GUTHRIE, Okla. — In the early hours on Sept. 7, in Guthrie, the Classen SAS@NE Comets cross country teams showed up in full force, competing in their respective races starting with the girls' varsity at 8:00 a.m., followed by the varsity boys, and then both junior varsity teams.
The Comets put in a strong showing across all divisions, with the varsity boys securing 2nd place overall, setting a school record with a team average time of 17:19. Four of the boys earned medals for finishing in the top 25. The varsity girls, led by sophomore Avery Fisher who ran a personal best of 22:33, finished 8th. Fisher was joined by Izzie Calingasan, who clocked in at 24:10, and Merci Inman and Sora Svast Tokuda, who crossed the line almost simultaneously at 25:23 and 25:24, respectively—both setting personal records. Rounding out the varsity girls were Brianne Do, Denise Nichols, and Briley Glenn, who all achieved personal bests as well.
“It felt pretty good! It wasn’t too hard but definitely wasn’t too easy. Beating my personal best gave me lots of confidence, especially by 2 minutes!” said freshman Sydney Craghead, who shaved nearly a minute and a half off her previous time to finish in 29:44.
In the junior varsity races, both the boys and girls teams placed 5th. Avery Roberson led the JV girls with a time of 27:32, followed by Mariah Galbreath at 29:03. Both girls' performances earned them spots on the varsity team for the next meet. Other notable efforts came from Sydney Corbett, Zoey Phelps, Miriam Deason, Juniper McKinney, Addison LeForce, and Lucy Bradley.
“Perfect weather and a good course brought me and many of my teammates new PR's and hardware in Guthrie. Can't wait to see what else the team can prove at Pre-State!” said junior Trevor Roberson.
Freshman Henry Bair added, “I’m overjoyed to be part of this team and love my coaches and teammates. The race was great and almost everyone on the team hit a PR. Knowing we have two months until state to get better and progress, while already running the times we are as a team, is a great feeling. This will be a great season and I’m excited to see what will happen!”
Coach Harper expressed pride in the team’s performance, saying, “I am so proud of these girls! They went out today, pushed themselves, and most importantly, had fun! The results definitely showed that today. Seeing them find a groove is so rewarding, and I can’t wait to see all they continue to accomplish.”
The Comets will next compete in the Edmond Pre-State meet on September 21, where they look to continue building on their early season success.
