NORMAN — Before the final race of the Gregg Byram Track Classic even started, fans had emptied the stands and were heading to the parking lot. After a long day , the weather had gotten too much for them.
However, Moore's Dylen Brammer couldn't worry about that. The meet was still up for grabs and the Lions would need him in the 1,600-meter relay if they were going to claim the overall title Saturday at Norman High.
On the final leg of the relay, Brammer was able to hold off Del City and cruise through the finish line first with a time of 3:30.81.
"I just tried to press through the wind on the back side," Brammer said. "Then I saw him come up next to me. I just knew that if I could hold him off through the curve, then I could have a lot better chance of holding him off in the end. I did that and pushed down through the home stretch and got it at the end."
That was enough for Moore to claim the overall boys title with 104 points. Norman (89.5) was a half point behind Del City (90) for second place. Norman North came in fourth with 74. Westmoore took ninth with 22.5 points.
On the girls side, the Tigers dominated the competition with 137 points. Choctaw (120), North (107), Westmoore (105) and Ponca City (67) rounded out the Top-5. The Lions (38) came in seventh.
"Being early in the year, and the weather the way it was, I thought our kids competed really well," North coach Mike Ramsey said. "Some of the results were the way I thought they would be, and some weren't. But we had some really outstanding athletes today."
Those athletes included Tyler Sergent, who won the discus and took second in the shot put. Freshman Bryan Payne took second in the long jump and Carmen King won both the 100-meter and the long jump for the girls.
While the coaches were concerned with how their teams placed, they were more focused on how the athletes performed in the inclement weather.
"It's a mindset," Moore coach Chad Mashburn said. "Everyone is running in it. You can't complain about those things. You can't control that. Times are kind of thrown out the window, then it becomes who places where. So you teach your kids to be mentally tough."
The Tigers' Parker Bowles took first in both the 800 and 1,600 meter runs. He said it was important for him to be prepared for anything.
"You have to run smart," Bowles said. "You have to plan it out before hand. You make sure to run the race right because you can't do it over."
Joining Bowles as a double winner for Norman was Megan Johnson. The sophomore took first in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs.
"That's where our strength is," NHS coach Rex Cornelsen said. "Our middle distance and distance kids are doing really well."
While the Tiger coaching staff was impressed with their runners, the Jaguars liked what they saw in the field events as senior Victoria Svetgoff won the pole vault.
"Our pole vaulter, she has worked hard," Westmoore coach Laura Clay said. "She goes to camp. She works on her own. She pretty much does what she has to do to be as good as she is. And she won today. The height wasn't that high, but the weather was terrible."
For most of the competitors at the Classic, the weather was the their biggest adversary. With swirling winds, plummeting temperatures and slight rain, the Classic became more of a test of inner strength than just speed and skill.
"You just have to remember that everybody else has to deal with it," Brammer said. "And it's not always even the best runner that wins, it's the toughest runner that wins in conditions like this."
Homepage
Related Photos
-
Michael Kinney
-
Tough it out
Moore High boys take title at annual Gregg Byram Track Classic
- Local News
-
-
Doing it for the kids
Howard Barnett said his son still has nightmares. Even though it has been more than three weeks since the EF-5 tornado ripped through Moore, killing 24 people and injuring another 300, 6-year-old Adorian Barnett is still feeling the effects.
Continued ... -
Toby Keith to hold relief concert in Norman
Moore native Toby Keith announced Thursday that he will be hosting a concert next month to raise funds for tornado victims in his hometown and across the region.
Continued ... -
Joplin pays it forward with supplies for Moore
Joplin, Mo., knows the devastation a tornado can create and Shelter Distribution has seen the destruction from the powerful storms
Continued ... -
Fallin signs bill authorizing new judge in county
OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s official. Cleveland County will have an additional district judge. Gov. Mary Fallin, who signed Senate Bill 820 into law, thanked legislators Thursday for sending this bill to her desk.
Continued ... -
Pets and owners find each other
OKLAHOMA CITY —After recent tornadoes, many people are without homes and so are many pets.
Continued ... -
Student writes song for victims
OKLAHOMA CITY — Rebekah Willoughby, self-taught musician and ninth-grader at Chickasha High School, will donate all proceeds from the sale of her song, “Oklahoma Strong,” to benefit victims of the May 20 tornado in Moore.
Continued ... -
Moore businesses bouncing back in wake of tornado
Business will soon be booming in Moore, said City Manager Stephen Eddy. While 36 businesses were destroyed and others affected by p
Continued ... -
Concert benefits tornado relief
A music complex in Marlow will host a tornado relief concert featuring 11 country and rock artists at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Coffee
Continued ... -
Form allows debris removal
Moore property owners who want city-hired contractors to remove and haul debris from their homes destroyed by the May 20 tornado must sign a right-of-entry form. The form gives city contractors permission to access the property.
Continued ... -
Moore businesses recovering
Business will soon be booming in Moore, City Manager Stephen Eddy said. While 36 businesses were destroyed and others affected by
Continued ... - Business gives abstract help
- Q&A with emergency director
- No cost for certificates
- Schools smashed
- Charity battles red tape
-
- Sports
-
Former NBA All-Star Otis Birdsong talks with a kids before a basketball camp for Moore tornado victims June 13 at Moore High. Michael Kinney/The American
-
Doing it for the kids
Howard Barnett said his son still has nightmares. Even though it has been more than three weeks since the EF-5 tornado ripped through Moore, killing 24 people and injuring another 300, 6-year-old Adorian Barnett is still feeling the effects.
-
Changes in store at the 4th Annual Heartland Classic
The 4th Annual Heartland Classic is on tap for next week in Moore and Norman. Organizers are excited about the new changes to the baseball tournament that used to be known as the SunBelt.
-
Silent auction planned for Heartland
A national high school baseball tournament in Norman is looking for volunteers to house out-of-town players June 17-22 and is holding a silent auction to fund tornado relief.
-
Doing it for the kids
