OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University reeled in its fifth team championship in a row in the Sooner Athletic Conference women's cross country championships Saturday morning at Woodson Park.
Sarah Olamide captured the individual conference crown to pace eight all-conference runners from OCU. The Stars, ranked 24th in the NAIA, secured the SAC's team berth in the NAIA Championships on Nov. 22 in Vancouver, Wash.
Oklahoma City finished with 25 points, while runner-up John Brown (Ark.) had 76. Kaitlyn Heffernan of the Stars finished third place, while Sheridan Hoyer took fifth. OCU's Alexas Vargas collected sixth, while Madison Altom came in 10th. Other all-SAC performers for the Stars were Macey Cox (12th), Anna Mitchell (14th) and Delaney Mayo (15th).
OCU coach Matt Aguero picked up SAC coach of the year for the fourth consecutive time.
"The rain earlier in the week made for a slow course," Aguero said. "The times weren't great, but the effort was. Both the men and women had great team efforts today. The individual title was closely contested in both races. Oscar Kipkoros and Sarah Olamide both made moves at the right time. Both had strong finishes."
Olamide, a freshman from Lagos, Nigeria, turned in the winning time of 18 minutes, 27.4 seconds on the 5,000-meter course. Olamide averaged a mile time of 5:56.1. She won the individual crown for the second consecutive meet after winning in the NAIA Mid-States Classic on Oct. 26. Olamide became the fifth consecutive individual SAC champion from Oklahoma City.
Heffernan posted a time of 18:57.2 and 6:05.6 per mile. Heffernan, a freshman from Bentonville, Ark., finished among the top five for the third consecutive outing after runner-up showings in her previous two meets.
Hoyer, a senior from Poteau, Okla., completed the race in 19:37.4 with an average mile of 6:18.6. Hoyer became a two-time all-SAC runner with her second top-five finish in a row. Vargas, a senior from Terrell, Texas, clocked a time of 19:38.8 to secure her second all-conference nod.
Altom, a freshman from Oklahoma City, had a time of 20:09.2. Cox, a sophomore from Oklahoma City, finished in 20:22.0.
Mitchell, a freshman from Edmond, Okla., notched a mark of 20:40.5. Mayo, a senior from Edmond, Okla., grabbed her second all-SAC acclaim with her time of 20:46.7.
OCU's Cailen Jolley, a freshman from Pauls Valley, Okla., came in 20th with a time of 21:38.8. Jayden Lazzari (24th place with a time of 21:58.00) and Bailey Sartain (25:19.6) also competed for the Stars.