It was a very successful spring season for Durant Middle School athletes. Coaches awarded those participants at an awards ceremony for the athletes last week. Teams such as golf, tennis and both seventh and eighth grade baseball each had numerous tournament placers near the top, while the track team collected hundreds of medals.

Track

The DMS track teams saw record numbers of athletic participation this year with an average of 80 students participating in each of their six meets this season. Not only did those students all attend and compete, but most of them brought home at least one medal if not more.

Records were also set in total medals for the team over the season with a whopping 682 total medals. Those were won in a combined effort from all with 107 from Ardmore, 134 from Durant, 117 from Ada, 70 from McAlester (a 3-medal meet), 130 from Kingston and 124 from Marietta.

This number total blows away the previous record of 374 from last year. To add to the pie, the team had medals and dominating athletes in all areas of competition at every meet they attended, so the athletes not only could run this season, which they did quite well, but also could throw farther and jump higher than most of the competition.

The team came home from McAlester, the only meet that scored teams, with a first-place in seventh grade girls, first in seventh grade boys, second in eighth grade girls and third in eighth grade boys.

“This is quite a high mark to set for future tracksters, but it will be a great and exciting challenge to endure,” the coaches said in a statement. “Great season, and way to go DMS tracksters.”

Golf

The DMS golfers placed among the top four in almost every tournament in which they competed this season.

The Lions won the Kingston Boys Tournament at Buncombe Creek, and the girls won the Kingston Girls Tournament at Buncombe Creek as well as the Ardmore Tournament at Lake View.

The boys finished second at Durant Country Club and Lone Grove Boys tournament at Lake Murray. They took third at the McAlester Tournament and at Idabel. The Lions also placed fourth at Sulphur, Ada and Ardmore and took fifth at Plainview.

The Lady Lions were second at Durant, Plainview and Lone Grove. The girls took third at McAlester, making it so they were not out of the top three in any of the tournaments.

Baseball

Despite a very wet baseball season that had seven games rained out and made for limited practice time in the infield, the seventh grade baseball team still had a terrific season. They finished with 10 wins and three losses.

Against rivals and the only other true seventh grade opponents, Ardmore and McAlester, Durant won six and lost one.

Most importantly, with a team of 25 student athletes, the seventh grade team had kids who had never played baseball and kids who’ve had a lot of experience playing baseball and everything in between — all showed vast improvement in the basic skill areas of hitting, throwing and catching the baseball.

“For everyone of them, this was their first season on a regulation-size high school field and they adapted quite well,” the coaches said in a statement. “We expect great things from this group in the future.”

7th grade members: Brandon Robinson (1B/P), Ethan Hollowell (M-INF/P), Denton Comer (OF/M-INF/P), Kooper Webb (SS/P/3B), Carson Campbell (C/P), Spencer Tidwell (OF), Ryles Dean (INF/OF), Hunter Burkett (OF/3B), Nathan Thompson (OF), Justin Marksberry (INF/OF), Jacob Bradenkap (OF), Karlan Harris (OF), Issac Gonzales (1B), Gavin Gray (LF/2B), Zac Cook (OF/C), Seth White (2B/OF), Cody Jones (Util), Ricky Barnett (OF), Riley Hendrix (P/C-INF), Bryan Wheat (OF), Kyle Mosley (OF/INF), Austin Aguero (3B/P), Cade Bison (OF), Trystan Sexton (OF) and Andrew Hill (RF).

8th grade members: Ryan Boehme, Asheton Brewer, Alex Brooks, Zac Carter, Kooper Cavender, Will Engle, Schuyler Hedberg, Austin Joines, Derek Penz, Dylan Stevens, James VanZandt, Hunter Wines, Jared Woods and Landry Wright.