Friday, March 28, 2025
From the ground up
Bolene family facing long, uphill battle after Stillwater home was lost to wildfires
BY KENZIE KRAICH I ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
As Joe Bolene drove into Stillwater, dozens of cars headed in the other direction.
On the morning of March 14, Bolene was sent to Tulsa for an emergency oral surgery. He left his house with a swollen face and the clothes on his back.
It wasn’t until a phone call from his daughter, Bella, that he and his wife, Sherry, heard about the evacuation of the area surrounding their house, the result of wildfires in Stillwater. Even then, Joe was optimistic about the chances of seeing his house standing where he left it, but as soon
as he and his wife exited toward Stillwater, they quickly realized this was not an emergency they would see the end of.
“It didn’t matter how fast we went,” Joe said. “It was too late.”
The Bolenes were one of the many families impacted by wildfires that swept through Stillwater, Payne County and Oklahoma. Stillwater Fire Department Chief Terry Essary said Monday that 123 homes were impacted and 98 were lost.
The Bolenes’ home was one of the 98. They just didn’t know it yet.
As the drive progressed, time stood still for Joe. He was thinking of ev-
Professor’s neighborhood burns to his backyard, home survives
As the sky darkened and a wildfire raged a few miles southwest of Lake Carl Blackwell, Baker continued on playing a recreational game of basketball at a local gym.
erything he needed to grab — all the pieces of his family he would need to carry with him before they were gone. But reality set in as the smoke darkened and cars continued out of the town he was entering.
The sound of wind chimes
With no signs or sounds of fire trucks or police cars, Joe said checkpoints were “close to being a mob mentality” as residents huddled around, itching to get answers.
The lack of alerts or alarms raised questions among many and sprung Joe and Sherry into action. They decided they would attempt to find
I @KRAICH20
a way to see if their home was still standing. With fields engulfed in flames and “fire shooting out under bridges,” he said, they quickly realized they were not going to be able to make it farther safely. Luckily, the couple was able to stay with their daughter. But just minutes after arriving at her apartment, Joe again took things into his own hands.
“By that time… my adrenaline was going, and I was just like, ‘I just have to know,’” he said.
Student volunteer firefighter battles large blaze near Yale
March 14 started out as a relatively normal day. Students wrapped up their school work, turning in last-minute assignments and fighting through their last exams before spring break. By midmorning, most of the student body had hit the road for beaches, vacations and relaxation at home.
Senior Josh Hensley had other plans.
See BOLENE on page 6A
Bryson Thadhani
Joe Bolene (left) and his daughter, Bella, in front of where their Stillwater home used to stand. The Bolene’s house is one of the 98 that was lost due to wildfires.
As smoke began billowing through the sky across Stillwater, Bryson Baker found himself on the basketball court. Baker,
Payton Little
OSU pwrofessor Bryson Baker witnessed his neighborhood, Crosswinds, catch fire.
Courtesy OSU Firefighters Challenge Team Members of the OSU Firefighters Challenge Team volunteered to fight fires on March 14.
News
Stillwater continues response efforts after
wildfire outbreak
KENNEDY THOMASON STAFF REPORTER @_KENNEDYPAGE
Stillwater is taking stock after historic wildfires threatened the city more than two weeks ago.
Many fires, which started during the afternoon of March 14, raged on through the night, threatening homes and businesses on the southwestern side of the city. Ninety-eight homes were lost, and an additional 123 homes were impacted, Stillwater Fire Department Chief Terry Essary said during the City Council meeting Monday.
“Our community experienced historic fire weather, which culminated in the worst fire conditions Stillwater Fire Department has ever experienced,” Essary said. No lives were lost, and no serious injuries were reported, Essary said. The department had five firefighters who were treated and released “very quickly,” he said. During the 12 hours when the fires were at their peak, Essary said the department responded to about 300 calls, which is more than it typically receives in a month.
The fires heavily impacted the Pe -
Editor-in-Chief
can Hill, Hidden Oaks, Nottingham and Crosswinds neighborhoods. It also caused damage to Lake Carl Blackwell, where Director of Emergency Management Rob Hill said 74 campers were destroyed.
In total, Hill said the fires burned 26,301 acres.
Deputy City Manager Christy Driskell said the fires were “completely unprecedented” and hard to comprehend. The city’s response, she said, was impressive given the influx of 911 calls, which reached 61 calls at its peak.
“There are some things that we can’t put numbers to — dedication, professionalism, determination and flat-out true grit,” Driskell said. “We saw all of this and more, and continue to do so.”
Residents who were affected can email Stillwaterstrongrelief@ gmail.com with specific needs. Fire victims can also call 1-(800) REDCROSS. Visit the City of Stillwater’s website for more details on recovery efforts.
Director of Development Services
David Barth said homes within city limits, as well as those within half a mile of the limits, are eligible for a rebuilding consultation.
news.ed@ocolly.com
Editorial board
Ashton Slaughter editorinchief@ocolly.com
Sports editor
Parker Gerl
sports.ed@ocolly.com
News & Lifestyle editor
Hayden Alexander news.ed@ocolly.com
Design editor Megan Turner design.ed@ocolly.com
Photo editor
Payton Little photo.ed@ocolly.com
Social Media editor
Bryson Thadhani news.ed@ocolly.com
Ask the Pokes
What are you looking forward to most in the last half of the semester?
“Dead week. I look forward to not having many assignments even though I have to study.”
- Connor Mink, junior
“Graduating, moving on in life and just getting more work experience rather than just staying in school.”
- Landon Thomas, senior
“I am excited for the rest of the semester because Calf Fry is coming up.”
- Andrew Dickson, sophomore
Assistant News & Lifestyle editor Raynee Howell news.ed@ocolly.com
Assistant Sports editors Kenzie Kraich, Calif Poncy, Sam Mitchell
Assistant Photo editor Connor Fuxa
Assistant Social Media editor Jose Brito
Assistant Design editors Alexandra Guinn, Tobey Lunceford
Adviser Brett Dawson brett.dawson@okstate.edu
TRUST THE LORD! (Part #1)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” (Jn.14:1 NIV)
Jesus had just told his disciples of his betrayal. He also told to them of his leaving and they could not go with him. I am sure that it seemed to the disciples that everything was “caving in, falling apart.” The future seemed so uncertain. Then Jesus speaks these words; DON’T BE TROUBLED; TRUST ME!
Jesus tells them that he is going to the Father (God) and in his house there is plenty of room. He tells them that he is going to make a place for them all and he will return to take them there. As we look around us there is much uncertainty about this planet that we live on; safety is a premium, and what about when death comes? What is going to happen to you and me? Many are betting on losing consciousness and never
awakening. They live on that assumption. However, Jesus tells us all are going to experience a resurrection from the dead; some to everlasting life and others to be condemned . (Jn.5:28-29, Dan.12:2)
Again, the Lord Jesus makes things clear to his followers: “I am going to my Father’s house to prepare a place for you. I will return to get you and take you to be with me.” when asked about the way to this wonderful place, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn.14:6) No wonder he declares plainly; don’t be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.
Jesus has prepared a place and is the way to God’s wonderful place. Let’s trust and follow him, and lay up treasure there. It is a sure place promised by the Lord Jesus himself. He will not fail us; so shall we ever be with the Lord! (1 Thess.4:17-18)
Sports reporters:
Daniel Allen
Dalton Arredondo
Baylor Bryant
Cayden Cox
Timothy Christensen
Gina Foster
Allyn Orndorff
Kaitlyn Robertson
Wyatt Tessier
Will Thorogood
Wyatt Watson
Weston Wertzberger
News & Lifestyle reporters:
Bella Casey
Sungjoo Chung
Luisa Clausen
Audie Martin
MJ Nyamdavaa
Richard Robertson
Megan Roy Kareem Sawan
Kennedy Thomason
Alli Themer
Olivia Upton
Aliyah Young
Photographers & Designers:
Jose Brito
Maya Blanks
Mykalyn Daidone
Catherine Dzanski
Lilian Easter
Andon Freitas
Cody Garcia
Kaytlyn Hayes
Ethan Hilbert
Jonathan Jackson
Michael Jane‘t
Benjamin Perry
Bailey Schmitz
Bryson Thadhani
Payton Little
Ninety-eight homes were lost and 26,301 acres burned in wildfire in Stillwater.
The O’Colly Staff
Architecture student with passion for writing hopes to publish books
“The winning side gets to write history of how the war went. You can kind of misconstrue or say anything that happened in the name of justice.”
Ethan Sier knows that college isn’t just about studying. As a freshman architecture major, he’s found that writing keeps him sane.
“I normally try to choose things that I don’t want to quit or things that I feel like I might have a passion for,” Sier said. “Most of the stuff I wrote in ninth grade wasn’t great. But I was just free-forming, trying to write poems, trying to write little letters.”
Sier didn’t give up.
What truly sets Sier apart is his understanding that passion isn’t a distraction from academic pursuits, but a crucial complement to them.
“Writing helps me feel more normal,” he said. “Instead of stressing out about school, writing helps me feel calm.”
Sier finds inspiration in unexpected sources, particularly the manga series “One Piece.” His favorite writer, Eiichiro Oda, has influenced his approach to storytelling. Sier is particularly struck by a quote from the character Doflamingo: “Justice always prevails because the victors get to choose the story that’s written.”
This perspective fascinates Sier, especially as he builds a complex world with multiple intelligent species.
“It happens in real life,” he said.
His current writing project — a speculative-fiction novel exploring a world where multiple species achieve human-level intelligence — is a metaphor for personal potential.
“I can create my own world, my own details,” Sier said.
His advice to other students is profound in its simplicity: “A big thing for starting is that it’s going to be bad — that’s the big point. Reading a lot of things that you enjoy and helping incorporate that into what you’re writing can be very beneficial.”
He suggested that passion is as much about observation and learning as it is about creation.
Even his choice of major reflects his deep commitment to passion.
“Architecture kind of just encapsulates a lot of things that I wanted to do and a lot of things I’m already passionate about,” Sier said.
With a goal to publish one to two books before graduation, Sier said college is not just about completing a degree, but about discovering and nurturing one’s true potential.
“Sometimes setting deadlines for stuff helps me,” he said. “Even if I don’t get it published by the time I graduate, I have 4.5 years to work on it.”
Former OSU student pleads guilty in
hit-and-run case
of Corrections, despite a request to do so from an attorney for the State of Oklahoma.
“I think that the goals of this program, they are much more effectuated in custody,” the attorney said.
Former Oklahoma Congressman, OSU alum Wes Watkins dies at 86
ASHTON SLAUGHTER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @ASHTON_SLOT
Former U.S. Congressman Wes Watkins died Wednesday morning. He was 86.
Watkins served in Oklahoma’s 3rd Congressional District for 20 years — 14 years as a Democrat and six as a Republican. He took office in 1976 after two years in the Oklahoma State Senate.
from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education in 1960 and a master’s in educational administration in 1961.
His impact is found on OSU’s campus with the Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development and the Wes Watkins Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
Watkins is survived by Rogers Watkins, a former OSU/A&M Board of Regents chairsperson.
A former Oklahoma State student has pleaded guilty in a hit-and-run case.
Tyler Peters was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident last year. He hit Gabrielle “Gabi” Long on Feb. 22, 2024 on the north side of OSU’s campus. She died on her 19th birthday.
During his seventh hearing on March 14, Peters stared ahead, only occasionally glancing around as he waited to change his plea. Long’s family and friends sat to his left and right, some wearing “Live Like Gabi” T-shirts.
District Court Judge Jason Reese set sentencing for Dec. 12. Peters’ guilty plea carries a minimum of a one-year sentence, with up to 10 possible.
Peters will not be placed in the custody of the Oklahoma Department
The program, Regimented Inmate Discipline, also has an out-of-custody option. RID, which is similar to a boot camp, is for 18- to 25-year-olds who plead guilty.
Peters’ attorney, Tommy Adler, said the in-custody option would not be beneficial.
“Since his arrest and since his release on bond, Mr. Peters just made himself busy working in community service, getting counseling, getting further education,” Adler said. “He’s making very productive use of his time.”
Reese ruled Peters will complete the program through the out-of-custody option.
As Reese made his ruling, Long’s parents embraced. Steve Long wrapped his arm around his wife, Danielle.
“We’re not done fighting,” Danielle said after the ruling.
“I am sorry to hear of today’s passing of former Congressman Wes Watkins,” Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert said, in a news release. “Being an FFA state officer changed the trajectory of my life, and I know FFA had a similar impact on Congressman Watkins. I remember speaking with him on the day of my graduation from Oklahoma State University, and he shared how important ag teachers were in his run for Congress. He had a heart for students and spent his life making Oklahoma better, and we are grateful for his service — his legacy will live on long beyond his life while he was with us. My heart goes out to (his wife) Lou (Rogers Watkins), and his family during this difficult time, and we honor him today for all he accomplished for the state of Oklahoma, the countless Oklahomans he inspired, and a life well-lived. Oklahoma is better thanks to his contributions.”
Watkins was born Dec. 15, 1938, in De Queen, Arkansas. He graduated
“The Cowboy family lost a leader and friend today with the passing of Wes Watkins,” OSU president Jim Hess said, in a release. “Our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time. He left an indelible mark on this university, his alma mater, through his generosity and vision for economic prosperity for Oklahoma businesses and students.”
BOR Chairman Jimmy Harrel also released a statement:
“The world lost a champion for Oklahoma and education today. Wes Watkins was a trailblazer and an esteemed member of Congress. A proud OSU alumnus, Watkins was a visionary advocate for economic development on a global scale and for reducing global hunger. Oklahoma is better because Wes Watkins called it home, and we are thankful for his legacy of service to OSU and the state.
“... On behalf of the OSU/A&M Board of Regents, we extend our deepest condolences to the Watkins family during this difficult time.”
news.ed@ocolly.com
Charlie Kirk stopping at OSU for ‘The American Comeback Tour’
ASHTON SLAUGHTER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @ASHTON_SLOT
Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk is coming to Stillwater.
Kirk, a conservative political activist and media personality, is in the midst of “The American Comeback Tour.” His viral social media posts debating students on numerous college campuses around the country have given him 5.2 million Instagram followers.
His stop at OSU is set for noon on April 1 on the International Mall lawn,
which is between Edmon Low Library and Noble Research Center. Kirk is bringing “other special guests” to OSU for “an unfiltered conversation on free speech, conservative values and the fight against leftist dominance in higher education,” according to a news release.
The release also states, “This event will provide students and attendees with the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions, challenge mainstream narratives and hear the facts they won’t get in the classroom.” For tickets, students and the public can go to americancomebacktour.com. All tickets are free.
news.ed@ocolly.com
Bryson Thadhani
Former OSU student Tyler Peters pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a fatality.
Courtesy Oklahoma State
Former U.S. Congressman and Oklahoma State graduate Wes Watkins died Wednesday morning.
‘The Bachelor’ finale: A heart to break or a heart to hold
dress for her version of the scene? Foreshadowing, perhaps.
Note: This article contains spoilers.
Grant Ellis’ season of “The Bachelor” had its moments of pure joy and romance, coupled with shock and confusion.
The finale was no exception to this format, and the emotions Bachelor Nation felt all season hit its peak.
After the elimination of Zoe the episode before, the playing field finally felt even between the last two contestants. Zoe was the only contestant to not get a one-on-one date before fantasy suites and then get the absolute worst date; it was obvious the two roses left were for Litia and Juliana. I mean, silent yoga, really? That’s so unfair to the woman who already had the least amount of time with Grant.
The producers did her so dirty, and the invitation to “Bachelor in Paradise” may not make up for it now that the “Goldens” are attending. But my point is the real competition was between the last two. It could go either way in the eyes of the viewer and the bachelor himself.
The episode began with Litia meeting the Ellis family. Both his father and mother seemed to enjoy Litia’s company. She answered the mother’s grilling questions about whether she loved her son with ease. The same cannot be said for Juliana’s visit with the Ellis family.
When Juliana sat down with Grant’s mother, she had yet to say “I love you” to the bachelor. With her past relationships, she was holding back the “L” word because Litia was still in the picture. In my opinion, that’s understandable. I mean, the man you’re in love with is saying “I love you” to other women.
Grant’s mother did not like Juliana’s honest answer. She told him she would walk away if she didn’t hear that word from her. Yet, his father seemed to like her, asking him about Grant’s mental state and how she could support him on his darker days. His parents’ conflicting views didn’t clear up much for his final decision, and he still had the final dates to go on.
Grant took the chance and said, “I love you” first to Juliana, and she confessed the reason she had been holding back before reciprocating. Within the first 30 minutes of the finale, the leg-up Litia had was gone. After a boat ride and a serious conversation — one where Juliana confirmed she would say “Yes” if she was the one he asked to marry him — that was the end of their journey.
Litia and Grant went horseback riding on the beach. After the date, Grant visited her room where she was wearing sweatpants… she looked gorgeous as always, but why did they have Juliana in a sequined
Grant and Litia talked about Litia’s dream of having children within two years of marriage. Grant had alluded to this being a problem in a few confessionals but never had mentioned it to Litia on camera or off camera, according to her interview with Jesse, the host. She told him she would be willing to wait longer for him if he still had goals he wanted to accomplish.
Then, allegedly, Litia said, “I can’t believe we’re getting engaged tomorrow,” to which Grant responded, “I know, I can’t wait.” But Litia’s car was sent first. Grant broke her heart on national television, saying, “I am not your person.”
Litia’s reaction was iconic and is already trending. She told Grant she viewed him differently, and he wasn’t the guy she thought he was. Not the typical “Well, I wish you the best” inauthentic reaction we normally get.
In an interview with Jesse during the live finale, Litia said Grant gave her a journal to document her feelings throughout the process for them to read together at the end. He also, allegedly, told her early on in the show that he would end the entire show to be with her because he knew she was the one. She told him the switch-up was crazy.
Now, my theory is the Mormon family and the seriousness of the relationship with Litia scared him off.
Like we’ve seen before, Grant will say one thing in confessional and never bring it up to the contestant. During hometowns, he said not meeting Dina’s family may be a dealbreaker, but it was news to her when she watched the episode back. He even said that wasn’t the reason she was sent home when she asked.
So when he seemed unsure of Litia’s two-year timeline, I wasn’t shocked when he never brought it up past his confessional. That, coupled with a serious lifestyle change — marrying into a Mormon family — swayed him to choose Juliana.
It’s just unfortunate Litia got caught in the crossfire. The reassurance he gave her along the way made the break even more devastating. She went into the engagement 100% sure it was her.
Part of the blame is on the process of “The Bachelor” as a whole. With Grant going into it in hopes of forming connections, I think he was being authentic with his feelings with Litia throughout the season. He made promises he couldn’t keep, but he genuinely thought the promises would be kept.
Until five minutes before the cars were sent, he wasn’t sure whose heart to break and whose heart to hold. Grant had to make a life-altering decision, and his fun, easygoing relationship with Juliana probably seemed like the light at the end of a long, terribly stressful tunnel.
Traveler’s tips: Traversing the Highlands of Scotland
storms in Florida, rain can start up at anytime.
Check out museums
Scotland is a unique and fun travel spot with a rich culture, magical folklore and a storied history.
It’s the perfect destination for a firsttime international traveler, and on my recent Study Abroad trip, I was lucky enough to experience an amazing new culture. Here are a few tips for those considering an International adventure to Scotland.
Plan for the spring
During the summer, Scotland, like most of Europe, is overrun with tourists. If you can plan to travel during the spring, Edinburgh and Glasgow will still be bustling, but the Highlands will be much easier to traverse and enjoy.
Try Haggis
While it may sound like a weird concept to most Americans, Haggis — a savory pudding made with sheep’s heart, liver and lungs — is a staple of Scotland and delicious. Be adventurous and try Haggis, meat pies, fish and chips and all the other tasty foods.
Go to a pub
The idea of a lower drinking age is a draw for many student travelers, but the best part about Scottish pubs is the live music. You’d be hardpressed to find a pub without it. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the culture. Go dance and be merry.
See the Highlands
Visiting the Highlands is a must. Edinburgh and Glasgow are fun, but if you want to deep dive into the history of Scotland and enjoy beautiful scenery, plan a few days in the Highlands. There are multiple Airbnb’s in the isles. You can also book a stay in Inverness. The city runs along the river Ness and is about a three-hour train ride from Edinburgh. There are multiple tour services that will take you through the Highlands. You can pick the options that best suit you like searching for the Loch Ness Monster or visiting the Isle of Skye.
Learn your Tartans
Scotland is known for kilts, but did you know the pattern on the kilt represents Scottish clans? The patterns are known as Tartans. Each Tartan depicts a different clan. There are hundreds of clans. Check your last name and ancestory — you might be able to trace your origins to a clan and find your Tartan.
Bring a raincoat
Always pack a heavy rain coat and layer if you can. You might get lucky with sunshine, but like the pop-up
Many museums in Scotland, specifically Edinburgh, are free. The National Museum of Scotland is a massive wonder open and free to the public, as is the Writers Museum tucked away in Old Town.
Roam Victoria Street
The colorful buildings on Victoria Street in Edinburgh served as the inspiration for Diagon Alley in “Harry Potter.” if you are a fan of the series, this street is the perfect spot to visit with the first licensed Harry Potter store and a replica of the cafe where J.K. Rowling penned the famous book series.
Pay with credit cards
Carry cash if you can, but everywhere in Scotland has a tap-to-pay option available. You should be good to go if you have a credit card. Keep track of your expenses, because it can be tempting to overspend.
Go by foot — or train
Getting around Scotland is relatively easy depending on where you are. If you’re in the city, walking is your best option. It’s great exercise and cheap. There are also buses and trams available. If you’re planning on traveling to another city, take the train. You will need to purchase tickets for the bus, tram and train.
Explore folklore
If you’re not into folklore and all things magical, you’re doing it wrong. Scotland is rich with tales, and storytelling is a part of the culture. Read up on folklore and the legends surrounding the land from the Highlands to the city streets.
Try everything Pubs offer a delicious array of foods, but branch out. Scotland, especially Edinburgh and Glasgow, are cultural hubs. Visit Victoria Market in Inverness for a quick bite or stop in one of the many fish and chips joints throughout the city.
Navigation If you’re walking around Edinburgh, remember it’s built on an extinct volcano and double-check your street level. If you’re not careful you could end up on the bridge above the street you need or down the wrong alley.
Castles Make plans to visit the castles. They do charge admission, but the experience is worth it. There are ruins, replicas and castles still in use. Edinburgh Castle is still an active ceremonial and military installation.
Hayden Alexander
Scotland is the prefect travel destination for first-time international travelers.
Stillwater Rising: Red Dirt artists come together to help rebuild community
ers whose resources were severely depleted by the fires.
“I want to make sure that the money is going to the right donations, that being firefighters and those in town that lost their homes,” Heid said.
Red Dirt artists are collaborating to hold a two-day event in Stillwater this weekend to raise funds for the first responders and residents who lost their homes to the March 14 wildfires.
More than 40 artists are performing at Stillwater Strong: Red Dirt Rising this weekend in multiple venues across town starting at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Artists will play late into the night at The Salty Bronco Saloon, The Dirty Rooster, The Great White Buffalo Tavern, Finnegan’s Fighting Goat, Bad Brad’s Bar-B-Q and more. Tickets are $25, which includes lunch at The Twelves, and all proceeds go to helping the people of Stillwater.
Ninety-eight homes were destroyed by the March 14 fires and 123 homes were damaged. Stillwater residents, including local artists, are working to rebuild.
Rich Heid and Hayden Krebs from Okie Records put together the event with the help of the Stillwater community and venues around town.
“We kind of just figured, ‘Hey, we got enough people that we know and we got the know-how and the talents to make this work,’” Heid said.
The event started small, but venues around the Stillwater community jumped at the chance to make a difference.
“More venues and businesses wanted to participate so it grew over time,” Krebs said. “Everybody came together and decided we all wanted to do the same thing.”
Heid said the fires hit close to home. Heid’s grandparents own land in Stillwater, and he would often stay with them while attending OSU. On March 14, Heid worried for his “MeeMaw,” but his cousins were able to help her evacuate.
“Everybody knows somebody from Stillwater, and it transcends down the line,” Heid said. “It’s been a whirlwind of emotions for everybody when it comes to trying to figure out what we can do to help out.”
Heid said that the concerts are meant to help out first respond -
Oklahoma State student Jillian Bryant is one of the artists slated to play in town this weekend. The senior plans to perform at 8 p.m., Saturday at Finnegan’s Fighting Goat.
Bryant, who grew up on a ranch in Missouri, said she had never seen anything like the fires.
“It was kind of scary,” Bryant said. “Being here for that alone was super eye-opening to the natural disasters that were happening.”
Bryant is excited to give back to the community and connect with local artists.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to help put on the event,” Bryant said. “I’m not a native (of) Oklahoma, but I’ve lived here for four years, and this is what feels like home for me. There’s nothing quite like the family that is in Stillwater.”
Heid is excited about connecting with other artists. He hopes the community and artists can build each other up. Heid said the artists were happy to be part of the event and give through their music.
“It’s almost like the firefighters themselves, like first responders, their first response is to give back and to make everybody feel welcome,” he said.
Music is a universal language, and thanks to the Red Dirt music scene, that language hits home for Stillwater residents.
“Stillwater itself is just a special place, and I think music has always had super deep roots here,” Bryant said.
Krebs said the event’s goal, besides raising money, is to bring a little joy to the community.
“It’s to make a statement that we’re here for the community and that we enjoy being a part of it, the good and bad times,” Krebs said.
“To rally everyone behind the community and show that they are supported, they are loved and everyone is welcome to come.”
The event kicks off on Saturday at 11 a.m., more information and tickets can be found on Okie Records’ Facebook Page.
news.ed@ocolly.com
Firefighter
Continued from 1
As a Yale student service battalion member, Hensley usually spends his weekends at the station on call. As others left for home, Hensley was itching to get to the station as soon as possible
For more than a week, he and his fellow firefighters had been preparing for a historic fire. The National Weather Service had issued a fire warning because of high winds and dry conditions.
“We knew we would probably have an incident that would be something we would be remembering for quite a while,” Hensley said.
After his exam was rescheduled, Hensley hit the road with three other student volunteer firefighters. Hensley and his fellow firefighters geared up and waited. It wasn’t long before they tackled a small brush fire, but things took a turn.
At 2:34 p.m., the National Weather Service in Norman issued a fire warning for eastern Payne County. A fire had sprung up on the outskirts of Cushing with the potential to jump the Cimarron River towards Yale.
Yale’s 10-person team, including Hensley, responded immediately, however, they had to turn around within minutes.
“We were about five miles south of Yale at that point, and we got a call from our dispatch saying, ‘Hey the fire did jump the river. It’s in our area,’” Hensley said. “And so we all turned around and headed back towards where it was reported.”
Hensley and his fellow firefighters had to fight their way back to the flames through winds up to 60 mph that kicked up dust, severely reducing visibility.
“We couldn’t actually find any fire because the dust was so strong for about 45 minutes after it was reported to have jumped the river, we were just trying to find it,” Hensley said.
When Hensley finally made it to the site of the fire, it was clear that the situation was out of control. Firefighters tried to get a handle on the fire, but it was spreading too quickly
“We couldn’t even do anything,” Hensley said. “All the tools that we had at our disposal, that we normally have at our disposal, were not effective at controlling the fire.”
Dozer lines failed, water did nothing and planes couldn’t make it out to douse the fire because of the windy conditions.
Hensley and his team were not alone, but at 3:23 p.m., a potentially life-threating fire was spotted west
of Stillwater.
“Due to the life safety threat that Stillwater’s fire posed, because it was getting to the neighborhoods, a lot of resources that were initially sent up towards our part of the state were sent to Stillwater, understandably,” Hensley said.
Teams that had been responding to the Yale fire headed out to Stillwater to offer what aid they could, leaving Hensley’s team to battle the fires alone.
“We were on our own,” he said. “We did not have any additional outside help until after dark that night, so we were pretty much fighting the fire on our own.”
The small team fought on, trying to tame the fire, but quickly realized the situation was no longer safe or sustainable.
“There was no way to catch it because it was going faster that what we could physically accomplish and some parts were far too dangerous to attempt attacking the fire, so we wound up having to make a decision to go,” Hensley said. They immediately started doorto-door evacuations, focusing on saving lives over property.
Hensley didn’t like abandoning the fire, but he knew that safety came first.
“It was honestly kind of frustrating, because we had to make a decision to stop trying to control it,” Hensley said.
Hensley said 8,500 acres, or 14 square miles, had burned when the fires quelled and the dust settled. The fire was one of the biggest Hensley had ever fought.
“It was the largest we’ve had and the conditions that we had, everyone I spoke to said they had never seen fire behavior like that before,” Hensley said.
The fire affected everyone in different ways, but Hensley walked away knowing that he, like many other emergency service men and women, had done everything they could to put the fire out and protect people.
In part because of their efforts, there were no fatalities in Payne County.
Hensley said that helping people was why he joined the student service battalion, and he plans on continuing to volunteer after graduation.
“I wanted to be able to serve and help people whatever way I could,” Hensley said. “That’s something that always sticks with me… just making people’s days a little bit — if it’s a bad day — just a little bit better.”
Raynee Howell
Jillian Bryant is one of the performers raising money for Stillwater residents affected by wildfires.
Courtesy OSU Firefighters Challenge Team
Student volunteer firefighter Josh Hensley (left) worked timelessly to put out a wildfire in Yale.
Professor
Until his phone rang, and his normal Friday afternoon turned into a nightmare.
“My wife called me and said, ‘You need to get home; the house is on fire or our neighborhoods are on fire; I don’t know what’s going on,’” Baker said. “And I thought it was a joke.”
Baker’s wife was in Oklahoma City with their children and was unsure of the state of their neighborhood, Crosswinds. Baker, along with his brother who lived nearby, checked out the scene. A pasture close by was ablaze, and the wind was blowing toward him; he realized his neighborhood was in jeopardy.
In a panic, Baker grabbed his two smaller dogs and put them in the car before heading to Oklahoma City to pick up his wife. Left behind were his cat and a larger dog who did not fit in the car. With no clue what to do, the family headed back to Stillwater.
By that point, the National Weather Service had issued a warning for the west side of Stillwater along Highway 51. Highway Patrol blocked the road at Range Road and 51 and told Baker he could not enter Stillwater.
“I’m asking the guy, ‘Can I go up north and cut back? Can I go south towards Perkins and take (Highway) 33?’” Baker said. “He’s like, ‘You can’t come into town.’”
Baker ignored the warnings and took a side road. At the top of the road, he looked down and saw his neighborhood in flames.
“I have my wife and kids with me, and I’m like, ‘We can’t go,’” he said. “‘I can’t take you into that,’ and seeing that was just very surreal.”
Baker dropped his wife and children off at a family member’s house in Edmond before heading back to Stillwater to meet up with his brother again. Baker’s brother had gone back into the neighborhood and grabbed the larger dog from the house.
Together, the pair tried to enter Baker’s neighborhood again, but the police blocked the entrance. Blockades didn’t mean much to Baker or his brother. The two drove to his brother’s house nearby and hopped on his golf cart to enter into the neighborhood the back way.
Baker recalled the wind whipping and the flames flaring above the houses. He said it reminded him of fireworks as embers flew high into the air. Then, he saw his house; near a row of 10 houses ablaze on Stonybrook Street. “(Stonybrook Street) backs up to my house; our fence was gone,” Baker said. “It was in ash, and our backyard was burning, and so my assumption was we were gonna lose our house.”
Baker hurriedly grabbed his cat and some medicine for his wife from inside
the house while thoughts about his neighbors raced through his mind. All had evacuated, but many homes were now in ruins.
“I’m thinking, at least for the ones up the street that I know, their kids go to school on Monday,” Baker said. “I’m a dad. Like, you don’t have stuff to pack their lunch. They don’t have clothes… you start thinking about just the day to day like, ‘OK, where are we gonna sleep tomorrow if we have no house,’ you know? ‘What are we gonna do for dinner?’
“We have a 2-year-old and a 10-yearold. How are you gonna say that to your kids? Especially my 10 year old, like… ‘You don’t have any of your stuff.’ When he saw the flames and heard about it, He was like, ‘Am I gonna lose all my books and my Pokémon cards?’”
Baker said they left that night and crossed their fingers. With a little luck and much help from first responders, Baker’s family home still stands.
Firefighters broke into a fence to put out the fire in Baker’s yard in an attempt to keep the flames from spreading farther onto his street. The houses just across the street and up the hill burned to their foundations, but Baker’s house stood high when the family arrived to assess the damage.
Walking along the ruins of the once full-of-life neighborhood the next morning, Baker encountered a familiar face that reminded him of how lucky his family had been.
“One of my neighbors who has lived in her house since it was built just had a smile on her face,” Baker said. “She was happy, and it struck me as very odd, and so I just asked her, ‘Why are you in this spirit that you’re in?’ and She’s like ‘Listen, I taught public school here and lived here for decades; I’ve dealt with so many issues. My family is safe, my children are safe.’”
“It was just an apocalyptic scene, and she was just ‘I’m good.’ I was just like ‘Oh my God. I just lost my backyard, but man, you’ve lost this.’”
The neighborhood was still smoldering when additional help began pouring in. Baker watched the scene unfold as Samaritan’s Purse volunteers, first responders and community members flocked to the neighborhood to help, and it stuck with him. He said his heart goes out to those who lost everything and those who are helping others in need.
“There’s still good stuff out there in the midst of devastation… there’s these beautiful human moments that reconnect us in ways,” Baker said. “There are so many people over the past week that have been out in the neighborhood, like reconnecting. It sucks that something like this forces us out, but I think it demonstrates the resiliency of the community.”
Bolene
Joe hopped in the car, drove across town and parked a few miles from their family home. After a small hike, he found himself walking up the road of a familiar neighborhood.
It was dark, and all Joe could see was orange, but one thing signified hope as he approached his home in the Nottingham neighberhood — wind chimes. Nearby neighbors of the Bolenes had wind chimes that rang daily, but that night, they seemed to ring louder.
“I heard the wind chimes, and I just thought, ‘Everything’s OK,’” he said. “If the wind chimes are there, everything’s OK.’”
As he continued up the road, Joe saw signs of the storage container that normally sits in his yard. In his mind, this was his house, but just seconds later, he was overcome with heartache.
The house the family had called home for 23 years was leveled, with hardly any recognizable items. Joe was speechless.
When he returned to his daughter’s apartment late that night, grief overcame the family, and together, they did the thing all families dread — they cried.
Irreplaceable items
Joe and Sherry raised two kids in their Stillwater home, making memories and family heirlooms the greatest losses the Bolenes encountered.
Some residents had time to grab what they needed and evacuate, but the Bolenes didn’t get that luxury. Emotion filled Joe as he mentioned the one thing he would have grabbed if given that opportunity.
“I really wanted my grandfather’s watch,” Joe said. “I never got to meet him, and that’s the first thing I thought of.”
Other irreplaceable items — his mother’s wedding ring he planned to give Bella on her big day and a special photograph from his grandfather’s oil operation in Enid — kept those emotions coming.
Bella was raised in the family home, giving significance to every inch of what the fire took from her. She, too, had several things she knew she would have grabbed if she “would’ve been given just 60 seconds.”
It symbolized safety and comfort, even in the most unsettling times. In Bella’s mind, “that house was invincible.”
It had undergone tornadoes and floods with no issues, so this, she thought, would produce similar results.
From finding a new best friend in a stray dog on the porch to Sherry yelling at her daughter to be careful as she explored a newly-constructed home, memories flooded Bella as she reminisced about everything the fire took from her and her family.
As Bella wore coveralls standing in the rubble Thursday afternoon, in the middle of where her house used to stand, she still held out hope she could find the ring. Or at least part of it.
“I have full faith,” she said, “I’m at least gonna find the diamond.”
Moving forward
Just when the Bolenes were starting to make sense of what happened, the devastation continued. In the late hours of March 23, Joe was taken to the hospital for a heart attack.
He was staying with Bella for the night and woke up with “an incredible pain” in his arm, sweating before stumbling and falling to the ground.
He said doctors called it a “heartbreak heart attack,” caused by the loss of the Bolene family home.
Looking at the rubble of where his home used to stand Thursday, he called the heart attack “the best thing that’s ever happened” to him.
“It really was,” he said. “I was not in a good place. It just reminded me, ‘You’re OK, man. You can live. You get to see another day.’ I like that.”
Still, though, each day poses a new to-do list for the Bolenes as they sift through what’s left of their home. They have taken things hour by hour the past two weeks, giving them no real timeline of when they will see things take the shape of normalcy.
Facing one of the most devastating losses a family can go through, the Bolenes have found comfort in Stillwater’s giving nature.
Joe said organizations such as United Way, the Stillwater Armory and the Red Cross have given the family a few of the dozens of resources they’ve received. Bella, too, created a GoFundMe — which can be found in the online version of this story — for the family to raise money not only for the lost home but also the hospital bills that have piled up.
The fundraising effort has gained traction on the Bolenes’ social media, and the family has posted a flyer on its mailbox with a QR code directing people to the GoFundMe, but Bella explained exactly what this financial support means to her and her family.
“It’s the difference of being able to have a place to stay and a home to live in,” Bella said.
Bryson Thadhani
Samaritan’s Purse has assisted residents of multiple neighborhoods sifting through the wreckage.
Bryson Thadhani
The mailbox still standing at the Bolenes’ destroyed home has donation information for the family.
Stillwater Humane Society director improves shelter conditions, helps community
walk the dogs, play with cats or hang out with puppies.
As a little girl, Jackie Ross-Guerrero was always wrangling feral barn cats and taking in strays.
She knew then that there was no animal that didn’t deserve love.
Now, Ross-Guerrero has been the director of the Stillwater Humane Society for more than 17 years, and she remembers fondly her experiences, hardships and favorite memories working there.
“When I started here, I thought it was going to be about the animals, but it really isn’t,” Ross-Guerrero said. “It’s a lot more about the people who see the animals changing their lives… So it’s not only saving the lives of all these animals, but it’s the difference that we’re making in the people’s lives as well.”
Ross-Guerrero has made it a point to serve the community. The Humane Society supports the Stillwater community by providing kibble, leashes, towels and more goods to help take care of its animals. Ross-Guerrero helped bring this service to life, along with other changes to better serve the animals and their people.
“The shelter was in disarray,” RossGuerrero said. “It had over 100 dogs in a shelter that should only hold 40 to 50. They had cats that were in pop-up crates all over the place; some of them were sick, and there were no volunteers… The first thing I did (as director) was made friends with some amazing veterinarians, and I did a lot of learning... I contacted a lot of other rescues saying, ‘What do I do?’ ‘What am I doing wrong?’ ‘What do we need to do?’
“But the biggest thing was, to get out into the community, get onto OSU’s campus, and say, ‘I need help.’ I’m one person.’”
The staff of the Humane Society is constantly working to better the facility and the lives of the animals around them. Volunteers also help
“I wish I would have taken more pictures as to what it was like before I got here, because a lot of people just walk in and expect to see it the way that it is,” Ross-Guerrero said.
“I opened up this whole run so that the dogs have skylights and they have natural lights, and fixed up the backyard so it’s grass; like there was no grass here.”
Along with positive changes made within the Stillwater Humane Society, Ross-Guerrero also has a collection of different tattoos all representing different animals that most impacted her life. The first portrait she received was of her “heart-dog” Moxie. Moxie was a rescue that had been part of an abuse case, who refused to trust anyone after her past experience with humans. That was until Moxie met Ross-Guerrero.
“And I went over there (to the rescue house) and, as soon as he saw me, he was like ‘Oh my gosh there’s my mom,’” Ross-Guerrero said.
Ross-Guerrero has more tattoos located on both her arms and back of different portraits of the animals she has both rescued and adopted. She still plans on getting more pieces done for all the animals that touched her heart during her time at the humane society.
If an individual is interested in adopting a pet from the Humane Society they can visit their website which has all of their available animals ready to view. There are also multiple adoption events planned throughout the year, where people can come see the animals and hopefully find their “heart-pet.”
“Whether it’s a cat or whether it’s a dog, they just let you know that they still have some fight left, and we’re going to do something to help that animal,” Ross-Guerrero said. “Find it an amazing home, no matter how long we have left with it, so it can be loved and spoiled.”
The O’Colly’s guide to fun, fresh spring fashion
flowy, lightweight garments to stay comfortable while looking stylish.
Spring has sprung, which means spring fashion is beginning to bloom.
Here’s my 2025 spring fashion guide to help your style blossom.
If you’re scrambling to find outfits for the season, look no further than your own closet. Only see bulky winter clothes? No problem. Turn your sweaters and long sleeves into cute going-out tops.
Personally, I love tying the sleeves together to create a backless top.
Here’s a quick tutorial: Drape the shirt diagonally across your chest.
• Take the long sleeves and tie them together at the back. Lastly, connect the loose side of the shirt to the nearest sleeve, tie it securely, tuck in any excess fabric and adjust.
TikTok is full of creative tutorials on how to turn long sleeves and sweaters into different tops, so check them out for inspiration.
If you’re not in the mood to repurpose your clothes, that’s OK. Head to your nearest thrift store and sift through the racks for unique finds. It’s a great way to refresh your wardrobe for a low price. Spring weather can be unpredictable, but it’s usually warm. Opt for
Wearing graphic tees is one easy way to spice up your outfits without overheating. Thrift stores often have a great selection, making it easy to find cool, vintage pieces. I love pairing graphic tees with coordinating shoes and a pair of shorts using the sandwich method, an easy styling trick where your shoe color matches your top for a cohesive look.
Try finding shirts that reflect your personality, which I like to call personality tees. These can feature your favorite bands, movies or references, incorporating a personal touch to your style.
Plus, they’re great conversation starters for like-minded people.
Another must-have addition to anyone’s spring wardrobe is accessories. Jewelry, hair clips, bags and even socks can enhance an outfit. Once you’ve chosen your look, add a statement piece to elevate it. I’m a maximalist when it comes to accessories. A simple T-shirt and jeans can instantly turn into a bold fashion statement with the right jewelry. Etsy is a fantastic place to shop for cool eclectic accessories.
Don’t be afraid to mix things up. There’s no rule against combining gold and silver jewelry. If it looks good on you, wear it.
Fashion has no laws, so have fun experimenting with your style.
File Photo
Jackie Ross-Guerrero has worked at the Humane Society in Stillwater for more than 17 years.
Bella Casey
As the weather warms, new wardrobe opens options up for students.
OLIVIA UPTON STAFF REPORTER
ALIYAH YOUNG STAFF REPORTER
‘Severance’ Season 2 pushes boundaries, further grows world of hit Apple TV+ series
and answers questions about her past and the roots of the severance procedure (more on this episode is coming, too).
And, unsurprisingly, this worldbuilding works. See Episode 7.
Chef’s kiss to the director of “Chikhai Bardo,” Jessica Lee Gangé, who made her directorial debut in what may be the best episode of the season.
From the first sequence of “Severance” Season 2, everything felt grander.
The Lumon Industries hallways on the Severed Floor felt whiter and windier than ever, and Adam Scott’s running as Mark S. felt just as dorky but lovable as his character did when the Season 1 finale aired nearly three years prior. (Don’t worry, fans, a Season 3 has already been confirmed, and executive producer Ben Stiller said the goal is to get it out “as fast as possible.”)
In the one-take shot of Mark S. running, viewers were given an instant feel of what Season 2 was setting out to be: bigger. And after the finale and 10th episode, “Cold Harbor,” aired this past Friday, “Severance” did just that.
The world viewers left in Season 1, which ended with a cliffhanger that still might be the show’s best episode, was great. Many of the things in the first season of “Severance” — mystique, a mix of answered and unanswered questions and a compelling ensemble of characters — carry into the second season and, with its completion, set up the third season to continue these qualities. It even became Apple TV+’s most-watched series ever.
Through reintegration, more storylines with the goats and exploration of the innies grappling with their wants and desires to live more of a full life — or to be more or less like their outies — “Severance” breathes new life into its story and its world.
And though the innies’ growth as people (in the capacity they can be) on the Severed Floor was an integral storyline, some of the season’s best moments were spent outside of white hallways and desks.
More worldbuilding in “Severance?” Great, Episode 4, “Woe’s Hollow,” has so much of that.
Episode 7, “Chikhai Bardo” (which will be discussed more, too), brings the audience into Mark and Gemma Scout’s relationship in gold-tinted flashbacks.
The next episode, “Sweet Vitriol,” is all about Harmony Cobel’s upbringing
At some point, the Scouts’ relationship was going to be told, and heading into this season, viewers figured more was coming. However, it being done in an emotional, beautiful and Easter-eggridden episode wasn’t a given. With the quality of “Severance,” it isn’t shocking. But making a five-star episode of television isn’t the norm. It’s an undoubted top-two episode of the show, and it might not be No. 2
The finale, “Cold Harbor,” is a fantastic one, too. A probable top-three or four episode that, through romance, drama, action, mystery and just about any other genre, left audiences crying, cheering and eager for what is next.
As for the not-as-good: Sorry, Cobel, but Episode 8, “Sweet Vitriol,” didn’t match the quality of the season — or the show, really.
It was a zag, especially off the heels of the remarkable Episode 7, and it was a needed zag.
However, it felt drawn out — something that “Severance,” in 19 total episodes, rarely leaves a viewer feeling. It wasn’t even a horrible episode of TV; it just felt less tight than the other nine episodes in the season.
Overall, the collection of episodes in Season 1 outperforms its follow-up act. However, the highs of Season 2 are higher; the “lows” (which feels harsh, considering the show is still without a horrible episode) are lower, though, which drags down the bunch.
But this season didn’t need to outperform the first. It needed to grow the world of “Severance.” And after a fantastic push-and-pull finale, it succeeded. The show has grown in popularity, too.
So, assuming Stiller sticks to his word and Season 3 won’t take as long, fans should look toward a not-as-far-away next batch of episodes to keep the lovable mystique of “Severance” going while continuing to push the boundaries and increase the stakes. With Season 2 as an example, that seems more than feasible.
Tyler, The Creator stuns fans on ‘Chromakopia’ tour
audience was screaming and the pit below Tyler was in an uproar.
Tyler, The Creator kicked off his world tour to showcase his new album “Chromakopia,” on Feb. 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Since then, “Chromakopia” has taken the world by storm, with the usage of bright neon green lights and performing on top of shipping containers, Tyler brings his album to life. “Chromakopia” addresses some of the hardships Tyler has faced — love, acceptance — and is also a continuation of his previous album, “Call Me If You Get Lost.”
“Chromakopia” does not disappoint, and his performance at American Airlines Center in Dallas proved just that.
Tyler’s opener was Paris Texas, followed by Lil Yachty. Paris Texas came in with high energy and performed on Stage B, which is located in front of the stage built from shipping containers. The group performed hits such as “Force of Habit,” “Bullseye” and included two new EPs titled “They Left Me with a Gun” and “They Left Me with a Sword.”
Lil Yachty came out soon after, with minor issues such as slipping before getting on stage, and from the audience perspective, you could tell Yatchy was having some difficulties with his in-ear monitors, which he soon recovered from.
Besides these hiccups, Yachty gave an amazing show. He performed some of his well-known hits such as “iSpy,” “Poland” and “Broccoli.” Yachty also performed “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Drive ME Crazy,” setting the tone for Tyler’s appearance.
The lights fully went down at 9:20 p.m. Yatchty gave one last thank you to Tyler and asked the crowd if it was ready for the main event of the night. Smoke began to fill the arena and neon green lights flickered randomly. The shipping containers began to light up and the first song on “Chromakopia,” “St. Chroma,” began to play.
The audience began to march to the beat and Tyler was revealed as the container slowly started to lift upward. Tyler was wearing his “Chromakopia” mask and marching in uniform. The
Tyler then transitioned to “Rah Tah Tah,” complementing the energy of “St. Chroma.” Tyler did reveal his face during his performance of “Take Your Mask Off,” and the crowd’s reactions no doubt could be heard from two blocks away. Tyler continued to play out the rest of the “Chromakopia” album with noticeable hits such as “Judge Judy,” “Sticky,” “I Killed You” and “Noid.”
Following the performance of “Tomorrow” Tyler transitioned to Stage B, where the openers performed in the beginning of the concert. Sheer curtains descended from the ceiling covering Stage B, while a projector created a depiction of a house. On the screens above the stage, Tyler began going through the older albums in his “house.”
To kick off his throwback the first record he chose was “IGOR,” and he performed “RUNNING OUT OF TIME.” Tyler then transitioned to another hit song “EARFQUAKE” Pink and orange hues complemented the set and lit up the stage in sunset colors.
The anticipation could be felt as he put his hand over his “Wolf” album. Tyler pulled “Wolf” out of the stack of records and the crowd exclaimed. Some people began screaming while others were crying, overwhelmed with emotion. Tyler kicked off his throwback with “Tamale” which is a fast-paced song that embodies early “WOLFGANG.”
To keep the pace, “Rusty” followedsuit, which transitioned into “IFHY.” The people in the crowd were beside themselves with “IFHY,” and you could feel the vibrations of the crowd jumping course through your feet.
Tyler eventually went back to his albums and decided to close his throwbacks with his album “Goblin.” Again, the crowd was beside itself as “Yonkers” began to play, turning into “She,” pairing as the perfect songs to close-out his “house” set.
Tyler gave a great performance and made a few humorous comments as to how he’s “getting too old for this” or an occasional “my knees hurt.” Tyler’s final song of the night was the last song listed on “Chromakopia,” titled “I Hope You Find Your Way Home.” It was the final song to close the Dallas show, and another veil closed on the Chromakopia World Tour.
Courtesy Apple TV+
“Severance” Season 2. starring Britt Lower (left) and Adam Scott, builds upon the world the show left in its first season and leaves viewers wondering where it will go next.
Via @feliciathegoat / Instagram Tyler, The Creator performed on top of shipping containers during his world tour.
Hauss Hejny isn’t in purple and black anymore, but he still wants to emulate a former TCU football star.
Hejny — Oklahoma State football’s newest quarterback — now has an offensive coordinator in Doug Meacham who helped the Horned Frogs’ offense explode in 2014 with star quarterback Trevone Boykin. Hejny said he wants to match his play to Boykin’s, a mobile
quarterback like Hejny who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Meacham coached TCU’s inside receivers last season while Hejny was a backup for the Horned Frogs. Now they’re working together in Stillwater.
“It’s an air raid offense…
And I like to throw the ball around,” Hejny said of Meacham’s coaching style.
“His infamous year with Trevone Boykin, where they threw for a lot of yards, and then Trevone made a lot of plays with his feet.
See HEJNY on page 2B
Gundy’s spring Bedlam idea was great; now he owes it to fans to follow through
Gundy, other than Sean Snyder (special teams) and Rob Glass (strength and conditioning), was fired and/or replaced.
So heading into spring practice this week with a bunch of new staff and a hodgepodge
Say what you want about Mike Gundy, but he knows how to get Oklahoma State football fans fired up one way or another.
During the Cowboys’ 3-9 season in 2024, he did it in a not-so-good way. Things were so bad that everyone around
group of players that could require a fan to first squint to read the name before a Google search, Gundy did a good Gundy thing. He got people excitedly talking about OSU football. Well, and Oklahoma football. “Honestly, for us, we should do a home and home with OU in the spring,” Gundy said. Voilà. What a fine idea.
Cowboy fans haven’t poured into Boone Pickens Stadium for a spring game the past two times their short-sleeved Tshirts and shorts fit the weather due to construction.
See SPRING on page 2B
Even after capturing college wrestling’s elusive crown, Wyatt Hendrickson steered away from his phone.
“I kind of blacked out after my match,” Hendrickson said. “I tried to stand up and then kind of just fell.
“I didn’t feel anything at first.” Not even a sense of euphoria, that didn’t kick in until days later.
In the moment, Hendrickson said, his mind was numbed to the realization that he’d ended his collegiate career at the mountaintop, with a 5-4 upset decision against top-seeded heavyweight Gable Steveson of Minnesota in the heavyweight title match of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia.
In the immediate aftermath, the Oklahoma State wrestler relished the moment alongside his teammates and coaches. But he said he expected an overflow of messages — some from those closest to him, and others he hadn’t seen in some time.
Throughout the week leading up to the match, Hendrickson embraced an underdog mentality, which he called “an attack mindset” the night prior to his match against Steveson. That cor-
‘It’s all so surreal’
How Hendrickson has handled national attention after title upset victory
BY DANIEL ALLEN I STAFF REPORTER
related with a biblical tale, “David vs Goliath,” which Hendrickson paid homage to in the days leading up to his title match.
David was a young unknown shepherd who clung to faith, humility and boldness. Hendrickson was a renowned figure in college wrestling who hadn’t won the ultimate prize. Both were unproven figures awaiting a clash with a daunting opponent. Faith and resilience emboldened both. And like David, Hendrickson prevailed — not with a sling, but a takedown with 18 seconds remaining in the match.
It wasn’t until midnight that Hendrickson — OSU’s second-seeded wrestler — checked his phone for congratulatory messages.
And to his surprise, the first one was a voicemail from his mother, Lynnette, that said, “Hey, sweetie, where are you?” a “Congratulations, Wyatt. We are so proud of you” text followed.
Charles White
OSU wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson’s win against Gable Steveson won Hendrickson a national championship and is regarded as one of the biggest upsets ever.
Payton Little
Mike Gundy wants Bedlam spring scrimmages for NIL.
With remodeling done now, though, OSU is set for an April 19 date with fans. No spring game — that isn’t sticking around in the new era of college football, it seems; ask Deion Sanders at Colorado, Ryan Day at Ohio State and Steve Sarkisian at Texas, among others.
Instead, what used to be spring games have become practices, scrimmages and showcases. Any word other than “game” for an event that doesn’t include quarters and points.
That, combined with the Bedlam rivalry being dead in football, leaves OSU and OU — two programs going away from the traditional spring game route — searching for alternatives.
OU is going for a “Crimson Combine” on April 12 with drills, skills challenges and opportunities for fans.
Sounds a little bit like the NFL Pro Bowl and the NBA All-Star Weekend — two events that weren’t received all that well in their most recent goarounds and haven’t been for some years now.
matter who is signing footballs or jerseys, just as long as they’re wearing an orange or white jersey.
But there’s no Ollie Gordon II, Brennan Presley or Collin Oliver on this team.
There’s a Rodney Fields Jr., Ayo Shotomide-King and Justin Kirkland.
Nothing personal against those guys, but they aren’t attracting the same number of fans or reaching the same audience from an NIL perspective as the first trio.
Last year, there was a likable quarterback: Alan Bowman. He led the 2023 team to a Big 12 Championship Game; everyone, especially kids, loves a QB1.
Now there’s a Hauss Hejny, Garret Rangel, Zane Flores and Maealiuaki Smith quartet. No set QB1.
What sells tickets — like the $25 ones Gundy pitched — is a rivalry. Even though a scrimmage wouldn’t count toward either team’s Bedlam record, it’s a good idea for both universities to profit off something more exciting than a QB throwing a go-ball to a WR or watching some footwork drills.
I’ve always watched Trevone Boykin and (I) try to model my game after him. I think I can do a lot of similar things that he did when he was in college.”
Hejny is in a four-way competition for the Cowboys’ starting quarterback spot and is the lone newcomer of the mix. He’s never thrown a collegiate pass but is confident he “can do it” as a high-level quarterback for OSU.
The 6-foot Hejny is a dual-threat quarterback with great speed. He rushed the ball 15 times for 65 yards last season, 48 coming on eight carries against Cincinnati. At Aledo High School in Texas, Hejny ran 100-meter times of 10.68, 10.83 and 10.96 in spring 2022.
“When things break down, I can run the ball,” Hejny said. “When it’s fourth-and-1, I’m the type of guy who’s competitive enough to put my head down and run somebody over if I want to.”
Although Hejny hasn’t slung the football at the collegiate level, he did plenty of it at Aledo, which earned him 247Sports’ No. 12 quarterback ranking in the 2024 recruiting class. He passed for 2,800 yards with 27 touchdowns as a senior after compiling 2,094 passing yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior.
Now Hejny has to do it at the next level to win the starting job in Meacham’s air-raid system.
“People talk about proving people wrong, and people talk about proving yourself right,” Hejny said. “(The latter is) kind of more of the path that I’m going on because I know I can do it. I’ve done it in practice… I know I can do it.”
Hejny said Smith, Flores and Rangel are “three great dudes” who have consistently helped each other since becoming teammates while competing for the starting job.
“The competition is always high,” Hejny said. “I mean, it’s football. We all know we want to be a starter. We’re just doing our best every day to compete but also be respectful of each other. That’s what it’s about.”
Having four quarterbacks competing for a starting job is rare in the NIL era. Players often search for a new home once they believe they won’t get much playing time.
But that’s what makes OSU’s compeition unique. No player has a leg-up in the race for the job, considering two (Flores and Hejny) have never thrown a pass, and Rangel and Smith have seen limited time.
Once the Cowboys settle on a starter, or if one of the qurterbacks feels they’re out of the race for the job when spring practice nears the end, they can enter the portal from April 16-25. Gundy acknowledged that Tuesday when asked if he expects to lose any quarterbacks once the portal reopens.
“We could,” Gundy said. “We had a recruting meeting this moring, and we have to expect to lose six to 10 guys after April, just based on the percentages. You would like for that not to happen, but I think if you sit around and think that it’s not going to happen, then maybe you’re not up to par with the times...Roster management is difficult because we don’t know (what will happen). But can you keep four quarterbacks that are good enough to play at this level? It would be difficult.”
Meacham and OSU coach Mike Gundy will have four options to work with in Hejny, Garret Rangel, Zane Flores and Maealiuaki Smith. Flores is the other quarterback who has never thrown a pass in college. Rangel and Smith can make plays with their legs, too, but they don’t have the same speed as Hejny and like to throw in the pocket. Flores is a big 6-foot-4 pocket-passer with skills that could mesh well in an airraid system like Meacham’s.
So to avoid falling into the NFL and NBA’s pitfall and keep things interesting for fans, a Bedlam homeand-home spring practice, scrimmage or showcase, can do just that.
“They should come here on the 19th,” Gundy said. “... We should go down there and play a home-andhome in the spring against them. Charge 25 bucks a head. They can use it for NIL. We’ll use it for NIL. You know, if they don’t want to do two in one spring, we can do one here this year, do it there next year.”
Get name, image and likeness money, too? Man. Gundy hit all the checkpoints. It’s a good idea, truly. The team in Norman seemingly isn’t in as much NIL need as the one in Stillwater, but $25 per person could add up quickly for both sides.
Aside from it being a fun wrinkle in the spring, OSU fans need something to care about. A bunch of autographs from players they don’t know? Sure, to kids, it might not
After all, as Gundy said Monday, his players “get tired of practicing against each other.” His new-look staff certainly would want to see how its bunch matches up against an SEC team.
Although he didn’t want to speak for OU coach Brent Venables, Gundy knows neither coach would want a live game. The chance of injury is too high, and when a win or loss can’t be attached to the result, the risk far outweighs the reward. But if programs want to do their fans right, they’ll look toward an idea like the one Gundy pitched Tuesday.
That’s much more interesting to fans than some gimmicky showcase. And some programs, like OSU, owe it to their fans. Not only because of two swing-and-a-miss springs but a 3-9 season with a roster of unfamiliar faces and names. Not bad, Gundy. Now make it happen.
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Quarterback Hauss Hejny transferred to Oklahoma State from TCU and will compete to start. Hejny
Bryson Thadhani
OSU coach Mike Gundy wants to start
scrimmage series with Oklahoma.
Trio of returning Cowboy QBs competing in four-way battle
the sideline, already having undergone surgery that could’ve waited until the offseason.
Quarterbacks are always under the microscope.
That burden can fall on a clear starter or — as is the case with Oklahoma State football this spring — a group of competitors fighting for the spot.
Within that situation is a complex dichotomy.
Should OSU favor TCU transfer Hauss Hejny, who is familiar with offensive coordinator Doug Meacham? Or should it lean toward the trio of Garret Rangel, Zane Flores and Maealiuaki Smith, all of whom have spent time with OSU and two of whom suffered season-ending injuries that derailed their opportunities to stake their claim as the quarterback of the future?
Rangel suffered a broken collarbone in his lone start against BYU, and Flores suffered a foot injury that required surgery.
Now both are back at full strength and are competing for the job.
“It’s gonna be good,” Rangel said. “We’ve got a bunch of good guys in the room; it’s how it is every year, it’s always competition.”
Before he was injured against BYU, Rangel appeared well on his way to solving OSU’s quarterback issues. He was 6 for 9 for 51 yards with a touchdown and an interception, along with 77 rushing yards, including the 54-yard scamper in which he fell on his collarbone and lost the rest of the season. On top of all of it, OSU was tied with then No. 13 BYU.
It was the first time Rangel had gotten two weeks to prepare as the starter and the results were there — until they weren’t.
“It was tough, you know?” Rangel said. “I mean, you all know, my career has been up and down here, like I said, just being able to finally get my shot, like a true shot, and then we’re rolling. (Then) I shattered my collarbone, and it was definitely tough.”
Alan Bowman’s struggles opened the door for a younger quarterback to slot in, and Rangel got the first shot. But Flores’ injury came at a tough time, too. Flores underwent a voluntary seasonending foot surgery that was announced right before Rangel led the Cowboys into Provo against BYU.
The tale is now known. Rangel suffered a season-ending injury of his own and OSU was forced to turn back to Bowman, all while Flores watched from
“In the summer and fall camp, it was bothering me a little bit,” Flores said. “And then it was like, week two or three there that it really started getting more painful. So we got it looked at... And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna get this fixed.’”
Flores has long been considered the future star of the OSU quarterback room, garnering the admiration of Cowboy fans who wanted to see the former Elite 11 participant. He had offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Indiana and Missouri, among others. Ari Wasserman, the leading college football recruiting insider for On3, referred to Flores as a “gem” back in 2023.
The skillset is there for Flores, but due to his injury, he has yet to see the field at the college level.
“As a quarterback, you got to be a leader,” Flores said. “You got to be competitive, and you know, you got to know what you’re doing in the film room, all that. So, I mean, obviously all four of us, I think, right now, are doing a great job of that.”
Last up is Smith, who played the most games of anyone in this group last season.
Smith struggled against Colorado and TCU, but his performance against Texas Tech is the most impressive of any quarterback currently on OSU’s roster. He completed 26 of 35 passes and threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns in a 56-48 loss to the Red Raiders.
“(I) Just have confidence now that I’ve done it before,” Smith said. “I played four games on the field. Now knowing I can do it. How it feels at away games and being at home.”
Smith is as difficult to evaluate as any of the three returners. Should OSU base its evaluation of him on his performance against Texas Tech or a 52-0 loss to Colorado in which he completed 11 of 29 passes for 70 yards and two interceptions?
Hejny is as talented as anyone in the group and has a chance to start, but with the experience Smith got last season, the talent of Flores and the flashes from Rangel, anything is possible with this group of quarterbacks.
“I want somebody to take control — leadership,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “You gotta be productive at that position; we all know that. It doesn’t make a difference if we’re in Pop Warner, junior high, high school, any level of college, NFL — you’re gonna go as your quarterback goes for the most part.”
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Spring preview: OSU football starting fresh at running back
as a primary backup to Gordon and had two games with more than 50 yards — 57 against Colorado and 53 against Tulsa.
Oklahoma State football doesn’t have a Doak Walker Award winner in its backfield anymore.
Star running back Ollie Gordon II is headed to the NFL Draft after three seasons as a Cowboy. With his services gone, OSU will replace a player who rushed for 2,920 yards and won the award given to the nation’s best running back in 2023.
Now, the Cowboys have a mix of new transfers and young returnees to work with. Like most of its position groups, OSU is starting fresh at running back in 2025.
Here is a look at each of the Cowboys’ running backs:
Rodney Fields Jr. Fields played in four games last season while taking a redshirt as a freshman, but he impressed in his limited time.
Against BYU, Fields carried the ball eight times and ran for 48 yards, including a 22-yard rush. He made several Cougar defenders miss and was a good change of pace when Gordon came off the field. Fields finished the season with 21 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
Fields went to Del City High School and was ranked the No. 6 prospect in Oklahoma in the 2024 recruiting class by ESPN. At 5-foot9, Fields has a good combination of strength and speed.
Trent Howland
Howland arrived in Stillwater last season as a transfer from Indiana and appeared in 10 games. He’s one of two Cowboy running backs to have started their career elsewhere.
As a junior last season, Howland carried the ball 41 times for 230 yards and a touchdown. He served
Howland’s best season was his sophomore year with the Hoosiers. He totaled 354 yards on 77 carries and ran for 77 yards in his first career start against Michigan State. At 6-foot 2, Howland, now a redshirt junior, is the biggest running back offensive coordinator Doug Meacham has to work with. Roles are unknown, but Howland’s size could make him a key contributor in red zone and short-yardage situations.
Sesi Vailahi
Vailahi has the skillset to be a contributor in the passing game if he doesn’t earn a bigger role. He caught eight passes for 46 yards last season and caught two passes for 12 yards in 2023 against Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. As a rusher, he ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns last season. Headed into his redshirt sophomore season, Vailahi has seen the most time (16 appearances) in an OSU uniform among all the backs. Like Fields, Vaikahi is a shorter backfield presence (5-foot-9) but has a good combination of strength and speed.
Kalib Hicks
Hicks did the Bedlam switch in December, transferring to OSU after two seasons at Oklahoma. In seven appearances as a Sooner, Hicks rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown on five carries. He was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class out of Denton, Texas, and held offers from Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss and Penn State, among others. While there’s limited film on Hicks, he has good size at 5-foot-11 and was rated as a three-star transfer portal prospect by 247Sports.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Garret Rangel is making his return after suffering a season-ending broken collarbone in 2024.
Payton Little
Sesi Vailahi is one of four running backs who could earn a key role on OSU’s 2025 team.
Hendrickson
Shortly after, others came flowing in. Hendrickson said it got to the point where he turned off his notifications for the remainder of the night.
Once morning came, his message inbox was tenfold of what it had been.
“I think every single person I’ve met or ran into (texted me),” Hendrickson said. “One (text message) was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if you remember me, but in 2014 I saw you at Walmart.’ So everyone was showing their support.”
But the overflow of text messages was mere foreshadowing of what was to come.
On Monday, Hendrickson joined Fox News for an interview after Hendrickson was seen celebrating his victory with President Donald Trump. One day later, Hendrickson was named a finalist for the Dan Hodge Trophy — the college wrestling equivalent of the Heisman Trophy — alongside Penn State wrestlers Mitchell Mesenbrink and Carter Starocci.
“I thought that it would be a pretty exciting couple of days (after the national tournament),” Hendrickson said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, this is exciting. I’ll be excited. But it’ll blow over.’”
Wrong.
The days after his heavyweight title, Hendrickson said, were better than he’d imagined.
“I’m still getting contacted a little bit,” he said with a laugh. “So a few things are still flowing, which is exciting. It’s new.”
Hendrickson transferred to OSU in the offseason after a stellar four-year career at the Air Force Academy.
Despite being a two-time All-American and two-time Big 12 individual champion, Hendrickson was unable to wrestle for the Falcons during his final season of eligibility because Air Force cadets are placed in an eightsemester academic plan to graduate. However, because Hendrickson
began his college career during the 2020-21 season, he still had the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted for athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. So he went to Stillwater, earned his third set of All-American honors and third conference title and, at long last, his first individual national title.
The days after, Hendrickson said, have been sentimental. Ones he’ll cherish and embrace long after his wrestling career.
Celebrity status is something Hendrickson said he seldom sought after as a cadet. At the time, his focus was exclusively on serving in the United States military and mentoring his Falcon teammates.
But now, “it ain’t too bad.”
“Just having guys, like (Hendrickson), who believed in what we were doing (was important),” first-year Cowboys coach David Taylor said. “This group, they had to believe in us. We didn’t really have any data going into (the national tournament), just outside of what we were saying.”
That’s what Hendrickson did — he believed in Taylor’s vision.
The congratulatory texts will continue flowing in. So will the flood of interview requests, NIL sponsorship inquiries and social media comments from fans.
Hendrickson credited Taylor and Co. for his development this season, noting how he “learned magic” from Taylor, widely known as “Magic Man” during his wrestling days. But Hendrickson isn’t shying away from the reality of the situation.
He’s a national champion. The indisputable best in his weight class.
For that, perhaps it was worth putting off checking his phone post-match. Moments of glory don’t happen every day.
“I’ve learned a lot this year,” Hendrickson said. “I’ve developed a lot as a wrestler this year. It’s all so surreal for me and I’m just happy to be here.”
sports.ed@ocolly.com
• Interviews with The Pat McAfee show and Fox News
• Championship video reposted by ESPN, Barstool Sports and Sports Illustrated
• OSU fans greeted him at Stillwater Regional Airport; recognized at softball and men’s basketball and softballgames
Hamiti, Hendrickson heading to Cowboy RTC with high aspirations
WESTON WERTZBERGER STAFF REPORTER @WDWERTZBERGER
It’s been a few days since the 202425 wrestling season concluded for Oklahoma State with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson and 174-pounder Dean Hamiti Jr. ended their college careers as individual national champions.
“It was a great weekend for Cowboy wrestling, and just looking back, it’s been a really fulfilling year,” coach David Taylor said. “Just helping these guys achieve their goals and our team (was) definitely a good way to get our season getting going.”
Hamiti Jr. and Hendrickson won’t be suiting up for OSU anymore but will remain in Stillwater at the Cowboy Regional Training Center — a U.S. Olympic Regional Training Center at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
While the end of the season gives wrestlers time to wind down and relax, there is always a point when it’s back to training for competitions, even when you’re a national champion.
As a four-time finalist and twotime national champion himself, Taylor knows the experience as a college wrestler, transitioning back to practice and training for international competitions in a short period.
It’s a task the former Olympic gold medalist will help Hendrickson and Hamiti Jr. move into as they follow in his path.
“I think it’s just a challenge,” Taylor said. “It’s like you have different tiers of success and what you want to do. And right now, they’re enjoying what they did, which was pretty great. And here soon, we’ll sit down, and we’ll revalue it. But even on the plane home, I just told them, ‘This is great. Whether you achieved your goals or you didn’t, life does move forward.
“Whether we’re going to prepare to win the nationals next year, for some of you guys, you’re going to refocus and prepare for the U.S. Open in four weeks, or if it’s going for a world
championship this year, it’s just this year.”
The two individual national champions plan on competing at the 2025 Wrestling World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, from September 13-21, along with other international competitions, including the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This will be the first time Hamiti Jr. competes at the international level. Hendrickson has competed on the world stage before, winning the men’s freestyle 125-kilogram title at the 2023 U23 World Wrestling Championships, going 4-0 at the event with a 48-15 combined margin of victory. He also finished fifth at the 2021 Junior World Championships.
While Hendrickson could’ve gone straight to work afterward and focused on his military career, he appreciates the Air Force Academy for allowing him to continue his wrestling career for years to come.
“First off, just again, shout out to WCAP, the world-class athlete program, for allowing me to be here in Stillwater and be able to reach my goals of being a national champion alongside training to be a 2028 Olympic gold medalist,” Hendrickson said. “Support has always been there. They’re there to support me in the next couple of years and whatever I need. It’s just awesome.”
Hamiti Jr. and Hendrickson continue to have big aspirations for the future, with their coaching staff helping them win a national championship. Their next goal for each is to become a world and Olympic champion.
“There’s just different challenges that come when you’re on the hunt, and there’s different challenges that come when you’re the hunted,” Taylor said. “You just continue to help them just remain focused and grounded. And they obviously got some opportunities that they need to capitalize on right now, because it’s pretty awesome, but in the meantime, there’s constantly moving forward to what’s next.”
sports.ed@ocolly.com
There’s just different challenges when you’re on the hunt, and there’s different challenges when you’re the hunted - David Taylor
Chance Marick
OSU wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson’s national title win has led to a frenzy of media attention.
Charles White
OSU wrestlers Wyatt Hendrickson (left) and Dean Hamiti Jr. won
How Anderson became OSU baseball’s ‘super fan’
REPORTER
Craning her head to see around a nearby fan’s shoulder, Kim Anderson attempted to multitask.
On a Tuesday evening at O’Brate Stadium, Anderson watched as Oklahoma State baseball hosted Wichita State. The chilly weather, the crisp Stillwater wind and a sit-down interview mid at-bat couldn’t hinder her persistence to watch OSU.
It’s why players and fellow fans call her OSU baseball’s “super fan.”
Clad in an orange “Go Pokes” shirt complemented by a black rain jacket, Anderson sat in her self-proclaimed “designated seat.” It’s the same seat she’s occupied since the Cowboys’ home opened in February 2021.
“Section 113, Row 6, Seat 7,” she said.
OSU trailed the Shockers by two heading into the bottom of the fourth as Anderson sat awkwardly in her chair. But once OSU’s rally commenced, she locked in.
Second baseman Brayden Smith’s walk led off the frame. First baseman Nolan Schubart followed with another. Then, up came right fielder Kollin Ritchie, which put Anderson at ease.
“We can go now,” she said, pointing toward the right field concourse. “I already know Kollin Ritchie will hit this.” As Anderson walked and talked along the right field concourse, detailing her love for OSU baseball, she heard a clank come from the home plate area. A grin appeared on her face.
She didn’t have to see what had happened. She already knew.
“I told you he’d get a hit, didn’t I?” That she did.
Ritchie’s single loaded the bases for designated hitter Collin Brueggemann, who delivered a bases-clearing triple to give the Cowboys a lead they wouldn’t give up, going on to win 9-5. Anderson relished every moment of the onslaught that ensued.
Win or lose, she’s back in her designated seat at O’Brate for the next home game. Hot or cold, rain or shine, Anderson is there to cheer on the Cowboys.
Her love for OSU baseball is everlasting. She’s become a renowned figure throughout the fanbase and perhaps most importantly, within the team.
“I do it for these boys,” Anderson said. “They try their best and play their best every time. And I want them to know that whether they win or lose, I’m there to support them, regardless. I’ll show up, ready to root for them every game, every season, every year.”
‘Meant to watch baseball’
Calling Anderson and baseball an “ideal pairing” might be an understatement.
“I’d prefer calling it a perfect couple,” Anderson said. “Or maybe a cool duo.”
By age 8, Anderson began her days engaging in baseball talk with her mother. Over time, she enhanced her knowledge of the game. Before long, she was the information dispatch.
“My mom told me I was meant to watch baseball,” Anderson said. “Looking back on it, I think she was right.”
How right she was.
Anderson’s older sister Kellie began attending OSU in 1989, which led Kim to her love for college baseball.
Kellie quickly became a frequent attendee of OSU baseball games, often asking then-12-year-old Kim to accompany her on weekends at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, then the home of the Cowboys.
“No,” was never an option for Kim. Only the most drastic of scenarios called for Kim to not be present alongside Kellie.
“And I was always the first one out the door,” Kim said. “Every time, the car ride there was one of my favorite parts.”
Kim swiftly became fond of the ambience of Reynolds Stadium. The orange-coated bleachers. The often full-capacity crowds. The tenacity of OSU fans present, roaring in pure elation each time the Cowboys scored. All of it factored into Kim’s growing love for OSU baseball.
And OSU — led by legendary coach Gary Ward — was winning so much that she seldom left Reynolds Stadium in defeat.
Because Kim invested into the program during its decade of dominance, she watched program legends such as Jeff Guiel, Sean Hugo, Rusty McNamara and current coach Josh Holliday sport the orange and black.
By then, Kim had found her true love. She knew her purpose outside of her personal life.
And it was only getting started.
“I’m glad my sister chose OSU,” Kim said. “I am who I am because of that.”
The group chat that does it all
Mitzi Mattox has known Kim for 15 years. Mattox said it feels like longer.
They’re close friends nowadays. But back then, Mattox said, she was put off by Kim’s tenacious nature from the stands.
First impressions aren’t everything, though.
The two meshed once Mattox’s father, Larry — with whom she’d often attend games — introduced her to Kim. They sat next to one another almost every game at Reynolds Stadium above the home dugout, which made it easier to gel. And eventually, the two were “like peas in a pod,” Mattox said.
But Kim’s flamboyant character never dissolved.
Every run scored drew elation. Any questionable call from an umpire sparked disdain. Mattox said she’s never seen Kim become infuriated like she does at a baseball game.
“You never know with Kim,” Mattox said. “You never know what she’s going to do.”
Then, during the 2014 season, the group expanded. Kim and Mattox began mingling with the usuals at Reynolds Stadium until eventually, a group of nine was formed. One of those new members, Ryan Hill — widely renowned for his “OSU Superhero” alter ego — became particularly fond of Kim’s knowledge of the game.
Hill said he could tell if an OSU player had hit a home run merely by glancing at Kim’s facial expression.
“It was like it was in sync,” Hill said. “Any time one of (OSU’s) players would hit the ball, I’d look over at her. If she was like, ‘Oh yeah,’ I just assumed it was a home run. I had no clue if it was going out (of the ballpark) more than half of the time. I just fed off her because she’s someone who, from an energy standpoint, you can feed off of.”
The game day crew eventually reached nine members. Kim made a Facebook group chat shortly after. At some point during the 2019 season, she made a group text.
Kim keeps the group of nine informed on every facet of the OSU baseball team. Giveaways, game day themes, breaking news from a beat reporter, box scores, home run launch angles and exit velocities — Kim makes sure her “baseball family” stays up to date.
“My family and I always joked that baseball and basketball seasons were higher in the totem pole — football was something to do in between,”
Mattox said. “But with this group, with these folks, you’re more excited to go to a baseball game than ever.”
Soon, there were group activities outside of Reynolds Stadium.
In 2016, Kim, Hill and a few other group members greeted the baseball team back at Reynolds Stadium shortly after the Cowboys’ super regional sweep to clinch a spot in the College World Series. Kim, husband Chat Anderson and other group members drove to Omaha to watch the Cowboys and even greeted the team at its hotel the morning of OSU’s first game against UC-Santa Barbara.
In 2017, they met the Cowboys at Reynolds Stadium again after OSU won its first Big 12 Championship under Holliday. And in 2019, they met the team by their bus outside of Bricktown Ballpark after the Cowboys clinched a spot in the super regionals.
“It’s like our own little baseball family,” Mattox said. “It’s kind of like a good escape from reality for all of us. But it’s all thanks to Kim.”
Hill echoed Mattox’s sentiment.
“She’s on it for everything you can think of,” Hill said. “I’ve never seen someone as dedicated as her when it comes to this stuff.”
So, one glaring question other group members have posed: Who knows more about OSU baseball than Kim?
“Maybe Josh Holliday,” Mattox said with a laugh. “Other than that, nobody else that I know of is more informed (about) the team than Kim.”
Kim said she knows she doesn’t have to invest as much time and energy as she does. Still, she does it for her game day crew. She does it for the players and their parents who occasionally hit the ebbs and flows of a rigorous 56- to 58-game college baseball regular season. She even said she does it because she knows she’ll “only live once.”
And above all else, she does it out of love for her childhood team. Isn’t that what super fans do?
“These boys deserve it,” Kim said. “This ballpark — these guys deserve every bit of (it). I’m so happy to be able to be a part of these boys’ lives and cheer them on what I need to.
“I’m an OSU fan for life.”
Courtesy Kim Anderson
OSU baseball superfan Kim Anderson (right) has attended OSU baseball games since 1989 and created a Facebook group for fans.
DANIEL ALLEN STAFF
Lutz, OSU prepared to build through the transfer portal
who we choose to return,” Lutz said after the regular season, adding that when OSU’s season ended he would “sit down and have candid conversations with all of them.”
On Thursday, sophomore guard Connor Dow became the first Cowboy to enter the portal.
Steve Lutz’s first year is in the books.
Oklahoma State men’s basketball lost in the NIT Quarterfinal on Tuesday, ending Lutz’s first season as coach and marking the final game for several key contributors. Bryce Thompson, Abou Ousmane, Brandon Newman and Patrick Suemnick are out of eligibility, and OSU needs to retool and improve before next season.
Lutz was hired April 1, 2024, giving him a late start to the transfer portal and putting him behind the eight ball when it came to roster building.
“It’s night and day,” Lutz said. “I walked in (OSU) and didn’t have a staff and didn’t have anyone to help recruit. Now, the portal opened up yesterday and we’ve got boards and matrixes.”
Lutz now has a full offseason to apply the lessons he learned from his first season coaching in the Big 12 and build a roster fit to compete. He also is tasked with retaining the handful of players that can come back.
Arturo Dean proved to be a valuable part of the OSU defense as the season went on. Jamyron Keller flashed high upside during his freshman season and grew into a regular starter for Lutz down the stretch. Robert Jennings II was a starter for most of the season.
Having returnees on the roster, even at a Big 12 school, isn’t the guarantee of a future role that it used to be.
“Let’s see who wants to return or
Lutz’s first year in the Big 12 taught him a few things. Heading into Year 2, he wants to get “bigger and longer across the board,” he said, and secure a true rim protector, something the OSU roster was missing during the 2024-25 season.
If Lutz can reel in a reliable anchor for the defense, it could mean a more consistent unit and pickand-roll attack for the Cowboys next season. Ousmane may have been OSU’s best player, but he wasn’t a factor on the defensive end and was more perimeter-oriented than the bigs that Lutz used at his past stops.
Lutz has secured two centers via the high school ranks in three-stars Mehki Ragland and Ben Ahmed. Ragland is a modern big man who has a strong feel for the game and plays on the perimeter, while Ahmed is a big-bodied center who protects the rim with a 7-foot-3 wingspan.
Lutz could choose to add more experienced players to that group, but it’s clear based on his first recruiting class at OSU that Lutz wants multiple types of big men.
Lutz’s plans outside of the recruits he’s already added, which include the two bigs and four-star guard Ryan Crotty, remain unclear, but one thing is certain; he has plenty of experience in building through the transfer portal.
“I feel good about the future and I’m excited about the portal,” Lutz said. “To be honest with you, after my meetings with the guys, I’ll have a lot more clarity.”
Hoyt set to retool roster after big-time third season as coach
the need to retool remains the same.
The Oklahoma State 2024-25 women’s basketball season, one of the best in program history, is over.
After a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to 10th-seeded South Dakota State, the Cowgirls must move on to what’s next.
What’s next is a lot of roster reconstruction.
Tenin Magassa, Anna Gret Asi, Stacie Jones, Alexia Smith and Rylee Langerman — all of whom played large roles for OSU at some point over the past two seasons — have exhausted their eligibility.
Asi, Magassa and Smith were key players in OSU’s NCAA Tournament appearance. Asi was a staple of the Jacie Hoyt Era and one of the team’s best offensive players. Magassa led the Big 12 in blocks in 2024-25 and was the first true interior presence in Hoyt’s OSU tenure.
Smith played key roles on both sides of the court, often being tasked with defending the lead guard of whoever OSU was playing on defense and then providing a midrange spark on offense.
“This has been the most amazing season of my life,” Hoyt said after the South Dakota State loss. “It’s just a testament to the character of every single person in our program. While I absolutely hate the way things ended today, I’m so proud. I’m proud of every single person. I’m proud of what we’ve built. The toughness, the love, the joy. It’s uncommon, and that’s what we set out to be this season was uncommon.”
Regardless of the sorrow that Hoyt, Stailee Heard and Magassa wore on their faces during their news conference following the loss,
Heard headlines OSU’s returners. The sophomore star was named All-Big 12 first team and burst onto the national scene with dominant performances in the Big 12 Tournament. As an Oklahoma kid and the center of OSU women’s basketball’s universe, an entry into the transfer portal is unexpected.
Heard is joined by Micah Gray as a returning starter, and freshman point guard Jadyn Wooten was a top-100 recruit in the 2024 class on whose future Hoyt has long been bullish. Wooten was key in OSU’s upset win over TCU and slots in next to Heard and Gray nicely as a distributor.
Hoyt has already made a splash in the transfer portal, landing BYU transfer Amari Whiting, who started every game in two seasons with the Cougars. Whiting has two years of eligibility remaining and averaged more than 10 points in her two seasons in Provo. She isn’t a great 3-point shooter at 28.9% for her career, but she fits well into Hoyt’s system alongside the projected lineup of Wooten, Heard, Gray and a center to be determined.
Center is the final piece to this hypothetical puzzle, and after the success that OSU had with Magassa, it would be an interesting departure from a successful formula. If the Cowgirls were to go without adding one.
Time will tell how Hoyt builds her roster, but she has shown an ability to bring in impact transfers, whether it be Naomie Alnatas and Asi in her first season or Magassa and Gray before last season. With Whiting already in the fold and the top-100 ranked Lena Girardi joining from the high school ranks, Hoyt is off to a good start to her fourth offseason in charge of the Cowgirls.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Charles White
OSU Head Coach Steve Lutz will be required to replace several outgoing players.
Jake Muret
Jacie Hoyt guided OSU to a 25-7 season after the Cowgirls struggled the season prior.
How Stout has improved his ‘bad
golf,’ progressed in Year 2
DALTON
ARREDONDO STAFF REPORTER
One year ago, Preston Stout made his mark on the Oklahoma State men’s golf team.
He participated in 14 events as a freshman and finished on the podium twice, including medalist honors in the Big 12 Tournament. Stout also made the All-Big 12 Conference Team and All-Big 12 Freshman team.
Still, there was room to grow. Stout said the biggest difference in his sophomore season has been adapting to playing against the best players in the country.
“I feel like my bad golf hasn’t been as bad as it was a year ago,” Stout said. “Feel like I’ve maintained my game a lot better now. Don’t make as many big numbers and just keep the ball in front of me. So I think I’ve started to figure that out a little bit and get more comfortable in these events playing against some bigger names and better players.”
Stout has taken his game to another level this season with three top-20 finishes, including third in the Gators Invitational and tied for first in the Cabo Collegiate. OSU assistant coach Stratton Nolen said Stout has made a major breakthrough since last year.
“It’s pretty amazing how far his game has come. I mean, he was always a really good player, even as a freshman,” Nolen said. “If everything’s fine, there’s really nobody in the field that really can contend. I think he’s got some tools that a lot of guys just don’t have.”
When a player has similar strengths to the coach, it brings an instant connection. Assistant coach Derek Ernst said Stout’s game is relatable to his own.
“He reminds me of me when I was playing,” Ernst said. “His driving is very, very good, and his iron play is great.”
Stout has a deep connection with sophomore transfer Ethan Fang. Both are from the Dallas area, where they competed against each other in high school and amateur events. They were also paired in NCAA regionals last year when Fang was at California Berkeley. He said Stout’s ability to make birdies separates him from the field.
“I mean, obviously Preston’s a birdie machine out there, absolute dog out there on the course,” Fang said. “He’s just a great ball striker (and an) absolute machine.”
In addition to Fang, fellow transfer Eric Lee has had a similar effect with Stout. They have had similar finishes throughout the season, including sharing 14th place in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup.
“I mean, he’s definitely a great player, and someone I also look up to,” Lee said. “I know there’s a lot that I can learn from him…. We have a little inside joke where in every tournament in the fall, we pretty much finish in the exact same place. So we’re always trying to go out there and beat each other, but at the same time, we’re teammates; we all want the best for each other, and I’m happy for him.”
Corey Lundberg, Stout’s swing coach and one of the key mentors in his golfing career, has worked with Stout since 2017. He said Stout’s confidence has elevated his game to new heights.
“He’s got a real confidence about him,” Lundberg said. “He’s got a little different aura around him than most kids do by that age. He knew he was good, not that he was arrogant, but there’s just a nice confidence that he still has today.”
sports.ed@ocolly.com
When famed commentator Kevin Harlan came back from a commercial break in Sunday’s Round of 32 NCAA Tournament game between No. 3 Iowa State and No. 6 Ole Miss, he said a relatively normal seven words.
“Back in Milwaukee and over to Lauren.”
Lauren Shehadi, a reporter, instead of talking about a timeout speech from buff Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger or Sean Pedulla lighting it up for the Rebels, was talking about two journalists.
Oklahoma State and O’Colly alumni Sam and Ben Hutchens, who graduated in May 2023 and cover Ole Miss and Iowa State, respectively, made national news and attracted social media buzz when Shehadi did a segment on the identical twins. By chance, the twins wound up sitting next to each other, covering opposite sides of a game in the Big Dance.
This was after they wrote columns for their outlets, which was only the beginning of the headlines they would make before the Rebels’ eventual 91-78 upset victory.
For the two, covering the tournament together was a pipe dream. Most SEC and Big 12 Conference schools don’t face off normally, so throughout the season, the two would joke about the possibility of such a matchup.
“And then, as the season went on and you get closer to March, it’s like, ‘Well, Iowa State’s kinda trending down; Ole Miss is kinda trending up,’” Ben said.
Sure enough, once the bracket was announced Selection Sunday, both teams were sent to Milwaukee. ISU was tasked with No. 14 Lipscomb; Ole Miss ultimately was handed No. 11 North Carolina after the Tar Heels’ First Four win over San Diego State.
There was no time to celebrate; they had stories to write about where the teams they covered were heading. Once that was finished, the planning began. Ben drove five and a half hours from Des Moines, Iowa, while Sam traveled
via the air after a connection in Atlanta.
Once arrived, they began their journey of spending the week together. Yes, they even stayed in the same hotel room; the two lived in the same room for most of their lives. It was “just like old times,” Sam said.
Sam met and spent time with Ben’s Cyclone beat partners and friends. In a way, though, they already knew him.
“This is gonna sound cliche, but it kind of felt like they already knew me,” Sam said.
After ISU’s 82-55 victory against Lipscomb and Ole Miss’ 71-64 win against UNC on Friday, the twins and their squads had a Sunday date with a Sweet 16 berth on the line.
Folks caught wind of the twins covering a game. After all, they were sitting next to each other at the baseline press row. And with the Rebels heavily ahead of the Cyclones, Shehadi introduced herself to the twins midway through the second half.
“That’s when it was like, ‘Oh man, this is gonna be pretty cool,’” Ben said. “We’re gonna get on the freakin’ March Madness tournament broadcast.’”
That they did, with 8:55 left in the second half. Everyone — from Stillwater to their hometown of Guthrie to any family and friends — saw it.
As of Monday afternoon, many of those family and friends hadn’t heard back from the viral twins.
“I haven’t even made a dent in responding to everyone yet,” Sam said.
The two joked about how the feeling must relate to when a player hits a game-winning 3-pointer in March Madness.
Ben drove back to Iowa Monday; Sam is soon-to-be Atlanta-bound to cover a Sweet 16 game against No. 2 Michigan State..
“We are as identical as identical twins can get; I’ve never taken that for granted,” Ben said. “But this week was a great reminder that what we have is special. Sam and I are so used to it, but when national media and when the public takes such an interest in these two twins that have the same job and somehow ended up in Milwaukee covering the tournament, it’s just a reminder that what I have is really, really special.”
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Preston Stout is in his second season with OSU and has improved in several areas.
Courtesy Sam, Ben Hutchens
Sam Hutchens (left) and his identical twin brother Ben (right) went viral Sunday for covering the same March Madness game. The twins are O’Colly alumni.
NCAA wrestling championshipS
TOP RIGHT: Dustin Plott in neutral position.
MIDDLE LEFT: Dean Hamiti Jr. watches the clock before his semifinal victory.
MIDDLE: Coach David Taylor and assistant Tyler Caldwell.
MIDDLE RIGHT: Dustin Plott controls his opponent.
BOTTOM LEFT: Wyatt Hendrickson hugs his dad.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Dean Hamiti Jr. walks to celebrate with his teammates.
Oklahoma State wrestling finished in third place at the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Wrestling Championships:
TOP LEFT: The Cowboys celebrate Wyatt Hendrickson and Dean Hamiti Jr.’s wins.
Charles White