Fresh out of college at Northeastern State University and working at the Lawton Constitution, I was certainly in a new environment at that mid-week luncheon early in the 2008 season.
Then, OU offensive lineman Phil Loadholt walked in. All 6 feet, 8 inches and 330 pounds.
The football players at NSU looked nothing like this behemoth.
At 5 feet, 10 inches tall and nowhere nearly as athletic, I suddenly wasn’t sure if I was there to ask him questions or serve as his mid-day snack.
But I shook off that crazy thought and went to work. I was hooked.
I wanted to cover big-time sports. And in Oklahoma, where I have lived my entire life, that’s college sports.
OU and Oklahoma State, to be specific.
I spent the next 11 years working to get to a college press box.
High school sports. Minor league baseball. Boxing. Auto racing. Even some college sports. I covered it all at the Constitution and beginning in 2011 as a copy editor at The Oklahoman.
As much as I loved that, I still wanted more.
Finally, in 2019, I made the leap, taking over as one of The Oklahoman’s OSU beat writers.
Working alongside Scott Wright, I was living a dream.
I helped deliver the best storytelling in the state on OSU stars like Cade Cunningham, Chuba Hubbard, Ollie Gordon II, Malcolm Rodriguez, Roc Riggio, the Boone Twins and more. I won an APSE award for my in-depth story on Jim Knowles.
I was at the Fiesta Bowl comeback against Notre Dame. I was there for the final Bedlam football game, weaving my way around a fan-filled Boone Pickens Stadium turf after OSU’s win. I covered tough news during the COVID-19 pandemic and the basketball postseason ban.
Every moment lived up to my expectations and then some.
And I did it with the best college sports coverage team possible
It’s time to get to know our team, whose bylines you will see throughout our coverage of the Sooners and Cowboys.
Ryan Aber (OU)
Growing up watching ESPN’s “SportsCenter” in elementary school, Aber decided to take a journalism class at Hefner Junior High and quickly became hooked on writing.
He enjoys telling the stories of the people he covers, both in and away from their sports.
Aber has been with The Oklahoman since 2006, covering high schools, the then-Oklahoma City RedHawks minor-league baseball team and the Oklahoma City Barons hockey team before moving over to cover OU athletics in 2013. Before returning home to work at The Oklahoman, Aber spent time at the Muskogee Phoenix, Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas.
An alum of Putnam City North and Northeastern State University, Aber has lived in Oklahoma for almost all of his life.
Aber lives in Moore with his wife, Kim, and daughter, Sidney. His older daughter, Kaylee, lives and goes to school in Stillwater.
When not working, Aber plays hockey, attends as many concerts as he can and does some woodworking.
Sulley is a passionate journalist from Oklahoma City with a lifelong love for athletics and storytelling.
An OU graduate, Colton discovered his calling at the OU Daily, where his dedication to sports journalism truly came to life. The Daily not only shaped his career but also gave him a sense of belonging and lifelong friendships.
Colton’s student newspaper stoked his competitive nature to new levels, and it’s where he figured out there’s nothing he’d rather be doing. Waking up every morning determined to write must-reads, chase the stories of the week, go the extra mile to find sourcing beyond press availabilities and serve a passionate and engaged audience is a dream come true.
In February 2024, he joined The Oklahoman as an OU beat writer, continuing to cover the Sooners with the same energy and insight that first fueled his dreams.
Nearing 20 years on the staff of The Oklahoman, Scott Wright has covered almost every beat in the sports department, from high schools and minor- league teams to OU and — for the last eight years — Oklahoma State.
Originally from Yukon, his life in sports media began on the broadcast side, with internships at local news stations, plus a few years running the board and answering phones at the Sports Animal.
In 2002, he turned his focus to writing, which kickstarted a career that took him to newspapers in towns like Bethany and Shawnee before he joined The Oklahoman in September 2005.
Since 2017, he has established himself as a trusted figure and consistent voice covering Oklahoma State athletics.
Women’s Track & Field Rookie of the Week – Lola Gitlin
Lola Gitlin won the 3,000-meter race by more than 12 seconds at Cornell’s Southern Tier Invitational as she clocked a time of 10:37.55. Gitlin’s time is good for 24th nationally.
Women’s Track & Field – Field Performer of the Week – Lily Seyfert
Lily Seyfert placed third in the shot put at the Cornell Southern Tier Invitational with a mark of 12.72 meters, which is just shy of her top mark of 12.78 this season (17th in Division III). Seyfert also finished third in the weight throw at 16.20 meters and ranks eighth in the country after that performance.
Men’s Track & Field Rookie of the Week – Raphael Campanile
Raphael Campanile placed fifth in the pole vault with a mark of 4.50 meters at the Cornell Southern Tier Invitational on Saturday and currently ranks 25th in Division III with that performance.
HONOR ROLL
Matthew Zenker totaled 44 points on 18-of-31 shooting, to go along with nine rebounds and three steals in a 1-1 week for Ithaca. Zenker netted 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting in a 101-72 win over RIT and followed up with 24 points and eight rebounds as he shot 10-of-15 from the floor in a loss to Union.
Junior forward McNamara delivered a pair of strong performances despite setbacks against RIT and Union. Against the Tigers, she was flawless from the floor, going 3-for-3 while adding seven rebounds and two blocks. She carried that momentum into the Union matchup, coming just shy of her first career double-double with nine points and eight boards.
Shenandoah University men’s volleyball freshman Simon Bellenbaum was named the ODAC’s Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
The York, Pennsylvania, native accumulated six solo blocks and eight digs in SU’s two matches against Randolph and Regent, with three blocks in each game and five digs versus the Royals.
Boys’ basketball: Sherando 48, Strasburg 44
STEPHENS CITY — Sherando defeated Strasburg for its fourth straight win on Monday. The Warriors are 9-4.
Girls’ basketball: Strasburg 39, Sherando 29
STRASBURG — Strasburg completed a season sweep with a win over Sherando on Monday.
The Warriors (3-11) trailed 18-7 after one quarter, 23-10 at the half and 29-22 after three quarters.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Two Keene State College student-athletes honored by the Little East Conference for their achievements accomplished for the week of January 5-11.
Men’s Swimming and Diving
Freshman diver Keegan Johnson (Durham, N.H.) was named the LEC Diver of the Week and the Rookie Diver of the Week from his dives across the Owls’ final two home meets this season over the past weekend. Against Eastern Connecticut State University, Johnson placed first in the 1M diving with a score of 129.75 on Friday afternoon, and on Saturday morning against Norwich University, he placed first in the 1M diving with a score of 141.38 and first in the 3M diving with a score of 170.31.
Johnson and the Owls return to action for a double-dual meet against Brandeis University and Bridgewater State University on Saturday, January 17 at 12:00 PM.
Men’s Indoor Track and Field
Senior Eden Damis (Nashua, N.H.) was named the LEC Field Athlete of the Week from his performance at the Middlebury Snowflake Invitational on Saturday for the Owls. In the long jump, Damis posted a mark of 14.00 in the triple just for a new personal record in his final attempt of the day. His mark became the 21st best mark in NCAA Division III on the season, just one position for qualifying for nationals later this season.
Damis and the Owls return to action at the Panther Invitational I at Plymouth State University on Saturday, January 17, at 10:00 AM.
PITMAN — The New Jersey Athletic Conference announced its women’s indoor track & field weekly honors for the week ending Jan. 11
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
LUCIA GARCIA-BELTRAN • The College of New Jersey
Senior • Hopewell, NJ/Hopewell Valley Central
Garcia-Beltran earned NJAC Track Athlete of the Week honors after setting a new program record in the 60 meters at the Lions Indoor Invitational. The senior sprinter and Rutgers transfer clocked a time of 7.63 seconds, which ranks fifth in NCAA Division III.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
SARAH SCEPKOWSKI • The College of New Jersey
Senior • Garwood, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson
Scepkowski claimed NJAC Field Athlete of the Week recognition after clearing 1.60 meters in the high jump at the Lions Indoor Invitational. The senior’s mark ranks 20th in NCAA Division III and stands as one of the top performances in the conference this season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
AMELIA VITALE • Farmingdale State College
Freshman • Hauppauge, NY/Hauppauge
Vitale was named NJAC Rookie of the Week after posting a time of 2:30.87 in the 800 meters at the Spartan Invitational. The freshman’s performance represents the top mark in the event thus far in the NJAC this season and establishes her as the conference’s early leader in the middle-distance event.
PITMAN — The New Jersey Athletic Conference announced its men’s indoor track & field weekly honors for the week ending Jan. 11.
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
MAXIM RYCHKOV • The College of New Jersey
Sophomore • Robbinsville, NJ/Robbinsville
Rychkov earned NJAC Track Athlete of the Week honors after setting a new program record in the 400 meters at the Lions Indoor Invitational. The sophomore clocked a time of 47.95 seconds, which ranks sixth in Division III. Rychkov’s record-breaking performance also leads both the NJAC and NCAA Metro Region in the event.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
BRADEN PAULMENN • The College of New Jersey
Sophomore • Monmouth Junction, NJ/South Brunswick
Paulmenn claimed NJAC Field Athlete of the Week recognition after a strong showing in two throwing events at the Lions Indoor Invitational. The sophomore recorded a mark of 15.38 meters in the shot put (third place) and 13.98 meters in the weight throw (fourth place). His weight throw mark ranks third in the NJAC and 10th in the Metro Region. Paulmenn also owns the second-best shot put mark in the NJAC and NCAA Metro Region and is 26th in Division III.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
VICTOR AKINBOBOYE • The College of New Jersey
Freshman • Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty
Akinboboye was named NJAC Rookie of the Week after clocking a time of 35.54 seconds in the 300 meters at the Lions Indoor Invitational. The freshman’s performance ranks 18th in Division III and establishes him as one of the top first-year sprinters in the conference.
Oldani had a match-high and career-high 10 digs in BYU’s season opener Friday night in Provo. He added another three digs on Saturday. Oldani also had five blocks over the two matches, as the Cougars started the season 2-0 for the fourth consecutive season.
Oldani is one of three transfers from Grand Canyon on this season’s BYU squad. He was a key contributor as a freshman last season for the Antelopes and has picked up where he left off with the Cougars.
Oldani and the No. 8 Cougars won in back-to-back sweeps last weekend over Saint Francis and have two more home matches this Friday and Saturday, as No. 10 UC San Diego visits the Smith Fieldhouse.
