by EDMOND, Okla. – The Oklahoma City University men’s cross country team won the Central Oklahoma Land Run for the third straight year at Edmond Santa Fe on Saturday.
The Stars finished with 29 points, defeating second place Oklahoma Christian by 39 points. The OCU men placed five runners in the top 20.
“We won the team, which I expected we would,” OCU coach Conor Holt said. “Overall, we look at our top three or four guys. They are really taking care of business right now. Our team average is right where it was two years ago, right where it was last year, and the weather is a lot warmer today than what it was two years ago.”
Arya Bahreini, a senior from Edmond, Okla., led the way for the Stars and won the four-mile race with a time of 19 minutes and 30.76 seconds. Mackenzie Wahpepah-Harris, (Kickapoo Tribe) a junior from Norman, Okla., followed in second with a time of 20:08.48.
Michael Vercoe-Curtis, a sophomore from Auckland, New Zealand, finished sixth with a time of 20:45.38. Chris Ebert, a freshman from Edmond, Okla., placed eighth with a time of 20:55.36. Reno Blum, a senior from Tahlequah, Okla., rounds out the top five finishes for the Stars at 16th place with a time of 21:15.96.
Hunter Swink, a senior from Oklahoma City, finished 27th with a time of 21:46.17.Dylan Smith-Sutton, a senior from Midwest City, Okla., placed 29th with a time of 22:03.9. Freshman Jonathan Falcon, of Katy, Texas, finished with a time of 22:18.3.Erick Meza, a freshman from Midlothian, Ill., finished 50th with a time of 22:33.48.
“What I think we need to work on is preparation. The will to win means nothing without the preparation involved,” Holt said. “Overall every time you win, you win. Arya Bahreini looked great. The time he ran is pretty solid. Mackenzie looked good today and some of the others looked good.”
The conditions included 80-degree temperatures with a 13-mph wind.
OCU’s next meet is Saturday, Sept. 19 in Joplin, Mo., for the Missouri Southern Stampede.
Results
