Friday, Nov. 18, 2022

Born to battle

Sanders' competitiveness key in rise as OSU star

Sam Hutchens Staff Reporter

Kasey Dunn felt the need to interject.

He wanted to clarify how Spencer Sanders, OSU’s senior quarterback, was feeling when Sanders swapped his black beanie for a helmet and ran onto the frigid Boone Pickens Stadium field where 11 defenders, wanting nothing more than a chance to hit him, stood wait ing.

A reporter asked Dunn what it meant for the injured Sanders to take the field in a bid to lead a comeback, despite Sanders playing through some pain.

“Not some,” Dunn cut in. “A ton of pain.”

Sanders’ competitiveness has been a constant factor in his rise at OSU. His burning desire to win was something he had well before he started a game for the Cowboys, and it has been a central attribute as a four-year starter to racking up 30 wins — two behind Mason Rudolph for most wins all-time at OSU.

And Sanders’ availability for Bedlam Saturday in Norman — he insists he’ll start — will be vital to

When: Saturday 6:30 p.m.

Where: Gaylord FamilyOklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman.

TV: ABC

trading the yards for a hit.

Classic.

“This man lowers his shoulder every week,” defensive end Brendon Evers said earlier this season. “He plays like he’s a 300-pound defen sive lineman sometimes running the ball. So a lot of respect for him.”

When Dave Henigan was hired as the Denton Ryan High School football coach in 2014, he knew his first task.

Talk to the kid.

“The first day on the job, I went to Strickland middle school to meet Spencer Sanders,” Henigan said.”

During Henigan’s job inter view, Joey Florence, the former Denton Ryan coach who hired Heni

D E F I

When: Saturday; Women's 6K at 9:20 a.m. ; Men's 10K at 10:10 a.m.

Where: Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course Tickets: $10 onsite or online at tickets.okstate.edu

TV: ESPNU

What's at stake: OSU could become first team to win a national championship on its home course

Cook-ing time

Freshman phenom chasing national championship

Natalie Cook still gets nervous before races.

Interesting, considering she’s the most accomplished high school runner to ever don the OSU or ange.

Cook, a freshman distance runner for the Cowgirls, is pre paring for the biggest test of her

Ben Hutchens Assistant Sports Editor

Natalie Cook

Kasey Dunn

Even when Sanders transitioned to playing quarterback later in grade school, his running back roots remained a big part of his game.

Sanders started as a 14-year-old freshman for Denton Ryan — something Henigan said is unheard of for the 6A level in Texas.

Twice, injuries derailed state championship hopes. Sanders tore both his ACL’s in high school, both times the victim of an in-game non-contact injury. The first time was two weeks after his sister Carissa, an accomplished soccer player at North Texas, was released after tearing hers in a soccer match.

The Sanders family already had doctors and a training program lined up. Four hard months later, Sanders was back healthy.

“They were like, ‘Do you want to wear a brace?’” David said. “The doctor told (Spencer and Carissa) they could. But it wouldn’t stop them from tearing it again.”

David said his childrens’ answers were the same.

“They were like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to wear it. It makes me look crippled,” David said.

It connects back to Sanders’ com petitive spirit. He hates admitting defeat. And it’s not something he turns on and off.

“He’s quite competitive,” sopho more receiver John Paul Richardson

said. “It doesn’t matter what we’re do ing. We might be playing basketball, it could be rock paper scissors, it doesn’t matter. That’s a good mindset for a quarterback.”

The Sanders family has a game room upstairs in their house and a bas ketball goal. Between the four Sanders — all athletes — plenty of battles have been waged at the house.

“It don’t matter what it is,” David said. “If there was a pro shoe-tying con test, he’d be in it.”

Senior safety Jason Taylor II, one of Sanders’ roommates, said their house gets loud when they play video games. Call of Duty, Madden, it doesn’t matter. The recently released 2K23 is the cur rent game of choice.

Taylor II said Sanders is just as competitive on the couch holding a con troller as he is on the sideline holding a helmet.

Both players claim superiority at Madden. Taylor also admits their third roommate, senior receiver CJ Tate, doesn’t lose much. And no, that math doesn’t add up.

What does add up is the clamor. Sanders gets as rambunctious in the liv ing room during 2K tournaments as he does on the field.

“Especially if he’s not making his shots,” sophomore receiver Bryson Green said.

Henigan said competitiveness is an ideal trait for a quarterback, even if it cannot be turned off.

“(Sanders) won’t probably admit to this, but he just can’t stand losing to me in Ping-Pong, which happened pretty regularly back in the day,” Henignan

said.”

When Henigan got the better of Sanders during a team dinner at Heni gan’s house, Sanders claimed his coach had an unfair home-table advantage. When they drove to Sanders’ house for a rematch, the result did not change. “I guarantee you, he’ll still want to play coach Henigan to this day,” David said. “He’s got to get the title back. It’s just the way he is.”

Competitiveness is certainly not a trait unique to Sanders among Big 12 football players. But some plays Sanders has made separate him from the pack. With 6:20 left in the fourth quarter of OSU’s game against Baylor, the Cow boys were suddenly put in a vulnerable position.

Up eight and trying to bleed the rest of the clock, OSU freshman Ollie Gordon took a handoff. Running left, Gordon was hit. A Baylor defender squared up his helmet with Gordon’s forearm, dislodging the ball.

It spun like a top on the Baylor 10-yard line, free for the taking like a fresh ribeye dropped in the lion’s cage at a zoo.

Sanders went headfirst.

“It was like somebody called grenade and he gave up his body for it,” Dunn said. “Because he dove straight in there with no regard for safety himself.”

Baylor’s Cole Maxwell and Gabe Hall, 581 pounds of muscle in pads, dove too, but Sanders was there. He absorbed the blows at the bottom of the pile, clinging to the ball and allowing OSU to kick a field goal.

“There’s a lot of quarterbacks who wouldn’t do that,” Dunn said. “Not just

in the Big 12. They’re all over the place. Fortunately we don’t have one of them. That guy was on it. It was something else. I’ll take (Sanders) in battle any day.”

Coach Mike Gundy said Sanders has grown each year, stacking his innate competitiveness with other skills.

“Early in his career, he didn’t look anything like he looks now,” Gundy said.

Gundy said there was a lot of external pressure to bench Sanders as a freshman. Gundy said Sanders would throw with the third-teamers on Sunday nights and complete 2-for-10.

Gundy said he never considered benching him, even when OSU strug gled.

“He just keeps finding a way to win games,” Gundy said. “He has a competitive nature, and now he’s devel oped a calmness and a humbleness about him that is hard to replace. He’ll be hard to replace.”

By winning out this season, Sand ers would become the all-time win leader. After OSU’s national champion ship aspirations deteriorated and he was held out of two starts due to injury, some thought Sanders would shut it down. After all, he has a potential NFL career to shoot for, or at least a super senior season in college to impress scouts. Now that the roles are reversed, and Gundy is pressured about the soonest Sanders can play instead of the viability of benching him, Sanders said he’s not sitting out 2022.

“I’m too competitive for that s***,” Sanders said.

Going bowling

OSU’s bowl game predictions

Allen Staff Reporter

As the latter por tion of the 2022 season peaks, the finale looms for each team.

Rampant talks re garding bowl game pro jections and the college football playoff picture become more prevalent. Heading into the final two games of the regular season, OSU is 7-3.

boys will need to win out and finish with a 9-3 record. OSU would also have to be the second best Big 12 team remain ing if TCU makes the College Football Playoff.

Texas Bowl: The only likely way OSU makes a reap pearance is if it drops one of its next two contests and finishes in the fourth to fifth place range in the Big 12 with around eight wins in the regular season.

Who’s going to care about Bedlam?

Trevino Sports Editor

The noise doesn’t bother Mike Gundy, but he hopes somebody will look ignorant in hindsight.

In September, when Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione and OSU’s Chad Weiberg declared the annual Bedlam game will end when the Sooners jump to the SEC, ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum laughed and said with a smirk, “Ha, nobody cares… This is a nice little game in a small state, but the rest of the country is giving it a big yawn.”

Last year’s 37-33 OSU win drew 7.7-million viewers at its peak, and ESPN ranked it as the 4th best college football game of the year. A respectable feat, but didn’t come close to the biggest games of 2021. Eight games averaged more view ers than Bedlam had at its highest, including notable rivalries such as Michigan vs Ohio State and Ala bama vs Auburn.

2022’s edition of the 118-year long contest will be featured on ABC during the premier timeslot after the success of the previous matchup. This season, both teams are far from the playoff-aspiring squads they have been. With a 5-5 OU team and 7-3 OSU, is anybody going to watch? And when the ri valry takes a hiatus after 2024, who will continue to care? Who does care about Bedlam anyway?

Oklahoma (State)

One team holds a 90-19-7 all-

time record over the other. It also at one point won 19 straight games over the other. And the same pro gram claims seven national cham pionships and 50 conference titles to the other’s one national and 10 conference.

Oklahoma’s dominance over OSU is unquestioned. For the first 91 years of the rivalry, the Sooners pranced over the Cowboys, while nothing but heartbreak for OSU.

In ‘83, a kickoff deflected off OSU’s Chris Rockins’ helmet and straight into the arms of OU’s Scott Case, allowing the Sooners to com plete a fourth-quarter comeback.

Another disaster occurred five years later in Gundy’s third game vs OU as quarterback, when his game-win ning pass went through the hands of Brent Parker in the back of the end zone on the final play of the game.

With three losses, the Cowboys’ chances of making the playoffs are slim to none.

Here is a look at each of those possible bowl games, the current projections and what needs to transpire in order for coach Mike Gundy’s team to make an appearance in each.

Cheez-it Bowl: Sitting at 7-3, the Cowboys would have to be the third or fourth best Big 12 team re maining at the end of the season — depending whether TCU makes the College Football Playoff or not — for Orlando to be the destination for OSU.

Alamo Bowl: For OSU to make its fourth appearance in San Antonio, the Cow

Liberty Bowl: If the Cowboys drop their final two games of the regular sea son, OSU may find itself in Nashville, Tennessee.

Sugar Bowl: While highly im probable, a New Year’s Six bowl game appear ance for the Cowboys isn’t quite out of the picture.

At the same time a lot needs to happen. First, the Cowboys need to win out and finish 9-3 on the year and make it to the Big 12 champion ship game. For that to happen, Baylor must drop one of its next two regular season games, and Kansas State would also need to lose out. Finally, OSU would need to win the conference title game in order to make an appearance in its second consecutive New Year’s Six bowl in as many years.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Daniel

Gabriel

See Bedlam on 7A

File Photo

Last summer, it was announced that both Oklahoma and Texas will join the Southeastern Conference by 2025.

sports

OSU embraces, feeds into home course’s ‘monster’ reputation

Family Course was under remodeling when Smith was recruiting Hentemann, and he gave her an unnerving pitch, similar to the stories the senior spreads on the internet – just with a different ending.

Braden Bush Staff Reporter

The legend of the Greiner Family Cross Country Course grows on Gabby Hentemann’s social media accounts.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, I post stuff (about the course),” Hentemann said.

Hentemann, a senior distance runner, likes to get in the heads of other cross-country athletes and use her home course’s reputation to her benefit. Nothing negative, but definitely intimi dating.

“They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, like it’s a monster, really? Say my good byes? What does this mean?’”

The course, home to OSU men’s and women’s cross country, already holds an arduous reputation that needs no assistance in being upheld. But Hen temann enjoys planting extra fear.

It’s a shot at enhancing homecourse advantage ahead of the 2022 NCAA Cross Country National Cham pionships in Stillwater on Saturday, and Hentemann and the other Cowboys and Cowgirls want as much of it as possible. Even though they’re familiar with it, the course is still among the toughest in the country.

Those fretful social media re sponses are questions and concerns that’s brought teams to Stillwater, look ing to preview the course.

Ahead of the 2020 NCAA Cross Country National Championships, held at the Greiner Family Course, North ern Arizona (the eventual men’s team champion) scheduled two meet trips to OSU. This season, many of the top teams in the country competed at the Cowboy Jamboree to get a practice-go. And maybe to shake off some of those daunting posts.

“A lot of coaches, if it was me, I’d want to take them out and say look, it’s not as bad as you’ve heard,” said OSU cross country coach Dave smith.

Using the course as a tactic isn’t an idea new to Hentemann. The Greiner

“Dave (coach Smith), the first phone call I had with him, he said, ‘We’re gonna make it the hardest cross country course on the planet,’” Hen temann recalled. “And I said, ‘Why would you do that?’ And he was like, ‘Because we’re gonna know it better than anyone.’”

The remodeling was completed in 2019 and other teams have had chances to get on the course by now, but there’s still unfamiliarity. They don’t run it ev ery week. And Hentemann makes sure they know about it.

“It’s kinda fun to do that, and Dave loves that,” Hentemann said. “He always says like, ‘It’s all good fun.’ And it does scare people, it does get in their heads.” ***

Don’t be deceived by the nearly 1-million square feet of green Astro Bermuda grass, prairie and forests con stituting the Greiner Family Course. Its beauty stops when the race starts.

“The course that we’re going to is as close to the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb as they come,” Arkansas coach Lance Harter told LetsRun.com before the 2020 NCAAs.

Hentemann saw the ugly side of the course during that championship race, where she finished 250th out of 253 runners.

“Yeah, I was the horror story,” Hentemann said.

Hentemann and Smith said the hills on the course are what separates it from others. And not just the hills, but where they are positioned. By the quarter-way mark of the race, competi tors are constantly running uphill and downhill, presenting fatigue early in the race.

Where a runner would normally be able to conserve energy for later in the race, they are instead facing eleva tion changes and exerting themselves prematurely.

“I think our course is one that if you get over-extended early in the race,

you’re gonna pay the price,” Smith said. “And I tell our athletes, ‘Hey, you’re not going to win this race in the first couple of minutes, but you could definitely lose it.’ And that’s true of this course, for sure.”

It’s also true the course can get the best of a runner before even step ping to the starting line.

“It’s psychologically probably more stressful than it is physiologically stressful,” Smith said.

Preparing a game plan for the course is a mental hurdle. How long to hold back? When to push? How far out to start the final push? The course stays the same but the results and feel can be different each time it’s ran, especially if a runner’s mindset isn’t right.

“The course changes on how you slept the night before, how you slept the night before that,” said Rory Leonard, a member of the OSU men’s team. “Any internal factors, any small stresses from the day before.”

Hentemann likes to see the looks on her opponents’ faces when they see the course.

“When they come to Stillwa ter and the plane lands, they’re like, ‘Where the hell are we?’” Hentemann said.

There are no mountains in the background, just a little grass and a few trees. Usually windy. The temperature Saturday morning during the race is ex pected to dip into the 20s. It’s different than what many of the other athletes are used to.

“And I love that because I love seeing people get all freaked out about the course,” Hentemann said. “I defi nitely play into that a little bit, but I think that’s a big part of it.”

The culmination of all those fac tors results in just what Smith envi sioned when he made the phone call to Hentemann years ago – one of the toughest cross country courses in the country.

“Yeah, our course is kind of a monster,” Hentemann said.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Men’s teams competing

No. 21 Oregon No. 22 George town No. 23 Harvard No. 24 Princeton No. 25 Michigan No. 25 Alabama No. 27 Colorado State No. 28 Texas No. 29 Ole Miss No. 30 Butler Utah State

Women’s

teams

No. 1 North Carolina State No. 2 New Mexico No. 3 OSU No. 4 Notre Dame No. 5 Alabama No. 6 Northern Arizona No. 7 Utah No. 8 Stanford No. 9 Oregon No. 10 BYU No. 11 Colorado No. 12 Colorado State No. 13 North Carolina No. 14 George town No. 15 Washing ton No. 16 Virginia No. 17 Ohio State No. 18 Provi

dence No. 19 Michigan No. 20 Michigan State No. 21 Arkansas No. 22 California Baptist No. 23 Oregon State No. 23 Wiscon sin No. 25 Toledo No. 26 Florida State No. 27 Utah Valley No. 28 Syracuse No. 29 West Virginia No. 30 North western Texas

competing No. 1 Stanford No. 2 Northern Arizona No. 3 BYU No. 4 OSU No. 5 Tulsa No. 6 Wisconsin No. 7 Colorado No. 8 Air Force No. 9 Syracuse No. 10 North Carolina No. 11 Villanova No. 12 Wake Forest No. 13 Notre Dame No. 14 Tennessee No. 15 Gonzaga No. 16 Virginia No. 17 Washing ton No. 18 Montana State No. 19 North Carolina State No. 20 Arkansas

finger loop” could give OSU edge in National Championship

go back down a steep hill and up a steep hill.”

Sam Hutchens Staff Reporter

The middle finger loop is aptly named. Sure, it’s the fin ger loop in the middle at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course.

But the double, symbolic meaning of the name works, too. It is a brutal stretch tucked at the back of the 10K run.

“It’s a 700-me ter loop that you do twice,” OSU cross country coach Dave Smith said. “It’s down a steep hill, up a steep hill, turn around and

The Cowboys and Cowgirls running in the National Cham pionships in Stillwater on Saturday have an advantage. Smith es timates they have run it about 50 times this season.

Other athletes — even ones who ran the 8K Cowboy Jamboree race in September — will not have run it.

The middle finger loop only comes to play after 8,000 meters have been run.

“The 8K does not run the middle finger loops,” Smith said.

“The 10K, you run it twice.”

OSU’s home course, which opened in 2019, is one of the nicest in the country.

It is also unique in terms of its surround ings. A dense tree line surrounds runners on the course, which can disrupt spacial aware ness.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls are ex tremely familiar with the course’s unique attributes. Smith says it will help in OSU’s quest for men’s and women’s national titles.

“It’s harder on our course to know where you are,” Smith said. “You kind of get lost, especially when you’re tired and your ability to concentrate starts to evaporate. For our athletes, they don’t have to think and wonder and concen trate to figure to where they are.”

Courtesy of OSU Athletics

OSU runners and opponents considers the OSU Greiner Family Cross Country Course to be “a monster.”

“Middle

sports

Cowboy crash course

Foster forced transition from broken to All-American

“For a 24-year-old to get their spine fused together is unheard of,” he said. “That usually happens to people in their 70s or 80s.”

Engel Co-Editor-in-Chief

Shea Foster clutched the black steering wheel of his 2012 white Jeep and absorbed the crunch. He drove to practice at the University of South eastern Louisiana, like so many times before.

Except this time was almost his last.

Foster peered left, never seeing the out-of-control, red 18-wheeler barrel ing toward him. The truck crashed into the passenger side of his car, the Jeep’s right front tire buckling sideway and compressing itself into a pile of mangled metal.

Car alarms sounded and carnage filled the street.

For Foster, all seemed ruined. Doctors told him as much.

Everything he worked for — a walk-on spot at his third school and a graduate transfer commitment to OSU — seemed gone.

Yet somehow, in mere months, Foster transformed himself from broken and temporarily paralyzed into an AllAmerican. Although Foster won’t run Saturday, his inspiration and encourage ment is still felt. He will cheer the No. 4 Cowboys as they contend for an NCAA Cross Championship come Saturday.

No team has captured a national championship on its own course. That could change Saturday.

***

A blank space occupies two days of memory.

The time between the point of that 18-wheeler’s impact and Foster awaken ing from a coma; all lost to unconscious ness.

His eyes opened in a Hammond, Louisiana, hospital room, and several cords funneled into his body. An oxy gen mask covered his mouth and nose. What happened? Confusion clouded his mind. Where am I? What’s going on?

“I knew it wasn’t something good,” Foster said.

His family filled him on every thing. Critical condition. In a coma for 48 hours.

“Man, it was scary,” he said. “It was scary knowing that it could’ve been it for me.”

He was still alive but immobilized. Paralyzed from the waist down for two weeks. Fractured spine. Wait a minute, Foster thought, what about running? Cross country season?

Doctors delivered the news Foster didn’t want to hear.

‘You might not be able to walk again,’” he said. “I was like, ‘No. I’m running again.’ Don’t worry. I didn’t come back to get in this great of shape for it to go away.”

Foster signed for a closing chapter at OSU, an opportunity to attend gradu ate school and work toward his ultimate goal of national champion. Lying help less in that bed, it didn’t seem realistic.

Yet this is a walk-on who attended practice despite coaches telling him they did not want him at Southeastern Louisi ana. A guy who broke his kneecap at his first school, Lamar. A guy who perhaps didn’t belong, until finally getting seri ous his fourth year.

“All I did was go to the weight room and enjoyed college,” he said. “I was like a regular college student. I was always partying. I was doing whatever, but I was not running.”

Foster even quit school at one point to work as a valet driver in order to financially assist his mother, whose house was flooded in Hurricane Harvey.

But it’s the same guy who used the COVID-19 shutdown to train and reach his peak.

So the doctor’s prognosis didn’t apply to Foster, even with no feeling in his legs and wires and IVs crisscrossing his body. Whatever it took, Foster as sured everyone that he would be fine.

It started with recovery.

The crash occurred in June 2021. He was supposed to report to OSU in August. Before he could walk, however, he needed to regain feeling in his body.

When the doctors said he might not walk again, Foster interpreted it as a challenge. He said the first attempts to move using a walker didn’t go well. Not when your spine is broken.

Foster received a 360 spinal fu sion, the first surgery needed in the recovery.

The procedure required surgeons to slice through both sides of his neck to reach the spine. Screws and rods were inserted to bring the broken pieces together.

Foster’s life, held together with eight screws and four rods.

He didn’t realize the importance of his spine until it was broken. He couldn’t control his bladder. No feeling in his feet.

Foster wasn’t focused on that.

He was more worried about losing his scholarship to OSU. That’s where his relationship with OSU coach Dave Smith blossomed. Smith promised to pay tuition whether Foster ran or not.

Doctors still emphasized the seri ousness to Foster. The desire to compete disregarded the medical recommenda tions. His focus: recover in time to compete in November’s national cham pionship after surgery in June.

Medical guidelines suggested an eight-to-12-month recovery to perform simple household activities, such as do ing dishes and walking around.

Not in Foster’s world. He pushed to walk a mile a few weeks after the surgery. He walked a 40-minute mile.

“I was ecstatic,” said Foster, who used to run a mile in four minutes. “The perspective changes totally.”

He viewed each day as a challenge to improve his time. He walked with his grandmother, Judy Horn. She couldn’t keep up with him after a few weeks.

Foster ditched his teammate and contin ued — just like he does in races.

Neighbors noticed, too. Folks that Horn didn’t know. They witnessed the determination.

“They were like, ‘I’m going to go find out, what in the heck?’ How are you doing?” Horn said.

That wasn’t his first crash, either. Not his first time with a long recovery. After a previous crash in the summer of 2019, Foster injured his knees and back while at SLU.

He fought through the pain and earned All-American honors in the 5K at the 2021 Indoor Track and Field Championships. SLU’s assistant coach, Rocky Capello, noticed one thing that separated Foster from his competitors.

“I have to stop him,” Capello said.

Hard to stop a self-made runner who is stubborn for success.

“If you watch the video of the national championship in indoor track when he ran 13:32, he crosses the finish line and just collapses in pain,” Capello said. “He was like that in workouts.

“He didn’t want to quit because he wanted to be great.”

Much like then, Foster continued recovery despite the excruciating pain, which he likened to an old prank toy.

“You know the little trick thing you did in middle school with a piece a gum?” he said. “You pull it, and it shocks you? Imagine just tugging on that and walking around. But in your back.”

Things progressed so well that Foster moved to Stillwater on time. He was running 60 miles a week, two months after he couldn’t walk.

Surgeons still didn’t clear him. Not until a year out. Would be medical malpractice otherwise. At one point, Foster persuaded the doctors to give him an MRI.

“I’m like, ‘Trust me. I wouldn’t be lying to you if I didn’t think I could do this,’” Foster said.

The bones fused together. Spine intact. Not broken. Surgeons were flab bergasted. How does this happen?

“He was like, ‘I have to show this

to six other surgeons because we’ve never seen anything like this,” Foster said. “’We’d never seen the bone fuse together that quickly.’

“He was like, ‘I should clear you, but I don’t feel right clearing you.’”

Two months of recovery compared to the average recovery of a year. Deter mination and belief. Call it the Foster effect.

Ultimately, he gained clearance, but was forced to adjust to a new nor mal. He lost a lot of back muscle from the surgery and needed to regain that strength and learn to manage his pain.

Even now, Foster receives epidural injections each couple of weeks.

“It’s just like pain management,” he said. “Basically you go under an esthesia and they put a needle in your spine. It’s basically to calm all the nerves around your spine. It just relaxes them so they don’t fire and hurt.

“You just don’t hear people getting a spinal fusion and competing in sports.”

He practiced through the season and guess what? He stepped into his orange uniform and raced in November. All-American honors, finishing 27th at the 2021 nationals. The team finished third.

All with determination that bor dered insanity. You’re crazy until you do it.

Foster’s experiences shaped the comeback. He’s used to adversity. He never met his father, Steve Cormier. His adopted father committed suicide when Foster was in fifth grade.

Then the crash, one that changed Foster in many ways; a transformation of sorts. Two versions of Foster. A near death experience can change a man.

“It was the worst and best thing that ever happened in my life,” he said. “Worst because the pain is insane. Hav ing that big of a surgery at this young of an age is absurd.”

Foster said the crash taught pa tience. Perspective. Running isn’t the only thing in life.

He learned a lot from the stoplight surveillance footage.

He didn’t want to watch the video. Why would he? A traumatic experience that nearly resulted in death. Yet Foster forced himself to watch. He found more benefit than if he hadn’t.

Peace.

“This is what happened,” he said. “Know what happened and don’t be ashamed of it. It wasn’t your fault.”

He made another discovery. He used the grainy footage to piece together the puzzle.

A mom — a local middle school teacher, hopped out of her vehicle and dragged Foster’s motionless, bloody and disfigured body, out of the Jeep.

“She’s like my guardian angel,” Foster said. “If she didn’t pull me out, I wouldn’t have made it.”

When Foster watched the video, he settled with the past. Battled with a grudge that subsided into forgiveness.

“At one point, I did not like the driver who hit me,” he said. “I had a lot of hate toward him. I was just like, ‘You ruined my life.’ Why did this happen to me?”

He met his future, too. He em braced the story and used it as motiva tion. It carries toward his teammates, too.

Isai Rodriguez, also recovered from a car accident. Similar experiences draw a team closer.

“He’s out here suffering with us,” Rodriguez said. “Doing the work with us and pushing us. He’s out here living it. Not just speaking about it but also doing it.

“For us to have that, it’s such a motivator for the team.”

Foster, who will graduate with a master’s degree in December, wants to move to New York City and work in finance. Cross country is just a part of his story.

“Having coach Dave Smith here is just like having a second dad,” Foster said. “I knew that this where I wanted to go. I wanted to be at Oklahoma State.” Oh, and he will star in a Netflix reality TV show in the spring.

“I’m a firm believer in Jesus,” he said. “If I hadn’t believed in Jesus before, after this he’s 100% real and he’s made a huge impact in my life. I’m forever thankful.”

Courtesy of Shea Foster

OSU graduate transfer Shea Foster recovered from a broken spine suffered in a car crash and earned AllAmerican honors months after. Doctors told him that he might not be able to run again.

Adam

Courtesy of OSU Athletics

Shea Foster finished 27th at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships and helped the team place third.

Cooking...

Cross Country championships and the Eastbay Cross Country Champion ships, cementing her as the 2021 undisput ed high-school cross-country champion.

As a high-schooler, Cook’s times would have put her among the NCAA’s elite.

“I told her this, ‘Natalie, I don’t think I want to change anything from what you did in high school,’” Smith said. “‘Let’s just repeat your senior year and we don’t have to do more, we don’t have to go faster, let’s just try to match what you did in high school.

Allen Staff Reporter

As Sivan Auerbach paces around the starting line during cross country meets, she reflects on how fortunate she is.

She enjoys the luxury of gold medals, trophies and boosting the No. 3-ranked Cowgirl cross country team to first-place finishes in races. Life is good.

Two years ago, rather than waking up in a dorm in the middle of a college campus, Auerbach woke to faded bed room walls in military barracks.

The junior cross country runner spent two years of her life undergoing mandatory military service back home in Israel.

From the ages of 18 to 20, Auer bach served as a combat fitness instruc tor to Israeli militants. She spent her time training soldiers to be in good shape for battle.

“It was really good experience for me and my leadership skills,” Auerbach

sports

‘“If you can run like you did in high school, you’re going to be an All-Ameri can, and that’s all we need.’”

Cook could have run collegiately practically anywhere, but when Smith told her about the athletes committed to OSU and the opportunity to compete in an NCAA Championship at home she wanted to buy in.

Her big buy-in is paying off.

Cook said she thinks everyone overcomes difficulties when acclimating to a new environment like college, but she is pleased with her transition. She said her teammates and coaches have all been welcoming.

“(Cook) was one of the best ever in high school so it’s been super cool to see her come in, be able to work with her and just get to know her,” Roe said. “You see

people around and you see who is coming up and who is next but then to actually know them as a person and be able to call them your teammate I think that’s pretty special.”

Results have been up to standard. This season, Cook won the Cowboy Jamboree, fourth in the Weis-Crockett Invitational and second in the previously mentioned Midwest Regional.

“I didn’t really expect (the transi tion from high school to college) to be this smooth, but I’m pleased with how I’ve been doing this year,” Cook said.

All signs are pointing toward top finishes in the NCAA Cross Country Na tional Championships for both OSU teams and Cook individually.

Cook said to ease nerves, Smith has been telling his team it is just another

race.

But the truth is, it’s not just another race. It is a historic opportunity over a decade in the making.

“To get a course to the level where we could host a national championship, then to win the bid, then to have two pro grams on that year ready to contend for a national title, I mean, a lot of things had to go right over the last 15 years for that to happen,” Smith said.

So, for Cook, regardless of what Smith tells her, nerves will be there Satur day morning at the starting line like they always are. She is ready for them.

“I’m just going to see how I do, just going to try my best,” Cook said.

Which, for OSU, will be just fine.

Championship Contenders

said. “It wasn’t easy and there were many times I wished I wasn’t there. But looking back on it, it definitely gave me perspective and different experiences that I still take with me as I go on with life.”

One of her favorite aspects of her service is the unity it brought within the people of Israel. A number of different people are gathered together and left to fend for themselves. In Auerbach’s expe rience, it taught her to not be self-reliant, open to opposing opinions and to learn to appreciate people for who they are and not what she wishes they were.

“All of us, we all had differ ent backgrounds, beliefs, ethnic traits, opinions on certain issues and morals,” Auerbach said. “But as time progressed we realized that we needed to come to gether for the betterment of our country. We needed to work together for a com mon goal and doing all that with various groups of people helped me learn to embrace conflict.”

She still performs similar tasks at OSU, but now, it’s for a different pur pose.

Auerbach is embraced by her teammates as one of the leaders on the women’s cross-country team. Although her age and two years of experience on the roster certainly helps, they’ve done

so even since her freshman season at OSU.

Auerbach credits this to her “tough as nails” persona derived from her time in the military.

“The military shapes you in the right way to put it bluntly,” Auerbach said. “But I enjoyed every bit of it. Like I have said, there absolutely were times I hated it there but I know it was all in my best interest and it’s shaped me into the person I am today.”

Whether she’s in the deserts of Israel or running a race with an orange and black uniform, nothing changes. On and off the track, she remains the same, hard-nosed athlete who is willing to do anything it takes for the betterment of her team.

“Sivan acts like she’s a freshman, and it certainly feels like it because time has flown by since she’s gotten here, but in hindsight nothing has changed about her,” said head coach Dave Smith. “She really is tough as nails. I think what she can do and what she has confidence in has absolutely no limits. She’s a confi dent kid and can do anything she puts her mind to.”

WOMen to watch:

Chase Davis

Daniel

Mackenzie Janish

Sivan Auerbach, a junior cross country runner from Israel, served in the Israeli military for two years before attending OSU.

Mackenzie Janish

OSU freshman Natalie Cook entered college as the top runner out of high school and adjusted well as a Cowgirl. Cook looks to capture an individual and team national championship Saturday.

Alex Maier, OSU

He has dramatically improved from his 147th finish in 2021.

Charles Hicks, Stanford Fourth in 2021 and is the PAC12 individual champion.

Casey Clinger, BYU WCC champion and is a three-time All-American.

Nico Young, N. Arizona 11th in 2021 on the national championship team.

Parker Valby, Florida SEC champion and returning All-American.

Katelyn Touhy, NC State Two-time All-American and 5K outdoor national champion.

Mercy Chelangat, Bama 2020 National Champion at OSU’s Greiner Family Course.

Auerbach’s

past shaped her running attitude

OSU will host the NCAA Cross Country championships on Saturday.

sports

Bout in the Bahamas

How the Cowboys will embrace the tournament atmosphere in Nassau showcase

Ashton Slaughter Staff Reporter

When OSU basketball is mentioned in the same breath as a tournament, the thought quickly turns toward the post season ban from last season.

However, coach Mike Boynton and his squad hope to change that narrative this weekend in the Bahamas.

“It’s awesome, it’s a great early kind of barometer for us,” Boynton said.

Baha Mar Hoops is a showcase located in Nassau that hosts four college basketball teams to compete in a midseason tournament. This year, the teams are Oklahoma State, Central Florida, DePaul and Santa Clara.

Boynton has had success in recent years at these mid-season tournaments, winning two in recent memory, in 2019 and 2021, as the Cowboys didn’t compete in one during the 2020 season.

“We’ve been on a pretty good streak here in these events and hopefully that continues this week,” Boynton said.

John-Michael Wright, the Cowboy newcomer who transferred from High Point, is not only excited at the opportu nity to compete for a championship but also thrilled at the tournament destina tion.

“It’s always exciting to go to the beach,” Wright said. “It feels good getting to go to the Bahamas and play against good competition to win the championship.”

The most notable of the other teams accompanying the Cowboys to Nassau is the future Big 12 school, UCF, who they face off against on Friday night. Because of their size and athleti cism, Boynton expects it to be a chal lenge for his team this early in the sea son, highlighting big man Moussa Cisse as a key component in that matchup.

“Moussa will be challenged in there for rebounds,” Boynton said, regarding the difficulties the standout center may face. “I think he’ll be able to hold his own but that’ll give us a great indicator of where we can go once con ference play starts.”

Also of note is the Cowboys poten tially facing off against a former player, Yor Anei, as the graduate student for ward played for the Cowboys in 2018-20. Although Boynton wishes the best for his former player, he’s hoping that he doesn’t bring his best if they face off against his new squad.

“I don’t want to see him do well on Sunday if we play him, certainly if it’s for a championship,” Boynton said. “I want to see the kid successful... just not that day.”

Above all, the Cowboys will look to compete for a championship, as the thirst for competition following the NCAA tournament ban from last season still follows this team. Luckily for them, they’re given a golden opportunity to matchup against teams in a March-like setting.

“What you hope is it gives the guys an example of what postseason looks like,” said Boynton “A championship being on the line, playing with a shorter preparation time, playing against teams that you don’t know as well... from a pure basketball standpoint, it’s great.”

Chase Davis

On Friday when OSU faces UCF, OSU coach Mike Boynton said center Moussa Cisse will have a challenge versus the Golden Knight’s big men.

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ʼʼ

rivalry game, even starting to mir ror Texas.”

“It was terrible,” said Jim Traber, radio host and former OSU athlete. “Every year (OSU) didn’t have much of a chance, and they would figure out a way to lose. For Oklahoma State it was depress ing. And for OU, they would laugh.”

But, OU isn’t laughing much anymore.

In the last 27 years, the margin has become tighter. In 1995, the Cowboys broke an 18-year winless streak and shutout OU. Three years later, OSU won its second game over OU in a row for only the fourth time ever. In 2001 and 2002, the Cowboys did so again.

While the Sooners still won most of the meetups, OSU has become a team worthy of OU’s respect.

OU’s main rival has never been OSU — it’s Texas.

The Red River Showdown is much closer of a rivalry than Bedlam. OU even trails Texas in head-to-head record, and that game contains more postseason implications than Bedlam. In the past 10 years, Texas declined while OSU rose, garnering more admira tion.

“Historically, OU’s No. 1 rival has been Texas, that’s their most competitive rival,” said Cody Stavenhagen, former OSU and OU reporter. “That tide has shifted a bit in recent years with OSU being a peren nial top-25 program. There’s been some great Bedlam games in the past decade. To people in Norman, it’s becoming a

George Stoia remembers the lunchroom banter. He re members what color T-shirts people wore, and families who bicker more about football than politics at the Thanksgiving table. For people from Oklahoma, Bedlam week became a battle between neighbors and friends with all bragging rights on the line.

The state’s people didn’t care about Bedlam as much as other rivalries. It was lopsided, and while OU still wins a majority, the games became competitive. OSU developed into a program OU needed to beat to improve its résumé, and the Sooners became the prov ing point for optimistic Cow boy teams.

“It’s a battle of who’s bet ter in the state,” Stoia, a former OU reporter, said. “I have a bunch of friends who went to Oklahoma State, I went to Oklahoma, and you always had those arguments.”

And when Stavenhagen moved to Oklahoma, he discov ered the serotonin and pride a fanbase and community receive following a win over the other.

“My first year at Okla homa State was 2012… You saw photos of that (2011) game everywhere,” Stavenhagen said. “People told stories of how they stormed the field. There

was passion and excitement for Bedlam, and suddenly OU was beatable. That rivalry was palpable.”

Those people care.

The national angle Rivalries between schools in opposite states are what col lege football fans throughout the country crave. Michigan vs Ohio State was the most watched game of last season. Texas vs OU is the state of Texas vs the state of Oklahoma — likewise Florida and Geor gia or Washington and Oregon. Two historic programs going at it draws attention as well, such as USC vs Notre Dame and Army-Navy.

In-state rivalries aren’t viewed the same as larger ones by the remainder of the coun try, as many don’t pay atten tion to localized games, only the ones the country considers more important. The lopsided nature of Bedlam doesn’t help its cause.

“If I mentioned Bedlam to someone up here in Denver, most people wouldn’t know what that is,” Stoia said. “I still

watch, and I take interest in it because I have so much family and friends in it. In the state, that’s all that’s talked about. Outside the state, not so much so. Nationally, there’s a per spective that OU always wins that game.”

Matchups between two teams in the same state still amass a crowd. It’s not to the level of aforementioned games, but the Iron Bowl featuring Alabama and Auburn is near the top of the most watched games of the year.

Michigan and Michigan State is comparable to OU and OSU. It’s watched by many around the country, Michigan’s antagonist is Ohio State like OU’s is Texas, except it doesn’t take away the importance of playing Michigan State and Oklahoma State respectively.

“A casual fan always wants to see a rivalry game…” said Dave Wilson, an ESPN college football writer. “(Bed lam) doesn’t always have the national impact. Sometimes it does matter because Oklahoma is in it, but that’s one of the most important things with what Mike Gundy has done, is that he’s made it relevant. (Last year) I was blown away by the atmosphere.”

The appeal of a rivalry game was enough for Bedlam to appear on primetime TV. OU will be fighting for bowl eligibility, and OSU is looking to win in Norman for the first time since 2014 and back-toback wins in the Mike Gundy head coaching era.

Viewers won’t have many more opportunities to see either team claim satisfaction though.

“It won’t meet last year’s level, but there is still a nation al appeal for a rivalry game,” Wilson said. “To me, one of the most dangerous things realign ment has done is that we’ve lost a lot of traditional rivalries for the fans. The fans are why these things should be happen ing. These schools should be playing each other.”

The fog of uncertainty

The future of Bedlam became hazy last summer when OU announced its planned move to the SEC. Fourteen

ʼʼ

months later, the final domino fell. When the Sooner-SEC merger is complet ed, Bedlam would have to continue as a nonconfer ence game — and OSU is out of spots until 2029. It’s unlikely to cancel plans with another team to make room for the Sooners, with home-andhome deals with Arkan sas, Oregon and Alabama until then. Many college football fans in Texas wish for the Longhorns and Aggies to meet again. Just as the fan bases from West Vir ginia and Pittsburgh desired for those programs to meet again. Rivalries don’t end forever with conference realignment.

Texas and Texas A&M will meet again in the SEC in 2025 after what will be a 14-year break. “The Backyard Brawl” between WVU and Pitt took an 11-year pause until 2022, when the teams met again to the comfort of fans. OU and OSU fans will have to wait it out, too, though national viewers likely won’t think of the time gap.

“In the state they will (miss Bedlam) 100%,” Stoia said. “There’s some bitter ness on the OSU side. On the OU side, there’s some excite ment with playing new teams. Nationally, people won’t care. Even though it’s one of the better rivalries, there will be some talk, but there’s not going to be missing it. Eventually it will come back. It’s too good of a game.”

At the peak of Bedlam’s popularity and competitive ness, an end point two years down the road is in sight. How long will Bedlam be stagnant? Nobody knows.

For all the reasons people enjoy Bedlam — bragging rights in-state and an enjoyable game to watch for the rest of the country — it makes these final meetings more important than the prior 116.

“For OSU it would be cool to win at the end, and end it at the high note,” Traber said. “This is a chance for OSU.

There aren’t many classes at OSU who can remember two wins in four years. Then they can say, ‘Look, they’re scared of playing us.’ And for OU if

they can close it out and say, ‘We’re tired of beating

they win,

them.’”

File

It’s a battle of who’s better in the state, I have a bunch of friends who went to Oklahoma State, I went to Oklahoma, and you always had those arguments.

George Stoia

sports

Doucet’s wrestling background led him to his dream school

Rowdy Baribeau Staff Reporter

Konner Doucet always knew he would wrestle for the Cowboys.

Coming into OSU in 2020, heavy weight wrestler Doucet was the No. 6 220-pounder in high school with a 172-7 record at Comanche High School. He was good.

After three years of patience, Doucet earned his spot as OSU’s heavyweight starter. It was a long time coming for Doucet.

“Anytime you get the opportunity to go out there and compete, it’s a bless ing and something you don’t need to take lightly,” Doucet said. “But I mean, this is what I came here to do. So at the end of the day, it’s not a big surprise or anything like that. It’s just, now’s the time to do it, so let’s do it.”

OSU coach John Smith had high praise for Doucet. He saw a lot of ma turity over the last few months from his new heavyweight. Smith attributes the maturity to Doucet knowing that he’s gotten the opportunity to be the guy, and taken it and ran with it.

The last name Doucet is almost synonymous with the sport of wres tling. Konner’s father, Benji, wrestled at Missouri Valley College. His mother, Krystal, was a mat maid at Oklahoma. His little brothers Kooper and Kutter? Yeah, they wrestle. The Doucet family eats, sleeps and breathes wrestling.

Doucet grew up in the small town of Comanche, where outdoors, hard work and wrestling are religion. Doucet grew up learning lessons he would carry for a lifetime. He attributes a lot of his love for wrestling and who he is today to his father, who he deemed to be his role model. He also learned one major lesson from his father, who spends weeks away at a time working in oil fields: sacrifice.

“I said he works two weeks on, two weeks off, so he’s gone for two weeks, completely gone, never home,” Doucet said. “I think as I got older, I didn’t really think about it when I was

a kid, he doesn’t want to go away for two weeks, right? He doesn’t want to be away from my mom, my brothers, but he’s willing to do that so me, my broth ers and my mom could have a good life. So, sacrifice is something that I really learned from him.”

Benji was instrumental in getting all three of his boys into wrestling, but not to live through his kids’ athletic accomplishments. Wrestling is truly one of the more unique sports in the realm of athletics. The lessons wrestling teaches was the main reason Benji got his sons into wrestling.

“Wrestling is a sport that I love and I think that it brings out the good in people and I think it teaches you a lot of life values,” Benji said. “You gotta depend on yourself once you get grown and stuff like that, so you got to depend on yourself a lot when you go out in the work force. It’s the quality of work you do and you learn that through wrestling, you know, with making sacrifices to get better each and every day.”

After a prestigious high school career, Doucet solidified himself at OSU. Now that the opportunity is his, Doucet’s family has been eager and excited about Konner getting to wrestle for the Cowboys.

“I’m super excited for him,” Krystal said. “You know, this is his dream so of course you love that and want to see him fulfill his dream. It’s hard sometimes when the naysayers are talking about your kid. I believe it’s motivated him to work even harder. So many that have never stepped foot on a mat or know a thing about col lege wrestling have a lot to say when an athlete doesn’t have instant success, and that’s ok. Konner will focus on Konner and his opportunity to wrestle for OSU.

I’m really excited, I think he’s going to prove a lot of people wrong, that’s what

I’m excited about.”

Doucet always knew he would wrestle at OSU and before the year started, he told himself and his family this was his year, regardless of who was there or not. It created a fuel inside of Doucet to wrestle with his heart on his sleeve and more of a purpose this year

— that same purpose Smith mentioned he was finding during the offseason.

“He just took [his redshirt year] as a year that he was going to get better and I just feel like he felt like this was his year anyway,” Krystal said. “You know, this was going to be it one way or another. He was gonna wrestle this year.”

Doucet went 2-0 in his first two duals as a Cowboy last weekend. The No. 33 heavyweight in the country went into Lehigh and upset No. 26 Nathan Taylor 2-1. He followed up his first dual victory with a second win against Buck nell’s Luke Niemeyer 3-1. Once again, this isn’t a surprise for Doucet or his

family. This is something he’s worked to achieve for over half of his life and he knows his path has prepared him for this moment.

“My family, we come from a good line of wrestling,” Doucet said. “It’s kind of something we’ve always talked about when we were kids. My dad wrestled, my brothers wrestle, so I mean, been preparing for this ever since I was six years old.”

Courtesy of OSU Athletics

OSU heavyweight Konner Doucet grew up in an Oklahoma wrestling family, in Comanche. He won four state championships in high school.

Courtesy of OSU Athletics

Growing up in Comanche, Konner Doucet dreamt of wrestling for the Cowboys and coach John Smith.

Chastain returns home to lead high-powered Cowgirl offense

Tessa Dorrell Staff Reporter

Chastain, a redshirt senior, is a part of the Cowgirls’ 3-0 team after transferring from UT Arlington, where she spent her past four sea sons. Last season, Chastain averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists with the Mavericks. She also led the team in scoring in 2019-20.

Although Chastain attended UT Arling ton, Oklahoma is home for Chastain. She is an alumna of Dale High School, where she was an Oklahoma All-State selection and a 1,000-point scorer. Dale is just a 58-mile drive from Still water, making it even easier for Chastain’s fans and family to show their support.

“I have had my high school coaches bring their team up here, and then my family… it is such a blessing to have them have the opportu nity to come and watch me every single game,” Chastain said.

Chastain is not the only new face in the Cowgirls’ basketball program. After bringing in coach Jacie Hoyt, and getting seven new players through the transfer portal, the Cowgirls have a new look. For some, this many changes going into the season can be daunting, but for the Cowgirls, it doesn’t appear to be true.

“In June, we met each other… we all got along and the relationships that we have built with each other is a lifelong sisterhood,” Chas tain said.

The Cowgirls have been a force against their competitors. The Cowgirls have not scored less than 89 points. The team was also able to break the 100-point mark for the first time since 2017 against Oral Roberts in a 103-66 victory.

The success has not stopped for Chastain since coming to Stillwater. In the Cowgirls’ game against ORU, she led the team with 24 points. Chastain has started each game and proves herself to be a consistent player, even af ter her transfer. She is looking to lead the team for the rest of her senior season.

“This is my last year, I am making my self be really intentional with games and how I perform, and I am going to try to give my team everything I have,” Chastain said.

Claire Chastain scoring in Oklahoma isn’t new.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Carson Toulouse

Claire Chastain’s shooting percentages increased by more than 20% from last season.

John Smith Eli Lederman

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Clint Chelf 5-0 Week 8 Jacie Hoyt 2-3 Week 9

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Animal farm units, proximity offer OSU ag students unique opportunities

tenance.

Braden Bush Staff Reporter

Keaton Lindsey clocks in at 6:30 a.m.

The day begins bright and early around the Willard Sparks Beef Research Center, a feedlot research farm and one of 15 OSU school farms. Lindsey, a sopho more majoring in animal science, has to check pens for sick cattle, make the feed, feed it, doctor cattle and perform routine main

Then go to class. Working on a school farm, such as Willard Sparks, is a unique opportunity students in the Ferguson School of Agricul ture have the privilege to enjoy. A unique chance that is becom ing more of a necessary experi ence.

“Back in the day, probably 50 years ago, it wasn’t really as important for the student experi ence because a lot of our students came from farm backgrounds,” said Thomas Coon, vice presi dent and dean of OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“Today, that’s not the case.”

Lindsey is from Frisco, Texas, a town once reliant on

agriculture that has shifted away from agriculture as it became one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Though his dad is a small-animal vet, which fa miliarized him with animals, he came to OSU with little knowl edge about livestock.

Many other agriculture stu dents share a similar story, which is why Ferguson stands out. Sheep, goat, pigs, dairy and beef cattle. OSU has school farms for all major segments of animal ag.

Freshmen visit the farms in an introductory animal science class, which opens the door for hands-on experience to students. Many, like Lindsey, decide a direction to go from there.

Among the stars

OSU faculty and students to revamp observatory

Jake Sellers Staff Reporter

Located southwest of Stillwater lays OSU’s 21-year-old Mendenhall Observatory, which holds the largest telescope in Oklahoma.

The observatory has largely been unused in its lifetime and is currently de funct. A physics professor, an instrument maker and a senior physics major want to change that.

With a goal of $10,000 in donations and less than two weeks left of accepting them, a fund raising project on OSU’s crowdfunding platform, PhilanthroPete, is attempt ing to resurrect the obser vatory.

Donations can be made through the Philan throPete website, and there is no limit to how much or how little can be donated. The more donations, the more improvements will be put into the restoration.

When repaired, the physics department wants the facility to be a resource for the Stillwater communi ty. Not only OSU students, but local grade schools will be able to use it.

The Mendenhall Observatory was named for Harrison Shepler Menden hall, the first astronomer at OSU. It was built in 2001 and originally held a 14inch telescope.

In 2007, the 24-inch Ritchey-Chrétien optical telescope was installed, and it was funded with a grant from the Air Force.

Kim Zoldak is a teaching assistant professor who teaches physics and astronomy and oversees the responsibilities of the Men denhall Observatory.

“I’m the only astrono mer,” Zoldak said.

There is not an astronomy department at OSU, but there are a num ber of astronomy courses available.

Zoldak’s hope is to expand the physics depart ment with the repairs done to the observatory and to

bring in more interest in astronomy to the university.

Repairs are scheduled for spring 2023. The phys ics department is working with telescope company Optical Guidance Systems to try to have the telescope running again in April.

An instrument maker, Wes Cash, works in the physics department in the machine shop. Cash owns and operates his own home observatory and has worked on national observatories in his career.

“I’ve been an amateur astronomer basically my entire life,” Cash said.

Cash helped start an astronomy club during his time working for OSU in the 1980s, which ended when he left to work out side Oklahoma.

Zoldak said Cash has played a significant role in the decision making process, having the most firsthand knowledge of the observatory’s history.

Along with Zoldak and Cash, one undergradu ate student has joined their efforts to restore the ob servatory. Shawn Ray is a senior physics major doing astronomy and astrophysics research.

Ray studied engineer ing before switching majors to physics. His plan is to attend graduate school for astrophysics.

“People don’t come to OSU for astronomy and astrophysics because there’s no program here,” Ray said.

Ray began asking around the physics depart ment about the Mendenhall Observatory after discover ing its existence online. He eventually connected with Zoldak to discuss what to do with the observatory.

“It didn’t just come across my path,” Ray said. “I had to go look for it.”

They received around 20% of the $10,000 goal so far. However, there is still time to donate until Nov. 29, at 11:59 p.m.

Warner Music executive to speak at OSU

Bella Casey Staff Reporter

OSU is no stranger to country music legends.

Friday, the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music will host OSU alumnus and established music producer Scott Hendricks for a Q&A session.

Hendricks has produced music for stars such as Restless Heart, Alan Jack son, Brooks & Dunn, Trisha Yearwood, John Michael Montgomery, Faith Hill, Trace Adkins, Dan + Shay and Blake Shelton.

Hendricks has produced 121 top-10 singles and 78 hit No. 1 as of October.

Before becoming the executive vice president of A&R for Warner Mu sic Nashville, Hendricks was the CEO and president of the Nashville divisions of Capital Records and Virgin Records.

Hendricks graduated from OSU with a degree in architectural acoustics in 1978.

Mark Perry, the director of music industry at the GSM, said that Hen dricks’ success is something many music industry majors at OSU find encouraging.

“As a native of Clinton, and an

OSU alumnus, Scott Hendricks will serve as an inspiration to my music industry majors, proving that it is possible to earn success in the music indus try,” Perry said.

Hendricks plans to discuss the country music industry as well as answer any other questions the audi ence would like to ask him. The Q&A is open to all who are interested in learning more about Hendricks, his career and his outlook of the music business.

“He will share his story but will also address the current state of the music industry, which he knows so well,” Perry said.

Not only will students have the opportunity to interact with Hendricks at the Q&A session, a select group of music students will meet with Hen dricks to share their music with him.

This opportunity means every thing to OSU students who are inter ested in pursuing a career in music production.

“I am so excited for Scott to speak to and meet with my students this semester,” Perry said. “He has

excelled at being both a music executive and music producer. Astoundingly, at the same time he remains one of the most successful country music producers in history, still producing number one hits.”

The chance to speak with a producer as suc cessful as Hendricks is not one to be passed upon. All majors could learn from Hendricks’ success and the experiences that have led him to such a rewarding career.

The first session be gins at 9 a.m. Friday.

Molly Jolliff

Animal farm units, such as the Ferguson Family Dairy Center, give OSU agriculture students unique, hands-on learning experiences.

Courtesy of OSU

OSU alumnus Scott Hendricks will return for a Q&A session at the

Greenwood School of Music on Friday.

Co-Editor-in-Chief Abby Cage editorinchief@ocolly.com

Gabriel Trevino sports.ed@ocolly.com

Assistant sports editor

The O’Comic

The O’Colly Staff

Comic by Kendall McGhee

Co-Editor-in-Chief Adam Engel editorinchief@ocolly.com

News editor Mallory Pool news.ed@ocolly.com Photo editor Mackenzie Janish photo.ed@ocolly.com

Adviser John Helsley john.helsley@okstate.edu

108

News & Lifestyle reporters:

Luisa Clausen Mak Vandruff

Kylie Hammack Jaden Besteda Rowdy Baribeau Payton Little Connor Gray Baylor Bryant Michael Clark Rebekah Cleary

Sports reporters: Sam Hutchens Braden Bush Davis Cordova Ashton Slaughter Daniel Allen Rowdy Baribeau Payton Little PJ Tikalsky Parker Gerl

Photographers & Designers:

Cowboy Racing begins season with Fall Frenzy

Bella Casey Staff Reporter

The opportunity to watch a race unites all.

Cowboy Racing welcomed specta tors to its Fall Frenzy race for the first time on Sunday.

The Cowboys faced off against Sooner Off-Road, Renegade Racing and Wichita State in a one-hour endurance race. Teams were required to switch drivers at least twice during the race and faced penalties for every obstacle they skipped.

Each team is responsible for building, racing and repairing its own car. Drew Milligan, a mechanical engineering student, spent 60 hours last week preparing the car and course for Fall Frenzy.

“Basically, from the ground up, these cars are made by us,” Milligan said.

Each year, Cowboy Racing wel comes other Baja SAE teams to race their cars on OSU’s course to gauge their car’s racing ability before taking on larger competitions.

Although the teams competed for only bragging rights, the race set the tone for upcoming races by simulating the obstacles the teams may face in the future.

Mason Jernigan, a mechanical aerospace major, explained why the Fall Frenzy is a valuable experience for each team.

“It’s kind of just giving other teams a chance to use the track, plus

you get the chance to share ideas,” Jernigan said.

To learn more about how to become part of the team, check out @cowboy. racing on Instagram or email minibaja@okstate.edu.

The race was off to a rough start as the rear left suspension of the Cowboy Racing car snapped before completing its first lap. The team was responsible for removing the car from the track and repairing it to racing condition.

Thirty minutes into the race, the car returned to the race and continued as if nothing happened.

Every other car on the track ex perienced at least one wreck or mis hap, with the Renegade car going up in smoke around the race’s 40-minute mark.

Cowboy Racing member Adam Markiewicz said that is “just how it goes.”

The race is considered a friendly competition between four teams who need experience, and no hard feelings are involved.

“Usually, we’re enemies with OU,” Markiewicz said. “But here, they’re one of our closest friends.”

Although the Cowboy’s car did not race for the whole hour, the team was still satisfied with its performance.

William Van Dyke, a senior mechanical engineering major, said that the team’s problem-solving skills are something to be celebrated.

“It went well, considering what went wrong,” Van Dyke said.

The team said Fall Frenzy is the perfect environment for teams to make mistakes and recognize victories.

“We’re expecting things to go wrong, and it’s kind of about knowing how to adapt,” Van Dyke said.

Sharing the experience with the community allows teams to show off their hard work while providing specta tors with an exciting show.

Cowboy Racing hopes to expand their membership and welcomes all majors to join the team and work on the cars.

Karlie Boothe

These hand-built cars give students real-life experi ence to help with future careers.

Karlie Boothe

Teams competed against each other in Fall Frenzy and begins the Cowboy Racing Team’s return since CO VID-19 Frenzy. This was the Cowboy Racing Team’s return to racing for the first time since the pandemic.

news.ed@ocolly.com

Q&A: Hannah Bonnett, actress

Luisa Clausen Staff Reporter

The star, Hannah Bonnett, who plays Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” a traveling Broadway production touring the U.S., talked to The O’Colly about her career, past experiences, current schedule and lifelong goals.

Q: What does your routine look like?

A: “Our schedule is crazy and dif ferent every day. Sometimes we wake up at 7:45 a.m, get on the bus, drive to the next venue and get ready at 4:50 p.m. before doing the show at night. It depends. We were in Stillwater for two days, woke up, did a one-nighter in Kansas, went to a different part of Kansas the next day, and now we are in South Dakota.”

Q: When and how did you know you wanted to be an artist?

A: “I am super boring. I am from a small town in New Jersey. My parents have always been extremely supportive. I was about 13 when I realized I was born to sing. I was on the cheerlead ing team and all my friends thought it would be cool to be a part of a musical. I felt left out so I decided to do it. I was too terrified to sing and my teacher at the time made me stand on stage for about two hours and said we were not leaving until I sang. It was one of the most important moments of my life, and that moment changed my life. This teacher recently watched the show and it was very special. It’s shocking to me. My mom has always been my biggest supporter, but I also had Leesa Csolak, who owns a dance studio in New Jer sey. I went in one day in my freshmen year of high school and said, “I want to

be on Broadway.” She looked at me and said, “Do you understand the sacrifice you are about to make? Instead of go ing to parties or Friday night football games, you are going to be training,” and that was the most amazing thing she could’ve said to me. I signed up to make the sacrifice. I owe that woman the world. I always call her. After I graduated high school I went to Pace University. I graduated last year and it’s crazy to think I am here now.”

Q: What roles did you play be fore “Legally Blonde: The Musical”?

A: “When I was a sophomore in college I did an off-Broadway show called the “Big Bang Musical Parody.” It was a silly time but I worked with amazing people. This past year has been crazy. I did a production of “Kinky Boots,” then I ended up on a carnival cruise line crew ship in Alas ka, then I left to work a news show in Chicago. I moved my whole life to Chi cago thinking we were going to do the show, but unfortunately, it ended early and I didn’t have a job for two months.

I moved back home with my mom while auditioning a lot and doubting myself. I thought about quitting and that maybe I wasn’t meant to do this.”

Q: How did you go from think ing about giving up to booking Elle Woods?

A: “I auditioned for “Legally Blonde” in June, but I didn’t hear about it until August. I auditioned for this show six different times so I did not think I was going to get this particular part for this show. By the time I got an email in August, they just asked me to come in a week for Elle Woods. I am pretty sure I cried for five hours straight. We started rehearsal in Sep tember in New York City and it only lasted for two weeks. A lot has hap pened in 2022. It was an amazing year. Any part of your career that you’re failing, at the end of the day you are succeeding, as painful as they are. What is meant for you will not pass you by. This job was meant for me at this time in my life. Everything is not easy, being an actor is not easy, but I am so grate ful and happy to be here.”

Q: What are some of your biggest challenges at this time of your life? How do you keep going?

A: “I think back a lot to my 12-year-old self in moments of distrust and I know she would be over the moon to hear where I am at right now. We sleep a lot on the bus, I am really strict and take a lot of vitamins so I can keep up. But at the end of the day, remem bering I am not perfect is the key. You do not have to be perfect to be in this position. If you put it out in the world, if you dream it and you believe it, then it will happen. People think that when you book a role as iconic as this that your anxiety or self-doubt will go away but they don’t. Imposter syndrome

is very real and there are so many mo ments I questioned why I am in this position. I feel like this is important to mention so people know it doesn’t go away but it’s important to be grateful. That’s more of a personal challenge.”

Q: What goes through your mind while you are performing?

“I was talking to an actor on the show the other day about this. Some times life happens and you black out a little bit but the lines are still coming out of your mouth and the lyrics are coming out of your mouth and then you wake up from your blackout and think “What did I just say?” It goes to show how strong muscle memory is. If you trust your abilities and your gifts they will always have your back. Ok, some times they let you down but they mostly got your back. At the end of act I, I sing a big number called “So much better” and there is a sign that goes behind me that says “I got this” and then later on the show there is another scene where everyone wears T-shirts that says “I got this.” That’s because at my final come back for the show, everyone else was wearing pink and I showed up wearing

all black.

“I bought a T-shirt during a time of my life when I was feeling really low and it said “I got this.” and I wore that as my “I am going to be okay” shirt. The director found that to be very endearing and put it into our show. When I see other people wearing that shirt during the show, I think it’s pretty beautiful and how it’s a full-circle mo ment. So that’s what I think… when I don’t black out.”

Q: Do you have a long-term goal/dream?

A: “I would love the opportunity to be on a Broadway show one day. I think that it would be fulfilling to my 12-year-old self as well as my current self. I found in my career the less I control the more things happen. What is promised for me will find me and if not I just hope I am happy and telling stories that inspire people.”

Karlie Boothe

“Legally Blonde: The Musical” entertained fans of all ages during its shows last Thursday and Friday at the McKnight Center.

Karlie Boothe

Lead actress Hannah Bonnett (left) spoke to The O’Colly about her career as a traveling Broadway star.

Karlie Boothe

“Legally Blonde: The Muscial” is a internationally recog nized Broadway Musical that reflects the timeless movie.

“I figured the best way I would be able to (gain experience) is going into one of the sectors of the cattle in dustry and kind of learn ing everything I can,” Lindsey said.

Students apply to work at the farm unit of their choosing, and the farm managers work around class schedules. Some students work 1525 hours weekly.

The job allows students to practice ap plying what they learn in class in a real-world setting. Professors from class can be found at the farms, where they help operate facilities and perform research studies that students also get to be part of.

Agriculture can’t be learned solely in a classroom, which is the source of motivation for around 40 students working on school farms. They want their minds to be broadened. Lindsey has added nutri tion, animal husbandry and equipment operation to his skillset by work ing at Willard Sparks.

“My knowledge of the industry has grown,” Lindsey said. “I came in kind of having this dream of working livestock and every thing, because I thought that the industry was so small… I’ve realized that the industry is a lot larger.”

Another perk, and perhaps the most unique perk, is the proximity of school farms to cam pus. Most of the major animal farm units are located just a half a mile west of campus, with the farthest being three miles away.

Just five minutes stand between the class room and the field.

Few universities have all major sec tors of the agriculture industry represented on farms. Even fewer have the farms near campus. None have them closer to campus.

“They don’t have to go 30 miles away or the other side of the state,” Coon said. “You can do it just across Western Road.”

That’s where the value of OSU’s school farms resides – for all students.

“With being on campus, it doesn’t just help the people that work there,” Lindsey said. “I feel like as a student, whether you work there or not, you’re able to gain something from it because it’s on campus.”

Lindsey said he now wants to become a pharmaceutical sales man in the beef industry. He’s learned that pro duction isn’t the only part of the industry. But he credits that realiza tion to Willard Sparks.

The school farm gave him insight to every part of the in dustry, and he now has an informed idea of animal agriculture. That wouldn’t have been pos sible without the knowl edge gained at a school farm.

“Whether you come from a background of agriculture or not, the hands-on experience is going to be far more beneficial than sitting in a lecture and just listen ing to a professor or a doctor speak,” Lindsey said.

news.ed@ocolly.com

‘God of War: Ragnarӧk Review’: An instant classic

Michael Clark Staff Reporter

As a college student, I have a massive number of responsibilities on my plate almost 24 hours a day. Because of this, my trusty old PlayStation 4 has been collecting dust next to my TV for about three months. I just don’t have the time to play video games these days. Even so, I was up at 11 p.m. last Tuesday to play “God of War: Ragnarök” the second I could get my hands on it.

After playing the game for 18 hours straight, wrecking my health with eight Red Bulls, and eating an unhealthy quantity of snacks, I have to say this game hasn’t just fulfilled my monumental expecta tions for this sequel “God of War,” it surpassed them beyond my wildest dreams.

“God of War: Rag narök” is a direct sequel

to 2018’s award-winning “God of War”, which in turn is a sequel to a tril ogy of the same name. It follows the titular god of war, Kratos, and his son Atreus attempting to prevent the Norse apoca lypse known as Ragnarök. There is plenty more going on with this game, but I truly believe the best way to experience it is going into it knowing as little as possible.

The gameplay is some of the finest you can get. Every movement, every combo, and every weapon is perfectly opti mized. In some games, it can be annoying having to kill swarms of enemies to progress the story. In “Ragnarök,” waves of enemies are welcome because you can always try out a new weapon or ability.

Where this game truly shines is in its story.

“Ragnarök” has a story of epic proportions, weaving themes of fate and proph ecy, grief and parent

hood, and living with the shocking consequences our choices can have. In almost every quest, some nugget of wisdom is pres ent that truly spoke to me in ways few games have. Anyone could relate to this story, from Kratos struggling to connect to his son taking his own path, to Atreus fighting to prove himself and become his own person. This is barely scratching the sur face. The game has loads of content.

Every time I play this game I am in awe that a game can be this good. Because of this, I recommend it and the 2018 predecessor to any one who needs an excel lent story, a good cry, epic gameplay, and shockingly good life advice for a video game.

“God of War: Ragnarök” is available for Sony’s PlayStation 4 and 5.

Creative capstone

Students showcase at new exhibition

Brylee Smith Staff Reporter

Nine students showcase their tal ent this month at the Gardiner Gallery of Art.

Using different materials and art mediums, these students show their own unique personalities through their art. Some recreate feelings or experi ences through their art, while ideas or metaphors inspire others.

Jessica Roberts created Individu ality, Abhorrence, Adrift, Exasperation and Heartache. Roberts created abstract sculptures to convey her emotions. She was inspired by her health issues and relationships that she has experienced in her life. The goal she has for her art is to show individuality even though it seems as if nothing is original anymore. She also takes inspiration from the ocean and coral reefs.

Roberts’ art process is unique be cause she doesn’t always make a start ing and ending point for her work. She is able to set herself apart from other artists this way.

Tyonia Davis presents a collection of sculptures and paintings that repre sent the fantasy world that she created in her imagination. These creations are an interpretation of not only her own world, but of fantasy and folklore. They reflect her idea of escaping to another world. She uses women and nature to show this.

Her work is a representation of a world that she created that she calls Land of Zenishion. It is a country split into four regions protected by nymphs. Each region has its painting and a sculpture of their protector. Aulon and Titanlia, Thecia and Zousha, Nel and Elisha and Echos and Xenilus are the nymphs and their lands. She also has a painting that shows all of Zenishion and a sculpture of its almighty protec tor Eredecia. Each region is different in its composition and elements, and the

nymphs have their own traits that reflect their homeland.

Ashley Peterson presented her ceramic vases that reflect “fluidity and texture.” The loops in her sculptures are a representation of fluidity. Their goal is to represent life in a way that shows that life is a journey that is not always linear. The different shapes and direc tions show how one’s life is constantly changing and imperfect.

With simplistic names, Peterson’s work is functional, but creative. Some of these works include Carved Loop, Base Loop Vessel, Loop Vessel and Large Stacked Loop.

Following the trials and tribula

tions that he experienced in his lifetime, Jonathan Jimenez uses the metaphor of a cactus to relate his life to his art. A cactus, like a person, can collect scars that break and build them. He expresses the stages of life and how the world has shaped them through these ceramic pieces.

In his Fractured Series, he shows pieces that are broken down, showing that maybe that life “served a greater purpose.” The Saguaro Series show cases pieces that are largely intact and “standing tall and strong.”

A collection dedicated to self love and acceptance, Celeste Stuart expresses her perception of self and

her identity through her paintings. Her work is a self reflection that helps her see herself and look for things she loves within herself. Appreciation of her body and identity of being queer are strong themes she explores. Not only does she reflect her own perspective, but the per spectives of others that relate to her.

Reverence of the Self is a portrait that has many layers. She is able to see her body and self within it and gain a perception and appreciation for herself. Jainting; Smile is an example of paint ing perspectives of others.

Molly Jolliff

OSU’s agriculuture program ensures easy access to real-life experiences and hands-on learning for students.

Courtesy of GameInformer “God of War: Ragnarok” released last week and already earned a nomination for Game of the Year.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Brylee Smith

Students’ capstone projects are on display at the Gardiner Gallery of Art until Dec. 9.

Fueled by nostalgia and child hood memories, Canielle Nunez recreates core memories through her ceramic works. Spending part of her childhood in her home state, Alaska, Nunez was surrounded by nature. Her father was a hunter and often kept antler sheds. She recreates these antlers and adds flowers or colors to them. She also recreated other bones and teeth from other animals.

Blue Deer and Wood Deer are included in her exhibition, along with other bones and teeth surrounding them.

Ruth Sanchez takes the scenic

route with her art. With themes of pres ervation of nature and anxiety, Sanchez expresses her frustrations with how humans treat our planet and the natural world. She describes how she wants to take every opportunity that she is given, but expresses that if we do not take care of the planet, there will be no opportunities left to take.

Twigs is a bust of the singer FKA Twigs that Sanchez said represents her perception and feelings. Before this Damage is Done is a series of three pieces representing what could happen to the earth. Take a Stand is a piece that represents endangered species that could be completely extinct within the next century. Growth in Destruction reflects the Hindu god Shiva, God of Destruction. He is capable of destroy ing the universe to make it clean again, and the sculpture shows the new life

that comes from that destruction.

Hailey Clooney uses a handful of different materials for art. By break ing down objects and using variety, her art shows the physical and emotional experiences that humans have. She uses this medium to sort through her own emotions and connect with viewers.

Being a Human is a wax figure of a female torso that seems incomplete. It features melting wax that represents that time is always passing and con stantly changing. Pieces of Me is a hu man heart composed of broken dishes. Her goal was to show used pieces of one thing can come together to make a new.

Images of life and memories are shown in Andrew Pham’s printmak ing. He makes different versions of one piece with small changes, just like how memories are slightly different every

time they are recalled. His family his tory plays a role in his work.

Summer Son, Om Nom, Shell, Northern Bald Ibis and tôi mêt rep resent the background and where he comes from and images that viewers can relate to the experiences of the artist.

These artists all show their own struggles, ideas and emotions through their work. Every piece has an origin within the mind of the artist, and they all tell a story.

The exhibit is open until Dec. 9 in the Gardiner Gallery of art inside the Bartlett Center.

HIMALAYAN GROCERY

Both photos: Brylee Smith

Pieces of Me is one of many art pieces on exhibition at the Gardiner Gallery of Art.

Seniors have the chance to show off their capstone projects at the Gardiner Gallery of Art until Dec. 9.

Hargis’ leadership shined on one of OSU’s darkest days

happened.

Reporter

As OSU president, Burns Hargis’ main goal consisted of leading the school to success, but on Nov. 18, 2011, he had to lead the OSU family through tragedy and grief.

On the fateful day of Nov. 17, 2011, OSU women’s basketball head coach Kurt Budke, as sistant Miranda Serna and OSU supporters Olin and Paula Branstetter lost died in a plane crash in rural Arkansas, which happened 11 years ago on Thursday.

All tragedies are unexpected, in fact many officials in OSU athlet ics were in Iowa for OSU football’s game versus Iowa State.

The crash happened in the afternoon on Nov. 17, but OSU officials weren’t notified until the early hours of the next day.

In an O’Colly story from 2012, Hargis and his wife were awoken at around 3 a.m. to the news, and immediately drove to Stillwater to console Budke’s wife and kids.

For Hargis, he had the task of an earlymorning press conference to deliver the news to the world of the accident, but he also had the task to lead OSU through the challenging times of the tragedy.

“I remember his strength, but you could definitely see it on his face that it was emotional for him too,” said OSU public address announcer Larry Reece. “Burns was very strong for us and I don’t think you ever get all the way through that, but he helped us get through it.”

The leadership from Hargis was needed as many didn’t know where to begin to process what

Following the conference, it was about staying busy. Hargis took phone calls from everyone looking for more informa tion and helped plan me morials and funerals. The goal was trying to keep the mind off of wondering how this could happen to OSU, again, when in 2001 a men’s basketball team plane crashed in Colorado, killing 10.

“When something like this happens, we have to try and pull together as a family,” Hargis said in the 2011 post-crash press conference. “This is obviously an incred ibly devastating event, it’s our worst nightmare. The entire OSU family is very close and to lose any one, especially these two individuals (Budke and Serna) who were incred ible life forces in our fam ily, it’s worse than beyond words.”

Hargis’ leadership following the crash was just a small sample size of how well Hargis led OSU for years as president and a member of the board of regents.

Gary Shutt, who fa cilitated communications for Hargis, remembers working alongside Hargis for many years and how of a leader Hargis was to OSU.

“You just felt like you were going along for the ride, he was a great leader,” Shutt said. “He energized the alumni base, he energized the campus and students and led us to so many accom plishments. I was very fortunate and blessed to be there at that time. So, working for him was great because we had so many great things going on. So whenever bad things happened or good things happened, that wasn’t the end. You just move forward and that’s the sign of a great leader.”

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Messy, but fitting tribute to Boseman

Clark Staff Reporter

Editor’s note: This review contains minor spoilers for “Black Panther: Wakanda For ever.”

After “Avengers: Endgame” rocked the box office in 2019 and included the first saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many fans complained that the series lost its charm. Movies such as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Thor: Love and Thunder” gained mixed reviews for unsteady tone and pacing. The formula began to get stale and desperately needs a shakeup.

Add to the fact that the Black Panther himself, Chadwick Boseman, unexpectedly died in 2020, there were concerns for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forev er”. Concerned fans pushed for the film to be postponed or canceled. Rumors of a rocky production and uncertain vision for the film only led to fuel to the fire. Because of the increasingly intense superhero fatigue and the uncertainty of the film, plenty of people expected this film to be an unprecedented disaster for Marvel.

The opening scene of “Wakanda Forever” puts all these worries to rest. If there’s one thing this film excels at, it’s the tone of the film. With significantly less quips, a tight cast, and plenty of hard hitting, genuinely heartfelt moments, “Wakanda Forever” excels at paying its respect to Boseman while telling a mean ingful story, even if it has many problems.

“Wakanda Forever” follows the country of Wakanda mourning the loss of their king T’Challa, and soon spirals into a story of war, grief, and loss. It brings in plenty of new characters to the table such as Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and Riri Williams (Domi nique Thorne). Huerta excels with his portrayal of Namor. I can already see fans excited for more of his character if Marvel decides to use him again. With a Disney+ series set to explore Williams’ rise to becoming Ironheart, it’s no doubt these characters will be great additions to Phase 5.

The film really shines with showing the citizens of Wakanda in a new light as they try to move past the death of their king. Danai

Gurira is a powerhouse as Okoye in this film, bringing a stunning and emotional spin to her usually stoic character. Letitia Wright excels as Shuri, who was normally a comedic relief character until she is forced to step up through the events of this film. It really humanizes these characters seeing them grieve and struggle, triumph and fail, it’s all incredibly fulfill ing. These beats are easily the best part of the nearly 3 hour long film.

Frustratingly enough, the film still has plenty of flaws. While the tone is pitch perfect, the pacing is not. This easily could have been a 2-hour long film, and plenty of scenes and plotlines feel as if they do not add to the film at all. While Thorne is excellent, her character hardly serves a purpose to the film rather than setting her up for the afore mentioned series “Ironheart,” and a whole subplot with Martin Free man doesn’t go anywhere either. Both additions simply pad out the runtime and don’t enrich the film thematically or story wise. While I normally wouldn’t mind these, the film is already unusually long and these plotlines weigh it down much more.

Because of how much these scenes slow the movie down, it’s hard to say “Wakanda Forever” truly reaches its maximum poten tial. While it’s still a worthwhile film, too many cooks can spoil the broth, and this is no excep tion. The film would be greatly improved if it dedicated to its story arc of T’Challa and Namor or its story of Williams and the CIA. Because it tries to do both, neither hardly feels finished. This isn’t to say it’s bad, when this film hits, it really does hit. The final moments of the film are perhaps some of the most emotional in the MCU, and the movie truly feels like a love letter to Boseman and the Black Panther franchise. The walk home from the theater was a somber one, and there was lots of rain. In a way, that felt quite fit ting. “Wakanda Forever” left me fulfilled despite its flaws and gave me plenty to think about. It’s bet ter to have that than to have done nothing at all.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is in theaters now. AMC Stillwater 10 offers several view ings daily

Movies in theaters now

‘Black Adam’

Dwayne “The Rock” John son stars as DC Comics’ villain Black Adam.

‘Ticket to Paradise’

Julia Roberts and George Clooney co-star in this romcom. A man (Clooney) and his ex-wife (Roberts) race to Indonesia in attempt to stop their daughter’s marriage.

A psychological horror focused on the disturbing experiences of a therapist.

‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’

A family comedy starring a singing crocodile.

for the

Devil’

nun trains as an exorcist in this supernatural horror.

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

Letitia Wright stars in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” The movie, which is the sequel to ‘Black Panther” focuses on Wakanda’s rise after King T’Challa’s death.

‘Smile’

‘Prey

A

Marvel Studios

Tenoch Huerta stars as Namor in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” The movie released Thursday night and AMC Stillwater 10 offers several daily showings.

Michael

Davis Cordova Staff

File photo

OSU women’s basketball ended its 2012 season with an NIT champi onship after its head coach, Kurt Budke, and assistant, Miranda Serna, were killed in a plane crash early in the season.

OSU horse sale raises $72,500

Brylee Smith Staff Reporter

Born and bred on campus, seven yearlings made OSU history.

The OSU Cline Equine Center held an open house last Friday to show case this year’s batch of yearlings up for sale. Unlike past years, these horses were sold as yearlings. Not only that, but they were consigned to an online horse sale, which had never been done at OSU.

Platinum Horse Sales featured OSU’s yearlings on its website, and the bidding went from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. One stallion, three fillies and three yearlings were sold.

These horses were sold privately or in local horse sales in past years.

Senior Equine Herd Manager, Marissa Chapa, decided to make a big change this year.

“This is the first time we’ve done it online and not by private treaty or selling them off the farm,” Chapa said. “We decided to do this sale because there’s a lot of different things changing in the horse industry and online sales are becoming a much stronger compo nent of marketing and bringing a lot more value to horses.”

This year’s group of yearlings was raised by students who are in equine training methods. They start working with these horses as soon as they hit the ground and raise them to be sold. The groundwork that they get prepares them for future buyers. Amy D’ephenir, an animal science senior, was one of many students who was tasked to help get these horses ready.

“I was assigned Bambi,” D’ephenier said. “OSU Boone Flower is her registered name. I got to work with her the entire semester. I did different things with them like practicing traile ring, tying and picking up feet. Han dling all of those things makes them good horses.”

Not all horses born at OSU get sold off, though. The mares that birth these babies were also born and raised here, and the sires are brought in from other farms and breeders.

“Their mothers live here and were bred here,” Chapa said. “Then we foal out all their babies through different classes.”

Behind the scenes, there are more

than just students in breeding classes working with the horses. Students that are involved in the agriculture program work at the barn outside of class. Haley Combs, a biosystems engineering fresh man, is an employee and intern at the horse barn.

“I get to help with pretty much ev erything that has to do with the horses,” Combs said. “I get hands on colts, work with breeding, vaccinations and any thing else along those lines.”

Along with changing the way the horses are sold, this year’s remuda had a different experience growing up than most horses do.

“They’re gentle,” Combs said.

OSU’s breeding and bloodlines are impressive, and have the papers to back it up. Their bloodlines are care fully picked to suit any kind of horse a rancher would need, whether it be calf horses or reining cow horses.

“So many people adore the horses we have out here,” Combs said. “They look forward to seeing what Marissa comes up with for breeding because

they’re good horses.”

Times are changing in the ranch ing community, but Chapa has a plan. Participation in the Platinum Horse Sale this year is just the beginning.

“It’s a new avenue for us,” Chapa said. “We’re excited to see where they go and it’s allowed us to get a lot more exposure to people across the county outside of just the neighboring states.”

The grand total for the sale was $72,500. The top consignments were OSU Bet Yer Blue for $19,000, OSU Metallic Honey for $14,500 and OSU Shining Reys for $12,000.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

“They’re desensitized to almost any thing because they always have hands on them. From people who’ve been around horses their whole life to people who can’t tell the difference between a cow and a horse, they have people on them all the time.”

Molly Jolliff

Platinum Horse Sales sold seven yearlings at OSU’s equine yearling sale last weekend.

Pete’s Pantry hosts hunger simulation

Isaac Terry Staff Reporter

Imagine that $45 was all you had to get through the week.

This was the challenge Pete’s Pantry put out as they hosted their first hunger simulator on Tuesday in the Sequoyah Room of the Student Union. Once someone arrived, they handed them a pen and a piece of paper with a meal planner for the week.

Visitors were tasked with figur ing out how to purchase food and other basic groceries on a $45 budget while considering their dietary needs and re strictions. The left-over budget would go to the rest of daily life and emergency funding.

There were long lists of grocery prices from Walmart, Homeland and Sprouts taped onto the walls to compare and contrast with each other. In total, visitors were tasked with creating a plan that included 21 meals within the budget.

Cassidy Davis, the graduate assis tant for basic needs at Pete’s Pantry, and Brian Blevins, the coordinator of offcampus and nontraditional student services, said they thought it was a good turn out for the first time host ing the event.

“The outcome was fairly positive numbers,” Blevins said. “Especially due to the cold weather. I think it’s difficult to have students come out to things like this some times.”

Davis was the first to come up with the idea to host this at OSU as she researched events across the country.

“I just stumbled across [Hunger Awareness Week], which is a nation ally recognized week,” Davis said. “I met with Brian, and we started get ting everything organized for this.”

This was not the only event of Hunger

Awareness Week. On Monday, there was a Basic Need’s Fair hosted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Student Union Plaza. On Wednesday morning, there was an Ins tagram live SNAP Benefits Q&A from 10-10:30 hosted by @osucampuslife on Instagram.

“At some point in the last year, over 40% of OSU students struggled to find enough food to eat,” according to Pete’s Pantry.

This can impact your physical and mental health, as well as your ability to focus.

If you need help with food or other basic needs or personal products, you can visit Pete’s Pantry, located in the Student Union basement in Room 042.

It is open Tuesdays and Wednes days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are plenty of other food assistance programs for OSU students as well. For more information about donating and help ing Hunger Awareness Week, see the available programs that you can visit or get help if you need it, visit basicneeds. okstate.edu.

news.ed@ocolly.com

Jaiden Daughty

Students participated in a hunger simulation Tuesday morning during Hunger Awareness Week where they had a budget, guidelines and a food list to put themselves in the shoes of others.

Come check out the wide variety of elegant clothing at Formal Fantasy!

Located on 121 E. 9th Ave, Downtown Stillwater

Business Squares Business Squares

Company Coming?

Check out “Cowboy Cabin” 550 steps east of Boone Pickens Stadium

ACROSS

Short notice?

Béla Fleck’s instrument

One in a four-part harmony

Button alternative

“Night Sky With Exit Wounds” poet Vuong

Grammarian?

“I’ll do it!”

Coined

Paean in verse

Global clock std.

Aspen, in the Rockies?

Steeped in a salt solution

Apartment ad abbr.

Fishing gadget

Rich soil

Not neg.

Warm up some leftovers, say

e.g.?

“The Original Hideaway, located on the corner of Knoblock and University. Serving quality pizza and more since 1957.”

Murphy’s Department Store

815 S Main, Downtown Open 10-6 Monday thru Saturday

Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (11/18/22). This is your year for physical energy, action and growth. Faithful domestic efforts provide lovely results. Enjoy the spotlight this autumn, before winter collaboration requires reorientation. Springtime energizes your health, work and fitness, leading you to reconsider summer personal plans. Lasting benefits reward practice.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most chal lenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8 — Stick to what’s working with your physical health routines. Don’t fix what’s not broken. Maintain practices. You’re building strength, energy and endurance, step by step. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7 — Play close to your vest. Avoid risk. Stick to logical, basic moves. Save the tricky stuff for later. Guard an ace up your sleeve.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — Family comes first. Domestic dreams and visions of perfection could seem distant. Manage chores and logistics. Prepare meals and share them. Listen and grow.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is an 8 — Intellectual puzzles offer fake op tions, dead ends and circular logic. Persistence and determination pay. Clarify the facts. Sort truth from fiction. Win a valuable prize.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Follow a practical financial path. Stick to basics. Avoid frills, waste or frivolous expenses. Illusions dissipate. Steady discipline builds and strengthens your position. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 9 — Make good your escape. Avoid distractions or silly arguments. Find a secret spot to enjoy your own diversions. Advance passion projects. Relax and have fun.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 6 — Indulge in private reflection. Enjoy traditions, legends and stories from your family’s past. Guard heirlooms and trea sures. What’s ahead? Consider what you’d love to happen.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Others vie for your attention. Ig nore fantastic schemes, cons or tricks. Choose reliable collaborators. Help develop and advance plans for your team. Focus your support.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — Keep your professional objective in mind. Avoid risky business or get-rich-quick schemes. Stick to practical priori ties for steady, long-term growth. Learn and teach simultaneously. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is an 8 — A challenge or barrier could block your investigation. Sort facts from fiction. Leave misconceptions behind. Words can be deceptive. Run a reality check. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 9 — Replenish reserves. It’s not a good time to gamble. Resist the temptation to splurge on unnecessary stuff. Collaborate to increase income and reduce expenses.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — Practice patience, especially with your partner. A challenging situation could disrupt things. Reality clashes with fantasy. Clarify misunderstandings. Romantic tension could send sparks.

Managed

Granola morsel

Maritime crime

Apollo 11 lander

Solution to Thursday’s puzzle

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

The best selection of beer, wine and li quor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Lewis

David Alfred Bywaters