keep the Keystone Ancient Forest open to the public and the funds raised by this event will continue that.”

The Ancient 5k Day will serve as a fundraiser for the programming and improvements of the Keystone Ancient Forest. All proceeds from participant costs will go to Park Friends.

Trails will be temporarily closed for general hiking during this event. Following the 5k event, trails will resume hiking access from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Those interested in this event and registration can find information on the City’s website, www.sandspringsok.org or via the City’s Facebook page.

Sandite of the Week: Brett Freeman is invaluable in 29-24 defeat of Putnam Patriots

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By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

Charles Page High School senior Brett Freeman was a key player in the Sandites' first win of the season, forcing two turnovers that resulted in touchdowns.

The 6'2" 175 pound defensive back made his first play of the night in an assisted tackle to stop a five-yard run early in the first quarter. 

With three minutes left in the first half, the Sandites had just taken a 14-7 lead and sent the kick high into the stadium lights. As the ball bounced off O'Neal Cotton, the Sandites exploded on the Patriots and Freeman was able to scoop up the ball to bring the offense right back onto the field at the Patriots' 26 yard line. The Sandites would score on the very next play.

On the corresponding Patriot drive, Freeman registered a pass break-up on second and nine that could have been dangerous.

Four minutes into the second half, Freeman once more cut the Patriots off early, intercepting their very first pass of the drive to land the Sandite offense at the Putnam West 18-yard line. The Sandites scored seven plays later.

Shortly before the end of the third quarter he registered a solo tackle to hold a quarterback-keeper to five yards. 

Other notable Sandite achievements last week:

Cheyenne Walden, Senior XC runner. Took 1st Place at Holland Hall XC against several State Qualifiers with a 5K time of 18:12.1, leading the second place runner by 39 seconds and the third place runner by 1:12. This is her sixth-straight first place finish.

Jacie Taber, sophomore pitcher. Went 1-1 on the mound this week, giving up four hits, 2 walks, and one run, but no earned runs and 3 strikeouts against Jenks. She was one of only two Lady Sandites to land a base hit in that game. She pitched an 18-0 shutout win against Enid, giving up only 1 hit and 3 walks against 2 strikeouts and no runs in 5 innings. She scored 2 runs on 2 singles in that game. In the second game of the Enid doubleheader she scored two runs and one hit on two at-bats, hitting a 2RBI home run.

Sydney Pennington, senior shortstop. Was intentionally walked 3 times against Jenks and never had an at-bat. She was in on a double play in that game. In the first game against Enid she was 3 of 4 with a single, double, and home run for 2RBI and 3 runs. She was .750 against Enid in game two as well with a single and two doubles for 5RBI and 2 runs.

Holly Kersgieter, sophomore volleyballer. Scored 15 kills in 5 sets against Bixby with 2 assists, 15 digs, and 2 aces. Scored 9 kills, 1 assist, 5 digs, 1 ace in 3 sets against Booker T.

Gloria Mutiri, senior volleyballer. Scored 30 kills, 1 assist, 4 solo blocks, 2 block assists, 9 digs, 2 aces in 5 sets against Bixby. Scored 12 kills, 1 assist, 7 digs, 2 aces in 3 sets against Booker T. Also committed to Ohio State University this week.

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 emailingSanditePrideNews@gmail.com. The award is not given to anyone in 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 the Sandite Pride Editorial Board.

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