Cross Country to Race at North Texas

The second race of the cross country season takes associate coach Kevin Ondrasek and members of the Oklahoma men's and women's cross country teams to Denton, Texas, to compete in the Ken Garland Invitational on Saturday.

Oklahoma competed in this event last year with the women winning the team title and the men finishing second. The women's squad will include some runners who competed in the meet last year while all the Sooner competitors in the men's race will be on the course for the first time.

The field will feature some familiar faces with Big 12 teams TCU and Baylor topping the list. Joining the Big 12 squads on the course will be runners from UT-Arlington, Abilene Christian, Letourneau, Texas Wesleyan, Wiley College, and host North Texas. The women will start the day with a 5K scheduled to commence at 8:10 a.m. with the men's four-mile run to begin shortly after at 8:40 a.m.

The Sooners will have seven women entries in senior Morgan Baulier, redshirt juniors Olivia Taylor and Lane Maguire, juniors Sophia Fernald and Madison Heidenburg, and sophomores Morgan Long and Isabella Rose. The men will have five entries including freshmen Nic Butts, Ean Beyer and Heath Warren and redshirt freshmen Zach Gentry and Christopher Staub.

Many of the runners will be looking to build on their performance from two weeks ago at the OSU Cowboy Duals. Others, like Long, Staub and Gentry, will be competing for the first time this season.

“Our roster looks like a little bit of a mix,” explains Ondrasek. “We have got a lot of freshmen who are trying to earn their stripes, so we are giving them a chance to put on a jersey and race close to the full distance for the first time. Then we have got some people returning from injury who are putting on the jersey for the first time as well.”

Getting student-athletes back on the course and with some miles and experience under their belts are all part of the lead up to future races and distances that the Sooners will encounter as the schedule progresses.

Although the runners have been taking steps in the right direction in these areas, the challenge for them Saturday will be “their ability to handle the full race distance,” according to Ondrasek. “ The men will be racing four miles, normally they go five or six [miles], but it will be a good indication. The women will be racing 5K and they'll be racing 6K in the championship meet. Really, it's all about who can handle, mentally, who can handle the full race.”

For Ondrasek, this weekend's race “is really about figuring out who is ready to go for the full distance now. When we raced at Oklahoma State Sept. 1, it was like a dress rehearsal. This is like the last check point before it starts counting.”

A recap along with results will be posted at the conclusion of the races on Soonersports.com. Additionally, the Sooners can be followed on Facebook (Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country), Twitter (@OU__Track) and Instagram (OU__Track).

Players Mentioned

Morgan Baulier

Nic Butts

Sophia Fernald

Sophia Fernald

Zach Gentry

Madison Heidenburg

Morgan Long

Lane Maguire

Isabella Rose

Chris Staub

Chris Staub

Olivia Taylor

Heath Warren

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