by SHAWNEE, Okla. – Oklahoma City University took back-to-back Sooner Athletic Conference men’s cross country championships Saturday at Gordon Cooper Technology Center.
The No. 1-ranked Stars captured consecutive conference titles and got the league’s team berth into the NAIA Championships. Seven Stars finished the 8,000-meter run in the top 20 individually.
OCU’s first runner came in second, third and fourth. Peter Koskey, a junior from Keringet, Kenya, led the Stars with 24 minutes, 47.87 seconds. Arya Bahreini, a junior from Edmond, Okla., came next with 25:16.83, while Csaba Matko, a freshman from Budapest, Hungry, crossed 25:32.97.
Michael Vercoe-Curtis, a freshman from Auckland, New Zealand, crossed the finish line in sixth with a time of 25:47.86. Mackenzie Wahpepah-Harris (Kickapoo Tribe), a sophomore from Norman, Okla., rounded out the top five for the Stars finishing eighth with a 26:07.18.
Kyle Wardwell, a senior from Norman, Okla., turned in 26:26.50, while Reno Blum recorded a 26:20.59 for Oklahoma City.
Dylan Smith-Sutton crossed at 27:23.55, and Alexander Knight came in at 29:44.52.
“I was really happy with how everyone performed as a whole,” OCU coach Matt Aguero said. “We looked really good. We wanted to go into this meet nice and relaxed. It went well.”
Koskey, Bahreini, Matko, Vercoe-Curtin, Wahpepah-Harris, Wardwell and Blum all earned all-SAC conference team. OCU coach Conor Holt took home SAC coach of the year.
OCU will run in the NAIA Championships on Nov. 22 in Lawrence, Kan.
