Elgin athletic achievements reviewed from 2022

ELGIN — Several outstanding athletic performances from Elgin teams and individuals occurred in 2022 including a playoff appearance from the football team during its first year in Class 5A.

Southwest Chronicle looks back at some of these top achievements and accolades they brought to the Elgin school district.

The Owl gridiron team won its first six games of the season, which was a major accomplishment after finishing 4-6 the previous season in Class 4A. Elgin encountered a setback against Noble as the Bears bested the Owls 32-21. However, Elgin bounced back with wins over Duncan and Lawton MacArthur before losing in dramatic fashion to Midwest City in the final regular season matchup.

Despite the loss to Midwest City, Elgin still earned a playoff spot against Guthrie, but the Blue Jays were too much and posted a 17-0 win over the Owls.

“It’s difficult to find a team that plays as hard as our guys did all season,” Elgin head coach Chalmer Wyatt said after the loss. “We appreciate our seniors for their effort. It’s a bittersweet ending, but we’re still very proud of this team.”

Several Elgin players received post-season honors and assistant coach Jack Baker was named to the All-State coaching staff.

As a team, Elgin won the Class 5A State Academic Championship and was presented with the trophy at the 5A state title game. The Elgin varsity team compiled a 3.57 grade point average.

Cross-country

Elgin cross-country runner Audrey McElhaney finished second at the Class 5A state meet this year and wound up as the second highest ranked runner in Oklahoma.

McElhaney won six races during the cross-country season and finished second in three others. She’ll return for her senior season with hopes of capturing her first state title. McElhaney finished the state meet race with a time of 18:55, one second behind the winner.

Marrero, a senior who qualified for the state meet for four years, finished the 5K race with a time of 21:03.

In the regional meet, McElhaney narrowly defeated nemesis Lily Scheck, of Piedmont, for the first time in 2022.

Wrestling

In the 2021-2022 season, Elgin had several wrestlers place at the state tournament and the team won the 5A state academic championship. Rylan Hitt was undefeated during his senior season and was crowned the state champion at 285 pounds. He was also Elgin’s Male Senior Athlete of the Year. During his senior season, 15 of Hitt’s 18 wins were from pins.

In addition, Elgin’s Symphony Veloz finished sixth at the National Freestyle Wrestling Championships in the 170-pound weight class. The event was held at Fargo, North Dakota.

Elgin head coach Cody Rowell was named Region 4 Coach of the Year.

Golf

Jessica Diley and Clay Underhill qualified for the Class 5A state tournament.

Swimming

Vivian Vanderpool was named Elgin’s first All-State swimmer.

Baseball

Corbin Davidson was named a Fellowship of Christian Athletes all-star and Phillip Pryor was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association’s Class 5A West All-Star team. Both games were played this past summer.

Softball

Elgin Outfielder Hannah Endicott was named a Class 6A All-Stater for 2022 in slow pitch softball. She was also named Elgin’s Female Senior Athlete of the Year with All-District and All-Region honors in fast pitch softball.

Track

During the state track meet in the spring, McElhaney placed fourth in the 800-meter run, third in the 1600 meters and fifth in the 3200-meter run. In addition, the girls 4×200 and 4×400 meter relay teams ran well and are expected to return for the 2023 season.

On the boys’ side, hurdlers Tre Harris and Langston Roberts were state placers in the 110 and 300 meter races. The boys 4×100 relay team finished third. Team members were Blake Balch, Matt Lund, Treyvon Crabtree and Shun Deener. In addition, the boys 4×800 meter relay team was one spot removed from being a state placer.

Another highlight was that the Elgin’s boys’ track team was crowned the Class 5A state academic champions with a grade point average of 3.94.

Tennis

The doubles team of Carter Croft and Anthony Bianchini finished fifth at the 5A regional tournament, which left them as state tournament alternates.