Several state records were broken during the 2023 track and field season.

Former Edmond Santa Fe star Emmanuella Njenje — now at OU — seemingly came out of nowhere during her breakout senior season, setting a new mark in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.58 seconds during the Class 6A state preliminaries and breaking the record in the 400 (54.07) in the finals.

And in the 4x200 championship race, Njenje, Nia Moore, Zoey Battles and Zoelie Deaton finished in 1:37.43, setting the record in that event.

Also making history at the Class 6A state meet was Midwest City’s De'Yanna Douglas, who broke the shot put record.

With a new season already underway, it’ll be interesting to see if more state records go down over the next couple months, but the storylines don’t end there.

Here are a few Oklahoma City-area headlines and 20 athletes to watch during the 2024 high school track and field season.

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Shannon Atkinson leading Mustang. Atkinson has taken over as head coach of the Broncos after holding the same position at Southmoore. A Duncan alum, Atkinson was an All-American sprinter at OU in the 1990s after beginning his collegiate career at Oklahoma State. Mustang’s boys and girls teams began this month with a statement as theyt won Putnam West’s invitational, and they're among the contenders in Class 6A.

Heritage Hall now in Class 4A. The Heritage Hall boys won the Class 3A title last year and will be in Class 4A this season. Star senior sprinter Andy Bass, who will play football at OU as a preferred walk-on, won’t compete this spring after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee during the Class 3A state championship on Dec. 2, but talent remains on the Chargers' roster.

Purcell throwing program on the rise. The Dragons had two sophomore girls who placed in the top two in the shot put at the Class 3A state meet last year as Ella Resendiz claimed the title and Hannah Whitaker finished as the runner-up. Returning on the boys side for Purcell — which has moved up to Class 4A — is junior Parker Page, who placed eighth in the shot put at the state meet last season.

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Devin Alexander, Sr., Norman: He’s one of the top sprinters in the state and plans to start competing by April. A Northeastern Oklahoma A&M football signee, Alexander won last year's Class 6A state preliminary race in the 100 in 10.36 before getting injured in the finals and finishing.

Kolton Bennett, Sr., Westmoore: He’s the defending Class 6A champion in the 800 after finishing the race in 1:54.40 at the state meet last year.

Aidan Edwards, Sr., Mustang: He’s already had a decorated career with the Broncos. Edwards won the 300 hurdles with a time of 37.33 at last year’s Class 6A state meet and the 110 hurdles in 14.86 at the 2022 state meet.

Elijah Green, Sr., Classen SAS: The Tulsa football signee claimed his first track title last year, finishing the 400 in 48.72 at the Class 4A state meet.

Maddox Motley, Sr., North Rock Creek: He’s the two-time defending Class 4A champion in the 110 hurdles. He won the title in 14.62 last year and in 14.95 as a sophomore.

Graham Murphy, So., Heritage Hall: He’s coming off a breakout freshman season in which he won the Class 3A title in the high jump after clearing 6-8 at the state meet.

Camden Pratcher, Sr., Norman North: He won the Class 6A title in the long jump with a leap of 23-10 at the state meet last season.

Zac Rutherford, Sr., Edmond North: He was the Class 6A cross country champion in the fall. An Arkansas-Little Rock signee, he won the 1,600 (4:28.87) and 3,200 (9:38.88) at Edmond North’s meet this month.

Brody Woodcock, Sr., Deer Creek: A Tulsa signee, Woodcock is one of the best distance runners in the state and was named the 2023 Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. His top performance at the Class 6A state track meet last year was in the 1,600 (4:21.65).

Zane Zamanski, Sr., Southwest Covenant: He won Class 2A titles last year in the discus (165-8) and shot put (53-5¼) after claiming Class A championships in both events as a sophomore with throws of 146-2 and 52-½, respectively.

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Jordan Atkinson, Jr., Mustang: Atkinson spent her first two high school seasons at Southmoore and is a two-time defending Class 6A champion in the 100 after finishing in 12.07 at last year’s state meet and in 12.02 as a freshman. She’s a daughter of coach Shannon Atkinson.

De'Yanna Douglas, Sr., Midwest City: Her toss of 46-9 in the shot put at last year’s Class 6A state meet didn’t just give her the title in the event. With that performance, Douglas became the state record holder.

Destiny Downing, Sr., Community Christian: The Oral Roberts signee became her school’s first state champion in track last year. Downing won the Class 3A title in the high jump after clearing 5-6 at the state meet.

Natalie Duggan, Jr., Edmond Santa Fe: The 2023 Gatorade Oklahoma Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year won her first track title last year after finishing the 3,200 in 11:16.85 at the Class 6A state meet.

Libby Jaques, Jr., Moore: An Oklahoma State softball commit, Jaques broke the school record in the shot put with a toss of 44-9¼ at Edmond North’s meet this month.

Shaydin Myers, Jr., Choctaw: She cleared 5-4 in the high jump at the Class 6A state meet last year, winning the title.

Helen Olszewski, Jr., Casady: A Virgina soccer commit, Olszewski has had a strong start to the track season. She broke the school record in the 100 with a time of 11.86 at Edmond North’s meet this month. Casady will compete in Class 3A in its debut season in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association.

Ella Resendiz, Jr., Purcell: She won the Class 3A title in the shot put with a toss of 38-2 at the state meet and will compete in Class 4A this season.

Chloe Threatt, Jr., John Marshall: She’s the defending Class 5A champion in the 100. Threatt won the title with a time of 12.02.

Inara Ukawuba, Sr., Edmond North: She finished the 100 hurdles in 14.22 for the Class 6A championship last year.

Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school track & field storylines, athletes to watch