TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma Christian cross country opened the 2026 season Thursday night with a strong showing at the Rogers State Distance After Dark, highlighted by three top-10 individual finishes and a third-place team finish from the OC men and on the women's side, senior Brooke Latham and junior Kinley Kite led the Eagles with a pair of top-10 finishes in the 5K.

Freshman Ryder Strohman led the way for the Eagles in the men's four-mile race, finishing third overall in his collegiate debut. Strohman crossed the finish line in 20:17.1, averaging 5:04.3 per mile.

Oklahoma Christian placed three more runners inside the top 25. Sophomore Caden Triantos finished 18th with a time of 20:58.2, while juniors Cole Davenport and Cole Powell finished back-to-back in 22nd and 23rd. Davenport crossed the line in 21:03.6, followed closely by Powell at 21:04.8.

The strong group effort helped Oklahoma Christian finish third in the 14-team field with 92 points. Oklahoma Baptist won the men's team title with 45 points.

Latham finished sixth overall after crossing the line in 18:05.6, averaging 5:49.4 per mile. Kite was right behind her, finishing ninth with a time of 18:11.7.

Freshman Graycie Lucas turned in a strong performance in her collegiate debut, finishing 33rd overall with a time of 19:17.7. Senior Caroline Karr followed in 41st at 19:26.4, while senior Itzel Flores rounded out OC's scoring five with a time of 20:06.8.

Oklahoma Christian finished fifth in the 17-team women's field with 145 points. Host Rogers State won the team title with 45 points, followed by Tulsa, Oklahoma Baptist and Oklahoma City.

The Eagles will look to build on the momentum later in September, when they race at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, OK on the 26th at 8:30 a.m.