developing oklahoma's post-collegiate elite athletes
for athletes pursuing...
olympic trials qualifiers
post-collegiate competition
elite and sub-elite clubs
high-level race standards
Joseph Engel
Joseph joined SR Elite following four strong years at Oklahoma City University. In his time with the Stars, Joseph was a two-time All-Conference finisher in XC and half-marathon qualifier for the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track National Championship. Since graduating he's been balancing his training with a full-time job on the slopes of Breckenridge, where he spends the winter working as a ski instructor - and logging plenty of cross-training time at 10,000+ ft!
PERSONAL BESTS
5000m - 15:13 (2022)
Half Marathon - 1:10:37 (2022)
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Madalyn Harper
Madalyn is the newest member of the Scissortail Running Elite crew, joining us after tearing it up at Southern Nazarene University! As a middle distance runner for the Crimson Storm, she set the school record in the 1000m and 1600m. She also received her Master's of Exercise Science from SNU in 2023! On top of continuing to run, Madalyn teaches elementary school and serves as an assistant coach for SNU's XC and track teams. She just finished her first half marathon at the OKC Memorial Marathon weekend, where she placed 4th overall!
PERSONAL BESTS
800m - 2:20.08 (2023)
1500m - 4:44.20 (2022)
Half Marathon - 1:26:46 (2024)
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Andrew Leahey
Andrew joined Scissortail Running Elite in spring of 2022, following several years of post-collegiate training. He attended Southern Nazarene University, where he claimed four All-American honors (3 x NCAA DII, 1 x NAIA) and set the (still-standing) 5000m school record. Prior to joining Scissortail Elite, he qualified for and competed in the 2019 USATF Half Marathon Championships and made his marathon debut at the 2019 California International Marathon, running 2:36. Andrew has his eyes set on qualifying for USATF National Championship meets and the 2028 US Olympic Marathon Trials!
PERSONAL BESTS
Mile - 4:20 (2022)
10000m - 31:24 (2022)
Half Marathon - 1:07:21 (2019)
Marathon - 2:22:44 (2022)
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Kyle McKinley
Is it cheating to put yourself on the elite squad of the club you founded? Maybe, but he can still hit the standards! You can read up more on Kyle's background on the About page, but we'll cover the highlights here. Kyle competed for Oklahoma City University's XC and Track teams in college, and was a member of the 2019 NAIA National Championship XC team. He was plagued with stress injuries each spring season, but still put together respectable PRs in the half marathon and 5000m. Post-collegiately, Kyle has taken time to be more injury-aware in his running, and it has paid off. He's been able to log higher volume and faster races than ever before in his career, and looks forward to continuing to train at a consistent high level!
PERSONAL BESTS
5000m - 15:23 (2019)
Half Marathon - 1:10:19 (2019)
Marathon - 2:32:58 (2022)
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Sheridan McKinley
Sheridan is the inaugural member of Scissortail Running Elite, having been with Scissortail Running since 2019 and on the development team since its inception in early 2022. Sheridan is continuing her career after a successful four years at Oklahoma City University, where she was a member of three NAIA National Champion relay teams. Although she was a middle-distance specialist in college, she has stepped up in distance since graduating in December 2019, and has notched PRs in every distance from the 1500m up to the marathon. In 2023, Sheridan claimed victories at the Okie Half/USATF Half Marathon State Championship and Mill Race Marathon!
PERSONAL BESTS
800m - 2:15 (2019)
1500m - 4:46 (2022)
5K (road) - 18:30 (2022)
Half Marathon - 1:24:38 (2023)
Marathon - 3:00:26 (2021)
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Carson Sandvik
After his collegiate career at East Central University, Carson wanted to continue training at a high level and step up to longer distances on the roads. It's worked well so far, as he finished 2nd overall in his debut marathon at the OKC Memorial Marathon! He is currently in the final year of physical therapy school at the University of Oklahoma, and has managed to continue training at a high level despite a rigorous course load. Check him out at Return2RunningPT on Instagram!
PERSONAL BESTS
Mile - 4:21.1 (2022)
5000m - 14:53 (2022)
Marathon - 2:34:16 (2024)
follow Carson on Strava
JOIN OUR ELITE TEAM
Are you a post-collegiate, sub-elite, or solo athlete looking for a team to race for? Fill out our Elite Team application today! Athletes receive free coaching for their distance, along with Scissortail Running gear. Members of the elite team are asked to represent the club by wearing SR gear at their races. More perks are in the works, apply today to lock in your spot on Oklahoma's fastest club!
MEN'S STANDARDS
4:15
9:20
15:10
31:30
1:10
2:30:00
1 mile
2 mile
5K
10K
Half marathon
Marathon
WOMEN'S STANDARDS
5:10
10:50
18:00
37:30
1:23:00
2:55:00