sports spotlight: Brett Turowski

By Mike Tupa
March 20, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

BRETT TUROWSKI

Bartlesville High School boasts a golden genealogy of long-distance runners during the past 25 years.

Some of the great mile-eaters on the boys’ list include:

— Joey McNair: Cross country (state champion, 1999). Track (state champion in 3200m, 1600m, 800m in 2000).

— Blake Culp: Cross country (state runner-up, 2000). Track (state bronze medal in 3200, 2001).

— Jordan Hughes: Track (state bronze medal in 800m, 2004).

— Archer Bennett: Track (state champion in 800m, 2016).

— Henry Williams: Cross country (state runner up, 2016). Track (state runner-up in 3200, 2016; state runner-up in 3200m, 2017).

— Nathan Lauritsen: Cross country (state runner-up, 2017).

— Spencer Hales: Cross country (state runner-up, 2019).

There’s one name conspicuously left off that honored roll call.

Brett Turowski was among the fastest and toughest of them all, especially when considering his explosive exploits in college competition.

Among his high school achievements:

— Finished in the Top 10 in the state cross country meet in three different seasons — something no other Bruin has done the past 25 years.

— Won the 3200m state championship in 2004 with a blazing time of 9:23.83.

— Finished second in the 1600m (4:17.88) in 2004.

— Placed in the top six in both the 1600m and 3200m in 2003.

Turowski combined superior grit and explosive propulsion to elevate long-distance running to an art form.

Unlike many of the runners mentioned above, Turowski went on to excel on a top-notch level in college for the University of Tulsa.

In September 2006, Turowski earned the Conference-USA Cross Country Athlete of the Week honor after finishing as runner-up in the men’s four-mile race at the Hurricane Cross Country Festival. Turowski averaged just a little more than five minutes per mile while losing by only three seconds.

Turowski earned 10 letters and became a five-time All-Conference-USA selection. As a freshman he received All-WAC cross country honors.

Other highlights included:

— Running Tulsa’s fastest time (26:20.85) at the 2004 Southern Stampede 8k run.

— Ran a career-best time at the 2004 Drake Relays in the 5k run.

— As a junior came in 15th in the 10K at the NCAA Midwest Regional (31:20).

— Claimed second place in the 4K (20:26) at the Hurricane Festival.

— Ran a mile in 4:23.03 at the Missouri Invitational.

But Turowski’s exceptional accomplishments as an athlete are only a part of his Bartlesville High legacy.

Several years ago he returned home to Bartlesville as a teacher to teach and to coach distance runners..

Foregoing his first decision to become a youth minister, Turowski focused his studies on becoming an instructor. Some of his teaching specialities have included geometry, math, finance and current events, according to a Bartlesville newspaper article in 2022.

Turowski has shown that same care and attention to detail for his athletes on the track or the dusty dirt trails.

Going the distance in winning style has not been a sometimes thing for Turowski — it’s been a defining virtue.