TULSA, Okla. – Sophomore Amy Morefield and senior Nathaneal Gibson each made history at Mohawk Sports Complex as the first Hillcat individuals to claim titles at the RSU Distance After Dark race on Thursday night.
 
"As they typically go, some good and some bad," commented head coach Matt Kennedy on the team's performance in the season-opening meet. "The ones that ran well today, I am happy for them, and we'll keep that momentum going. Those who didn't have the race they wanted today, it's still early and I'm confident they'll be fine. This sport is about consistency, and if they do that, then they'll be right where they want to be in October and November."
 
On the women's side, No. 18 Rogers State made it back-to-back years as the team champion with a score of 24. Oklahoma Christian finished second in the race with a score of 54, followed by Oklahoma Baptist (82), Oklahoma City (129) and Arkansas-Fort Smith (148).
 
In her first race as a Hillcat, Morefield did not disappoint. The Fairview, Texas, native and former Tulsa Hurricane cruised to a first-place finish in the women's 5K with a time of 17:35.7.
 
"She [Morefield] is a wonderful person and works hard," Kennedy remarked on the talented transfer. "She has been a great teammate, and she's just obviously a great talent. We are fortunate to have her."
 
Jordan Wallace added another strong race to her already impressive resume with a fifth-place finish with a time of 17:55.5 and Brooklyn Garafola finished sixth with a time of 17:56.6. Kaylee Nay rounded out the top 10 finishers for RSU at ninth with a time of 18:09.1. Additionally, Emily Cruz finished 11^th with a personal best time of 18:19.4.
 
Some familiar faces returned to the course for the Hillcats as part of the alumni team. Brianna Stinnett led the pack with an eighth-place finish, while Ashley Riggenbach finished in 25th place and Madison Bradshaw came in 74th.
 
On the men's side, the Hillcats finished their second straight year in 3^rd in a field of 11 teams with a score of 76. Oklahoma Christian won the meet with a score of 52, while Mid-America Christian finished runner-up with a score of 63.
 
Gibson, who celebrated his birthday at the course, shattered his previous career high with a time of 20:17.7 to become the first Rogers State male to win the meet. The Broken Arrow native nearly went coast to coast in an all-around career showing.
 
"Getting the sweep at home was awesome," Kennedy said after Gibson secured the individual title. "Nobody deserves it more than Nate. That guy just really works his tail off." Kennedy added, "His outdoor season didn't quite finish the way that he hoped, and so I was really pleased to see him run well and really lead the whole thing."
 
Senior Blake Feron finished 15th for the Hillcats with a time of 21:07.3. He was followed by Cohen McIntosh, who placed 19^th and Lee Davis, who finished in 20^th with a personal best time of 21:18.8. Jack Morgan came in 21^st, while Clint Stapleton recorded a personal best time of 21:31.7, placing him 28^th.
 
Just like the women, the RSU alumni shone on the men's side, with Steven Baker finishing seventh, Kyle Ginn 12th, Jackson Stinnett 34th, Brandon Payne 43rd, Nick Williams 50th, and Collin McHugh 95th.
 
The Hillcats will have a preview of the NCAA Central Region course in their next competition on Sept. 20 at the MSSU Southern Stampede, which will take place at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin. The women's race will begin at 8:00 a.m., followed by the men's race at 8:45 a.m.

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WOMEN'S 5K RESULTS | 1^st of 10 
Amy Morefield 
1^st - 17:35.7 
 
Jordan Wallace 
5^th – 17:55.5 
 
Brooklyn Garafola 
6^th – 17:56.6 
 
Brianna Stinnett (Alumni) 
8^th – 18:02.5  
 
Kaylee Nay 
9^th – 18:09.1 
 
Emily Cruz 
11^th – 18:19.4 (Personal Best) 
 
Cadence Cordova 
19^th – 18:54.3 
 
Brooke Martin 
23^rd – 18:58.1 
 
Ashley Riggenbach (Alumni) 
25^th – 19:04.4 
 
Sisely Mitchell 
27^th – 19:09.6 
 
Kiera Blumhof 
35^th – 19:45.5 
 
Tehya Lang 
37^th – 19:49.1 
 
Ryann Barber 
40^th – 20:08.8 
 
Brielle Coons 
41^st – 20:09.5 
 
Stella Jones 
43^rd – 20:13.1 
 
Kenzie Gilliam 
44^th – 20:13.2 (Personal Best) 
 
Sarah Swofford 
54^th – 20:47.9 
 
Faith Tinney 
59^th – 20:55.3 (Personal Best) 
 
Leyla Saldana 
61^st – 20:57.8 (Personal Best) 
 
Isabel Bush 
63^rd – 20:59.2 
 
Britt Hunter 
67^th – 21:09.0  
 
Madison Bradshaw (Alumni) 
74^th – 21:32.0  
 
Ann-Marie Dorsey 
91^st – 22:44.4 

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MEN'S 4 MILE RESULTS | 3^rd of 11  
Nathaneal Gibson 
1^st - 20:17.7 (Personal Best) 
 
Steven Baker (Alumni) 
7^th – 20:51.4 
 
Kyle Ginn (Alumni) 
12^th – 20:58.3 
 
Blake Feron 
15^th – 21:07.3 
 
Cohen McIntosh 
19^th – 21:12.7 
 
Lee Davis 
20^th – 21:18.8 (Personal Best) 
 
Jack Morgan 
21^st – 21:19.5
 
Clint Stapleton 
28^th – 21:31.7 (Personal Best) 
 
Nathan Hernandez 
29^th – 21:34.6  
 
Jackson Stinnett (Alumni) 
34^th – 21:40.6  
 
Cade McCall 
35^th – 21:40.7 
 
Ian Conder 
36^th – 21:45.2 
 
Aidan Jimenez 
38^th - 21:46.5 
 
Brandon Payne (Alumni) 
43^rd – 21:50.1 
 
Adam Sium 
45^th – 21:54.4 
 
Riley Pauley 
46^th – 21:58.3 
 
Colton Storm 
49^th – 22:04.0 
 
Nick Williams (Alumni) 
50^th – 22:06.2 
 
Tesfaye Lire 
57^th – 22:17.2 
 
Tanner Jenks 
66^th – 22:34.2 
 
Collin McHugh (Alumni) 
95^th - 24:08.8 
 
Brian Slone 
100^th – 24:54.7