Cross-country athletes from Wilson, Dewar and Henryetta High Schools delivered strong performances at the 2025 NRC Pre-State Meet held Saturday, Sept. 13, in Shawnee. Competing against a deep field of over 1,400 runners from across Oklahoma, Okmulgee County athletes made their presence known in both high school and middle school divisions.

Hosted by North Rock Creek, the meet served as a valuable benchmark for teams eyeing the OSSAA regional and state championships in the coming weeks.

— Henryetta girls medal, place 4th The Henryetta Lady Knights turned in a powerful team effort in the High School Girls 2-mile race, which featured 96 runners from across the state.

• Stormi Waquie, a sophomore, led the team with a 10th-place finish, clocking 13:44 and earning a medal.

• Camrynn Watkins followed closely behind, also medaling with a 15thplace time of 14:20.

• Peyton Wind crossed at 15:22 (33rd), and Peyton Bailey finished in 15:29 (39th).

• Ashlynn Fulton contributed with a 48th-place finish at 16:02, rounding out the scoring five.

• Annika Kramer placed 73rd (17:06), and Kaylee Mitchell came in 87th (19:17).

With five runners scoring, Henryetta placed 4th in the team standings, a significant accomplishment against larger programs.

— How Cross-Country Team Scoring Works Team scores are calculated by adding the finishing places of the top five runners from each team. The lowest combined score wins. While the sixth and seventh runners don’t contribute to the point total, they can displace other teams’ scoring runners, which can be crucial in tight races. Henryetta’s consistent pack running gave them an edge in the standings.

— Wilson girls compete

In the Class 1A Girls 3200-meter race, Wilson was represented by two runners:

• Reese Herring, a junior, finished 34th overall with a time of 16:12.06.

• Emya Main, a sophomore, placed 55th in 18:32.54.

The two runners held their own in a field of more than 60 athletes and gained valuable course experience ahead of the postseason.

— Dewar’s Adena Fowler finishes in Top 25 Dewar High School senior Adena Fowler posted a competitive finish in the 1A Girls division, crossing the line in 15:24.09 to claim 23rd place overall.

In the Middle School Boys 2400-meter race, Tucker Brooksher, a 6th grader from Dewar, finished 72nd out of a large field with a time of 10:21.77, showing promise for the future of the Dragons’ distance program.

— Henryetta boys run strong despite incomplete team In the High School Boys 5K (3.1 miles), Henryetta sent four runners to compete individually among 105 total athletes:

• Cadyn Gillispie led the Knights with a 38th-place finish in 20:46.

• Jeffery Webster followed in 56th place at 21:51.

• Trent Tyler (89th, 27:41) and Luke Harlan (90th, 27:47) rounded out the group.

Although the Knights did not field enough runners for a full team score (minimum of five required), each athlete gained key experience in a highstakes environment.

— HMS girls compete in 2400m Henryetta also had representation in the Middle School Girls 2400-meter division:

• Lilly Sumner posted a time of 8:48.61 (176th).

• London Glisan followed at 9:29.99 (185th).

• McKenzee Bogle finished in 9:40.14 (189th).

The meet provided valuable exposure for the young Lady Knights, who continue to grow under the high school program’s success.

-With momentum building from the NRC Pre-State Meet, all three schools now shift their focus toward regional qualifiers and the OSSAA state championships.