Class 3A cross country: Jones freshman Tabitha Fox wins state title

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Published: Sun, October 27, 2019 1:15 AM Updated: Sun, October 27, 2019 1:45 AM

**Jones freshman Tabitha Fox wins the Class 3A cross country state title Saturday in Shawnee. [Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman]**

SHAWNEE — Tabitha Fox didn’t seem the least bit winded moments after completing her two-mile run at the Class 3A cross country state meet.

She was calm and relaxed.

You wouldn’t have known she had just earned the biggest accomplishment of her young career.

Fox, a freshman at Jones, won the state title Saturday at Gordon Cooper Technology Center. She completed the race in 12 minutes, 11 seconds.

Her time was eight seconds faster than second-place finisher Kayla Harp of Sequoyah-Tahlequah.

Fox said there were several things that helped her win the championship, including her training program.

“It was a lot of long runs (and) doing runs on my own,” she said.

Fox competed as an individual this season, which was the case for every runner at Jones. The Longhorns have three male runners and two females.

The school does not have a track or impressive facilities, but coach Charis Davenport has the runners follow a well-rounded training regimen that includes interval training, weight lifting and long-distance running.

Fox often runs with the male runners. The workouts pushed her to reach her full potential and helped her qualify for the state meet.

“It is a unique situation just because she is younger,” Davenport said. “But I feel like this is a good opportunity for her as the years go on. It’s just going to push her and make her better as she develops.”

Nick Sardis

Nick Sardis joined The Oklahoman in 2017, and he covers high school sports. The 22-year-old was born and raised in Norman, and he played baseball at Norman North High School. He is a senior at the University of Oklahoma. Read more ›