Top 11 Stories of 2016
Edmond North Track & Field
As Edmond North Track & Field prepares for what promises to be an exciting campaign in 2017, let’s look back at some of the top stories of last year, which ended as one of the greatest seasons in school history. Here they are in no particular order:
#1. Boys Sprint into History
The Huskies rose to be the most dominant Sprint Relay Team in Oklahoma history, rivaling the truly great boys sprint relay teams of the mid 90s that helped secure the school’s first team titles in 95' and 96'. Despite injuries that derailed the potentially record setting team throughout the season (and continued to nag Tate, Prince, and Williams through the end of the season), they put it together to show-out at State with gold metals in the 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400 relays — a feat never before accomplished in 6A Track in Oklahoma. Junior Brock Appiah and seniors Antonio Williams, Justin Tate, and Jordan Prince set new school records in the 4x100 (41.32) and 4x200 (1:26.58), both relays just tenths of a second off of State records. The 4x400 came together at the last minute in dramatic fashion, not breaking into the top times in the State until Regionals when sophomore Turner Coleman and senior Tyson Anderson joined Appiah and Prince to run together for the first time. They went on to run the second fastest time in school history (3:18.77) and out-ran the rest of the State to a gold medal finish. No team in the State came close when the Huskies ran healthy, at full-tilt.
#2. Gritty Grace Brennan
2016 marked the 4th consecutive season Brennan qualified for State, a remarkable achievement in itself. She did it each year while also playing a major role on the soccer team. This year, she qualified in the 100m Hurdles, 300m Hurdles, and Long Jump. While running her fastest times ever in both hurdle races, the real story came in the Long Jump. On her final jump at State, her last jump of her high school career, she popped a 17 foot 11.25 inch jump to break the school record and win her first State Metal of an otherwise distinguished career. This was even more impressive when we learned that she jumped (and hurdled) on a torn labrum from a soccer injury sustained earlier in the week. This final performance solidified Grace’s status as a legend at Edmond North and one of the grittiest athletes in the State.
#3. Hurdle Fam
Edmond North hurdlers had great success in 2016 — five State Qualifiers, three medals at State, and two new school records. In his first year as a hurdler, senior Jordan Prince went undefeated in the 300 Hurdles in the state of Oklahoma, and put an exclamation point on the season with a gold medal performance at State in a record 37.53. Senior Jasmine Exum broke the school record in the 100 Hurdles during the season (15.31 — best time in 6A), ran in the finals at State in both the 100s and 300s, and, although not her best performance of the season, came away with a 4th place State medal. The surprise from the hurdle crew came from sophomore Chaya Crittenden, who ran a big PR to make it to finals in the 300 Hurdles at State and then ran to a 5th place finish, earning the first State medal of her young career. Seniors Brooks Frost and Grace Brennan also ran well at State. Senior Ravyn Osborne, junior Bradley Hundl (who began hurdling just weeks before Regionals), and sophmore Ramdhan Shahab all narrowly missed making it to State as well. With a whole pack returning to carry on the legacy under the guidance of Hurdle Coach Tommy Nash, Edmond North may become known as Hurdle High.
#4. Girls Inspire in the Relays
The girls 4x800 was one of the top relays in the State all year long, coming off a State silver-medal performance in 2015. A devastating injury to junior Ellie Little forced freshmen runners Grace Beldon and Maddie Medina into action on Varsity. Ultimately, Medina joined sophomore Emma Walter and seniors Kelsey Castillo and Sarah Johnson to place 5th at State with one of the best times in school history, 9:42.58 (almost 8 seconds faster than the previous year’s 2nd place finish). The sprint relays struggled to find consistency but came together when it counted. Freshman Adonia Williams joined junior Taylor Scoggin (4th place 100m medalist) and sophomores Ashlin Ambrose and Mackenzie Holub (who, like Brennan, split time between soccer and track) to medal in both the 4x100 and 4x200 at State (4th and 5th). Then senior Ellie Milner earned her first State medal alongside Scoggin, Holub, and Ambrose in the 4x400 with a 4th place finish. To medal at State in all four relays is a remarkable feat and the first time the Huskies have done it in school history.
#5. Appiah Chases Greatness
Junior Brock Appiah began the season with a bang by qualifying for finals in the 200m and 400m at the premier indoor meet in the region — the Arkansas High School Invitational — and his 200m time put him in the top 10 in the nation. He did not slow down, going undefeated in the state of Oklahoma in the 100m, 200m, and 400m, taking down some of the top runners in the State week after week. He finished with the top times in the State in the 200m (21.13) and 400m (48.09) and the 2nd fastest in the 100m (10.51) behind only the State record holder. In addition, he earned his 2nd individual State metal of his career with a gold in the 200m and anchored the gold-metal 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400m relays, helping the huskies finish with their 3rd best team finish in history, 92 points and a runner-up trophy. After putting his name on Edmond North’s record wall for the 4x100 and 4x200, he returns next year to chase after a team title and school records in the 100, 200, and 400 before heading to OU to run track as a Sooner.
#6. Huskies Can Jump
Edmond North had tremendous success in the jumps in 2016 under the instruction of Coach Rhodes. In the Long Jump, seven different boys broke the 20 foot barrier, and seven girls went over 15 feet, demonstrating amazing depth. Six of them qualified for State in the event — no school has ever taken more. Senior Justin Tate battled through injury to jump over 23 feet on three of his six jumps at State to take the gold and solidify himself as one of Oklahoma’s best jumpers in recent memory. Senior Grace Brennan’s amazing story is chronicled at #2, passing three jumpers on her final attempt to place third and break the school record. Freshman Mason Altman and sophomores Elijah Fisher, Morgan Ray, and Ashlin Ambrose also represented well at State in the LJ. Tyson Anderson finished just out of medal contention in his first appearance at State in the HJ. Will Boyd made his third appearance at State in the High Jump, clearing 6–6 (one height away from the school record) to place 5th. Senior Ellie Milner also made her third appearance at State in a jumping event — the pole vault. Logan Young made his first appearance as the top freshman vaulter in the State.
#7. North Distance on the Rise
Under the guidance of Coach Cox (now Bowerman) in 2016, Edmond North has never qualified more distance athletes to State — ten entries — in the history of the school. The boys qualified Nick Kenville in the 3200m; Ashmun in the 1600m and 800m; and Ashmun, Justin Norman, Travis Robnett, and Nathan Denney in the 4x800 Relay. The girls qualified Jasmyne Roush in the 3200m; Kelsey Castillo in the 800m and 1600m; Emma Walter in the 800m; Sarah Johnson in the 800m; and Walter, Johnson, Castillo, and freshman Maddie Medina in the 4x800 Relay. With a good deal of young talent coming back in the distance events, including the #1 freshman boy in the State for 2016, Parker Jackson, the Huskies look to send even more distance athletes to State in 2017 and capture a few more medals while they’re at it.
#8. Huskies Make the Records Drop
Edmond North is in the midst of a multi-year record surge. Since the arrival of Coach Stephen Evans to Edmond North in 2013, twelve school records have fallen, some more than once. Most notably, the sprint, sprint relay, and hurdle events have seen major movement, including Jade Patton’s State Record 100m dash in 2014. The 2016 season saw another five broken — the 4x100, 4x200, and 300 Hurdles on the boys side and the 100 Hurdles and Long Jump on the girls side (all chronicled in the above stories). Beyond the event-by-event school records, the boys and girls sent a combined 41 athletes to State in 2016, which shatters the previous school best. At State, the boys team set a new school best by capturing more championships (six!) than at any point in school history. They also finished with the 3rd best team point total at State in team history (92 behind the 93 and 94 points scored by the State Champion teams of 1995 and 1996). The girls also set a new team best by medaling in all four relays, a first for the girls and something the boys have never managed to accomplish. What records are vulnerable in 2017?
#9. Boys Team Graduates an Epic Class
Edmond North Track & Field had to say goodbye to some great talent in 2016. On the boy’s side, four members of the historic, record-setting sprint relays and incredible athletes in their own right (see above stories) are competing or planning to compete at the next level — Antonio Williams for football at NEO, Jordan Prince for football at NEO (since transferred), Tyson Anderson for basketball at NOC, and Justin Tate (still weighing options for the Spring semester). Devon Crook, an alternate on the 4x4 at State, is at OSU active in intramural sports. Boys distance and mid-distance also took a hit: Gabe Atchley, a regular contributor to the 4x4 and 4x8 teams while splitting time with soccer, is running in Arizona for Pima Community College. Jared Ashmun who represented the Huskies at State in the 800, 1600, and 4x8 is at Texas A&M finding success in ultimate frisbee. Cameron Jump is running with a club at OSU. Gursumeet Sanghera is at OU. Half-miler Nathan Denney is MIA (let us know what he’s up to and we’ll update our story).
#10. Girls Team Says Goodbye to Key Athletes
The girls team said goodbye to fewer athletes but their loss was no less significant. Jasmine Exum, arguably the greatest female hurdler in school history, is continuing her athletic career at St. Gregory. Kelsey Castillo, the Huskies 2016 MVP and three-time State medalist, is running for Oklahoma Christian. Grace Brennan, one of our top stories of 2016, is competing for Kansas State in Soccer and Track. Sarah Johnson, three-time State medalist, will be running for OSU this Spring. Thrower Hayli Hoffman is playing basketball at USAO. Ellie Milner, 2016 Husky Award winner, pole vaulter, and 4x4 medalist, is at UCO and considering walking on for the Branchos track team. Abby Cosby, three-year State qualifier, is at OU. Ravyn Osborne, hurdler, is in Nashville chasing her country-music dream. The entire class of 2016 will be missed.
#11. Coach Evans is still on the Hunt at the Helm of the Huskies
2016 was Coach Evans’s third year at Edmond North. It was widely advertised throughout the season that Coach Evans had helped build programs at three previous schools in Mississippi and Arkansas, all of which won a State title in their third year. That was part of the reason that Evans was brought in by Athletic Director Tom Snider in 2013. Expectations were high. As the season played out, Edmond North’s boys and girls team both had enough success that coaches around Oklahoma began to look at the Huskies as possible title contenders, especially after Edmond North achieved the rare double Regional Team Championship when both teams dominated at Yukon and qualified an army to State. The boys especially appeared to be a strong, well-rounded team, perhaps more so than at any other point in school history. They entered the State Championship Meet at Moore as the favorites to win. Alas, the boys finished runner-up to Edmond Memorial and the girls finished seventh. The Huskies are returning strong, however, and hungry for a title. And dare we say it — while the boys didn’t quite deliver for Coach Evans in their third year under his leadership (despite their remarkable season), 2017 will technically only be the third year the girls team has had Coach Evans at the helm.
