ACC harrier Brock Artis signs with OCU

Brock Artis will run his way back to Oklahoma.
The Tulsa native spent the past two seasons running for Allen Community College’s cross country program and has signed a letter of intent to run for Oklahoma City University.
The NAIA school boasts an enrollment of 3,770 students and the previous two NAIA national champion cross country teams.
“I chose them because they’re a really good team,” Artis said. “I wanted to be closer to my home and I feel like (coach) Holt can take me to the next level.”
Coach Connor Holt of OCU said he is excited to have him join the team.
“Brock will be a great addition to our championship program here at OCU,” Holt said. “Academically, we will be a great fit for him to continue his artistic goals.”
Artis plans on majoring in art with the hopes of becoming an art teacher.
But, he will not forget about his stay in Iola.
“The town grows on you,” Artis said. “I didn’t like it at first, but I found family here and a good support system with my team. I’m going to miss it.”
Allen coach Vince DeGrado said he is happy to see Artis moving forward with his life. Artis finished as the second fastest cross country runner in the program’s history. His last race — the NJCAA Half-Marathon Classic in Topeka — was worthy of All-American status. Artis finished sixth.
“I got to see him grow as a person and mature. That’s why I’m happy for him, more than for the running,” DeGrado said. “I’m confident he’ll find success there academically. Athletically, he’s going to a great program.
“They’ve won consecutive national titles. We ran against them this season at Missouri Southern and Brock was in their top-five had he been on the team. That struck a chord with their coach right there. Brock is going to go there and help them win a third title.”
Artis said his favorite memory at Allen was running with his teammates along the county’s rail trail system.
“The trail was amazing, I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do without it,” Artis said. “I love my teammates and the support they’ve given me.”
DeGrado said that he is looking forward to seeing Artis grow academically.
“What I like about where he’s headed is that I think academically he will get taken care of and be able to do something with his degree,” DeGrado said. “That’s the most important thing because once you get out of junior college, those last two or three years you’ve got to set yourself to be successful. No one is going to be a professional runner. The chances of that are slim.”