The best cross country program in the state added to its storied history on Saturday, as the Lincoln girls and boys cross country teams brought home two more state titles, continuing to build an unmatched legacy in Oklahoma.

The girls took home the program's 3rd state title and the 5th overall, cruising to victory on a rain-soaked Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, the boys battled the same conditions to roll to the school's 4th straight state championship and 9th title in program history — all coming in the last 12 years.

"This season was a culmination of years of building. In a long-term plan I think we are several years ahead of where we thought we'd be," Lincoln head coach Stephen Lewelling said. "Our parents push their kids to do levels and support them in so many ways. They run for each other and they run for Jesus."

The teams ran through the regular season, continuously finishing as double champions at several meets and always near the top despite a challenging schedule.

And after a big sweep last weekend at the regional meet in Henryetta, Lincoln stepped it up a notch and showed out at the state meet in North Rock Creek.

The girls had the best score in the history of a state meet in Class 4A, as all five scoring runners qualified for all state.

Junior Tennyson Housley finished as the individual runner-up for the second straight year, and making it three top-two finishes in her Lincoln career.

She ran 11:49.68 in the 2-mile event to miss out on an individual state title by just two seconds.

Housley was joined at the hip by standout freshman Madi Miller, who capped off her impressive inaugural season as a Bulldog with a 3rd place finish, just .03 seconds behind Housley.

Fellow freshman Isabella Ramirez was 5th for Lincoln, running 11:52, just behind the group and only .7 seconds outside of 4th.

Another freshman, Isabella Truitt, ran 12:03 to finish 7th overall in her first state meet.

Junior Bentley Stewart, who has been a key leader and contributor for Lincoln in her 3rd year as varsity Bulldog, was 10th individually after running 12:14. 

"This incredible group of girls has been so fun to coach," Lewelling. "I stepped aside early in the year and let the upperclassmen take the lead and they ran with it. They welcomed the freshman with open arms you can see it in how they race."

Lewelling praised the leadership of Housley and Stewart, as well as the maturity of his freshmen group, providing a perfect mix that worked all year long.

"Our freshmen are sensational. It's not surprising they perform so well because they run with confidence in every practice and are led by Tennyson and Bentley," Lewelling said. "They are humble and gracious and are great teammates."

Another Lincoln freshman, Brea Gardner, also ran well, finishing 15th overall with a time of 12:19.

On the boys side, familiar faces filled the leaderboard, as Lincoln dominated from start to finish to bring home another state title.

Junior Ty Brooks finished 3rd individually, giving him back-to-back top-three finishes and containing his stored career at Lincoln.

Brooks ran 16:15 in the 5k event to pace Lincoln.

Senior Trevor Hacker was 5th overall after finishing at 16:20, capping off an outstanding career for Lincoln.

Junior Sammy Farris ran 16:42 to take 12th overall, as he continues to rack up strong finishes at state events and help the Bulldogs bring home titles.

Senior Garner McAfee was 16th overall for Lincoln with a time of 16:55, as he and Hacker finished off a perfect high school career, going 4-for-4 as Bulldog runners.

Junior Gabe Sword put an exclamation point on a strong season for Lincoln by finishing 18th overall at 17:00 even.

"The boys have been locked in from day one," Lewelling said. "Our top guys are relentless in training and move as a unit everywhere they go. They serve one another and run for Jesus."

Lewelling spoke highly of several characteristics of his boys team, citing how easy it made coaching them throughout such a successful season.

"Having boys who are intelligent, diligent and humble, it makes coaching them a breeze. I basically just drive the bus and cheer for them," Lewelling said. 

Lewelling, who has 10 combined state championships in cross country since taking over the program in 2016, was quick to give recognition to his assistant, Brandy Bruce, for the impact she made with both programs, playing a huge role in keeping Lincoln on top.

"Coach Bruce has been instrumental and huge for the growth of the program both relationally and physically," Lewelling said.

Photos by Sam Farris