Sandite of the Week Aden Baughman qualifies for National Championship

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Charles Page High School junior State Champion Aden Baughman was selected as our Sandite of the Week for his first-place victory at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri on Saturday.

Baughman's first place performance at the USA Track and Field Region 9 Junior Olympic Championship event qualifies him for the 51st Hershey National Championship in two weeks.

Click here to view previous Sandites of the Week.

The championship is expected to attract nearly 10,000 athletes to Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas. The venue is one of only five IAAF Class I Certified tracks in the United States and has a seating capacity of nearly 8,000. 

Competing against athletes from the Arkansas, Oklahoma, Ozarks, and Missouri Valley associations, Baughman finished the 800-meter run in 1:58.83, 2.55 seconds ahead of Claremore freshman 5A State Runner-Up Jack Vincent. 

Baughman previously took first place in two events at the Oklahoma Association Championship last month with an 800-meter time of 2:00.23, and a 1500-meter time of 4:14.08. At the State Championship in May he took first in the 800 in 1:59.23.

Ian Baustert took second place at the State 1500 in 4:37.98 and first in the Association 1500 in 4:23.79. He placed third in the State 3000 in 10:10.34, second in Association in 9:48.35, and fourth at Regionals in 9:53.81.

Oklahoma State University freshman Cheyenne Walden took first place in the State 3000 run with a time of 10:18.59.

CPHS Track: Cheyenne Walden selected as All-Tulsa World Player of the Year Finalist

Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate and Oklahoma State University freshman Cheyenne Walden was selected as one of three finalists for the All-Tulsa World Athlete of the Year awards for both Track and Cross Country. Walden is the most decorated OSSAA athlete in Sand Springs history with nine State Championships.

In her high school career she has won one 800 meter run and set a personal record of 2:17.58 for fourth place at the State Tournament her junior year.

She has won twelve 1600 meter runs and set a personal record of 4:57.07 this past season for her second-consecutive State title in the event. She also won the Oklahoma Track Coaches Association (OTCA) Meet of Champions this year, and holds two Regional titles and one Frontier Valley Conference (FVC) title.

The further she runs, the better she does. In the 3200 meter run she has won three State titles, 25-straight events, and 29 total events. She holds three titles in the 3200 and hasn’t been defeated since placing third in State her freshman year. She holds four Regional and Conference titles and has a PR of 10:45.43.

In the fall Cross Country season she is a four-time State Champion, four time Regional Champion, and four-time Conference Champion. She has won two one-mile runs with a PR of 5:21, ten two-mile runs with a PR of 11:19.50, and seventeen 5K-runs with a PR of 17:32. She won the Meet of Champions her freshman year and placed fifth this past season at the Nike Regionals.

Walden’s numerous accolades include four Gatorade Oklahoma Runner of the Year honors, the first-ever Sand Springs “Heart of the City” award, the Jim Thorpe Female Cross Country Player of the Year award, and six Sandite of the Week recognitions.

Final selection for the Athlete of the Year will be made at the All World Awards dinner on July 8th at Marriot Southern Hills.

Cheyenne Walden receives "Heart of the City" award from Mayor Mike Burdge

Cheyenne Walden is presented with the "Heart of the City" award. Click to view full photo gallery.

The City of Sand Springs met in a regular monthly meeting Monday night at the City Municipal Building.

Mayor Mike Burdge presented recent Charles Page High School graduate Cheyenne Walden with a Mayoral Proclamation and the "Heart of the City" award to recognize her many accomplishments on the school's running team. Walden is the most decorated athlete in school history with nine OSSAA State Championships. She won four Cross Country titles and five Track titles and is signed to run for Oklahoma State University this fall.

Walden was named the Gatorade Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year for four consecutive years. She is the only Sandite ever to win the Jim Thorpe Player of the Year award, and she won it in both 2016 & 2017. She was named the All-Metro Runner of the Year and All-Metro Athlete of the Year in 2016 and was thrice named the Tulsa World All-Metro Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Fourteen Sandites named to Tulsa Area All-VYPE Teams

Fourteen Sand Springs athletes received accolades in the latest edition of the VYPE Tulsa magazine.

Daton Fix was third in the voting for Tulsa-Area Boys Athlete of the Year, receiving 5.8% of the vote in a poll with fourteen candidates. Fix concluded his high school wrestling career as a four-time undefeated State Champion with a 168-0 record. He will compete for a Junior World Championship this summer in Finland before wrestling this winter for Oklahoma State University. 

Sydney Pennington was fourth in the voting for Tulsa-Area Girls Athlete of the Year, receiving more than 4,700 votes for 5.6% of the vote in a poll with thirteen candidates. Pennington started every game this basketball season and was the leading scorer with 10.77 points per game to help her team to the State Semifinals. She shot 52.38% on field goals and averaged more than five rebounds, two steals, and two assists per game. She was also given an honorable mention on the All-Tulsa Basketball team. 

Pennington will continue her athletic career at Oklahoma State University on the softball team. In the fall fast pitch season she batted .543 with 57 hits, 45 runs, 38 RBI, and 10 home runs. She went undefeated on the mound for a 6-0 record with a 1.41 ERA, 1.135 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts. She gave up only 23 hits and 8 earned runs to aid her team to the State Semifinals.

Cheyenne Walden was also nominated for Girls Athlete of the Year and was named to the All-Tulsa Track Team. Walden concluded her high school career as a nine-time State Champion. She won 28 Cross Country meets with a 5K personal-record of 17:32 and four State titles. In Track she won 29 3200-meter runs, including three State titles and went undefeated for the past three seasons. Her 3200 PR is 10:45.43. She won twelve 1600-meter runs including two State titles, with a PR of 4:57.07. She will run at Oklahoma State University. 

Ashton Persons was named to the All-Tulsa Area Girls Golf Team. She won the Sand Springs Invitational this year and placed 19th at the OSSAA 6A State Tournament.

Carson Griggs was named to the All-Tulsa Area Boys Golf Team. A junior three-time State Qualifier, Griggs won three tournaments this season, including a Frontier Valley Conference title, and was the State Runner-Up by a two-stroke deficit.

Josh Cordell (P), Mack Thompson (SS), Hunter Greathouse (3B), Treyce Tolbert (OF), and Josh Taber (OF) were named to the All-Tulsa Area Baseball Team. 

Cordell pitched a 6-3 record this season with a 3.24 ERA, 1.309 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts. Thompson batted .352 with 43 hits, 34 runs, and 16 RBI. Greathouse batted .350 with 41 hits, 25 runs, 1 home run, and 31 RBI. He pitched a 4-6 record with a 4.37 ERA, 1.850 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts. Tobert batted .381 with 45 hits, 30 runs, 1 home run, 29 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Taber batted .310 with 39 hits, 26 runs, 15 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. 

Cordell, Tolbert, and Thompson will play for Rose State College, while Greathouse will play for Cowley County Community College.

Jensen Arnold (P) made the All-Tulsa Area Slow-Pitch Softball Team. She batted .418 in the Spring Slow-Pitch season and pitched every game in the team's 11-13 season. 

Colt Savage made the All-Vype Basketball Second Team. Savage was the leading scorer on the team and the second-highest scorer in the entire Frontier Valley Conference with 22.48 points per game. 

Aden Baughman and Colton Washington were both named to the All-Tulsa Track Team. Baughman took first place in seven out of eight track meets in the 800 meter run, claiming his first State Championship with a personal-record 1:53.16. Washington won a Regional Championship in the Long Jump, placed seventh at the State Tournament, and set a PR of 22'01.00".

Longtime Sandite Coach/Athletic Director Cecil Hankins to be inducted into OBCA Hall of Fame

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Cecil Hankins, 1953 Sand Springs High School yearbook.

Former Sand Springs Coach and Athletic Director Cecil Hankins will be inducted into the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association (OBCA) Hall of Fame Saturday, June 3rd. Hankins was previously inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association (OCA) Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Oklahoma State University Hall of Honor in 1996.

Hankins coached in Sand Springs for sixteen years, including basketball, football, track and field, baseball, and golf. He retired as Athletic Director in 1988 and passed away in 2002 at the age of 80. 

A Division I collegiate athlete, Hankins played for Oklahoma A&M University (now Oklahoma State University) in both football and basketball, under Jim Lookabaugh and Henry Iba respectively.

In football he played halfback and defensive back on the undefeated 1945 team that was recently declared the National Champions by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The AFCA has been working to declare national champions for the period between 1922 and 1949 before they began a rankings system.

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1945 Oklahoma A&M National Champion team. Hankins can be seen in the second row from the top, four positions to the right of Head Coach Jim Lookabaugh. 

In the 1945 Sugar Bowl, Hankins received the go-ahead touchdown pass from Bob Fennimore and the Aggies went on to prevail 33-13 over St. Mary's. 

Hankins didn't live long enough to see his football team recognized as National Champions, but the 1945 Basketball team also won a National Title and he contributed 13 points per game that season. The 1945 season was the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance and first National Championship as the Aggies defeated New York 49-45 in front of 18,000 fans at Madison Square Garden to finish the season with a 27-4 record. Hankins scored 15 points in the Championship game.

After his collegiate career, Hankins played 25 games with the Boston Celtics and averaged 2.8 points per game for 70 career points. 

At Sand Springs he coached football from 1952-1954 and amassed a 15-10-4 record with a 1952 District Championship and playoff appearance. He coached future three-time MLB World Series Champion Jerry Adair as quarterback, who went on to play basketball at OSU under Iba. He coached basketball from 1948 through 1957. Sandite Pride is missing the 1948-1949 season record, but his final eight years Hankins went 144-59-1 and led his team to four-straight Verdigris Valley Conference Championships.

Hankins will be inducted along with Jack Begley, Ron Murphey, Robert Sprague, and Bailey Van Zant. Begley coached at Texhoma High, Clinton High, and Panhandle State. He won two State Championships at Clinton. Murphey coached at Felt and Texhoma and won one State Championship at Texhoma. Sprague coached at Daniel Webster, Nathan Hale, and Tulsa Memorial. Van Zant coached at Pond Creek and Pryor, started the basketball program at Seminole Junior College, then coached fourteen years in Texas.

CPHS Track: Cheyenne Walden and Aden Baughman win Meet of Champions

Two members of the Charles Page High School Track and Field team were invited to the Oklahoma Track Coaches Association (OTCA) Meet of Champions in Moore. Oklahoma State University-signed senior Cheyenne Walden and sophomore Aden Baughman both won 6A State Championship gold last week in Yukon and repeated their victories Tuesday against competitors from all classes. 

Walden, a nine-time State Champion, holds one Meet of Champions medal in Cross Country, but has never competed in Track before.

Walden finished the 1600 meter run in 5:02.58, the third-best time of her career, with a 13.66 second margin of victory over the runner-up. She defeated 3A State Champion Mandy Sykora (5:16.79), Class A State Champion Harlie Schmeling (5:20.9), and 3A Runner-Up Aubrey Schmidt (5:25.40). She finished the 3200 meter run in 10:57.45, 54.73 seconds ahead of the runner-up, 3A State Champ Sykora (11:52.18).

Baughman made his first trip to the Meet of Champs after winning his first State Title last weekend in the 800 meter run, running the fastest time of any Oklahoma High School student this season at 1:53.16. His Meet of Champs time wasn't far behind his State time at 1:53.54. He defeated 4A State Champion Dillon Phillips (1:54.26), 4A Runner-Up Tanner Blackmore (1:59.63), and Class A Runner-Up Andres Slaughter (2:05.93).

Walden is one of three members of the Class of 2017 who will continue her athletic career at OSU, while Baughman will have two more years with the Sandites.