Eli Horeled wanted to get under the 16-minute mark going into the 2023 cross country season.

The Bixby sophomore runner has worked on consistency in hopes to qualify for state this year and help the Spartans get there as a team. He was the first runner from Bixby to qualify for state in eight years and did so as a freshman.

His top highlight this season came in a first-place finish in Muskogee, his first time to be atop the standings in a run over his career.

“I think I’ve improved being really consistent with my training over the summer and the beginning of the season,” Horeled said. “My strengths are having a good mindset when it comes to running and enjoying hard work. I think that I’ve improved on becoming really consistent with my training. I’m running more miles than my freshman year and I ran more this summer than I did last year.”

Competing at state in 2022 was a memorable experience for Horeled as not only did he get to run, but Bixby won the cross country academic state championship as well.

“My team won the academic state championship so my teammates were there too. It was a lot of fun,” Horeled said.

Horeled has several influences that helped him gain interest in running.

“My parents got me involved in running and have been a big influence in the sport for me. Also, I look up to a few College runners like Lex and Leo Young who run for Stanford,” he said.

Horeled, who is involved in National Honor Society, wants to attend college after high school and has hopes of competing in cross country.