TOP ATHLETE OF THE PAST 30 YEARS: AMANDA WAREHIME (BARTLESVILLE)
By Mike Tupa
Oct. 3, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
During his nearly 30 years of covering area high school sports for either the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise or the Bartlesville Area Sports Report, Mike Tupa has enjoyed the opportunity to observe some incredible athletes.
This is an ongoing series highlighting each few days one of those athletes from the 1996-97 school year through the present. The list is not in chronological order. The athletes are presented in random sequence.
TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
AMANDA WAREHIME (Bartlesville)
Multiple sports (late 1990s/early 2000s)
Warehime remains one of the most powerful athletes ever to wear a Lady Bruins uniform.
She’s most remembered for the strength in her right arm and hand, combined with full-body muscular coordination and well-honed technique.
Those assets — in partnership with her full-focus determination and commitment to excellence — elevated her to a state championship as a thrower. Not only as a champion — but a record-breaker.
In the spring of 2001, Warehime — nicknamed “Gun” or “Gunn” — launched the 8.8-pound metal ball 46-feet-4.5-inches to win the girls state shot put championship — the first time a girls competitor had thrown further than 45 feet in state competition.
Her state record would hold up for another 22 seasons until he was broken in 2023. Through 2025, Warehime still owns the third-longest ever throw in shot put competition in state meet history.
Also in 2001, Warehime won the girls discus state title at 143-feet-4-inches. That also set a new state meet record, but it held up for only five seasons.
In addition, a quarter century later she still owns the Bartlesville school record in both the girls’ shot put and discus.
Coming out of high school Warehime threw for the University of Oklahoma women’s track team.
In April 2002, she snapped off a distance for 47-0.75 in the shot put to finish third in the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.
The aftermath of a vehicle accident in the early 2000s would disrupt her college track career.
Looking back to her high school years, Warehime also left a mark — most a bruising one on opponents — for the Lady Bruin basketball team.
During her senior year (2000-01) she spearheaded Bartlesville’s thrust to a winning record (14-12) and the area consolation finals. Warehime was definitely a spark plug on the court — powerful build, burst of speed, running-into-a-wall intensity and athletic intelligence.
If needed, she would have tried to run over a rhino or three defenders once she decided to drive to the hoop.
She practically willed the Lady Bruins around her to play better, whether on the basketball court or the soccer field.
Warehime returned as a teacher and coach to Bartlesville Public Schools and helped train Devin Randall to be a state gold-medal thrower in 2010 in boys competition.
She continued to help train the minds and bodies of Bartlesville student-athletes for years to come after that.
In 2019, added another record to her resume — the youngest person ever inducted into the Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame.
Her athletic odyssey and challenges vanquished could probably fill a book.
She certainly is deserving of status as one of the greatest high school athletes in Bartlesville area history.
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This series has featured the following athletes, listed in no particular order.
-Jena’ Williams, Bartlesville
-Eric Rolfs, Bartlesville
-Chris Smith, Caney Valley
-Jill Bryan, Copan
-Barron Tanner Jr, Bartlesville
-Hailey Tucker, Bartlesville
-Jeremy Dunkle, Dewey
-Whitney Metcalf, Bartlesville
-Tim Hamilton, Bartlesville
-Danielle Koster, Bartlesville
-Carson LaRue, Dewey
-John Hamman, Wesleyan Christian
-Jamie Elam, Caney Valley
-Sam Mitchell, Bartlesville
-Karissa Jones, Dewey
-Noah Hartsock, Bartlesville
-Tiffany Paper, Copan
-AJ Parker, Bartlesville
-Tiffany Eden, Caney Valley
-Henry Williams, Bartlesville
-Markell Carter, Bartlesville
-Rebecca Schluter, Wesleyan Christian
-Adam Hibdon, Barnsdall
-Tishuana Hunter, Nowata
-Nate Alleman, Bartlesville
-Jessie Burch, Dewey
-Joey McNair, Caney Valley/Bartlesville
-Michael Thompson, Bartlesville
-Kate Steward, Bartlesville
-Jarrett Rouse, Community
Amanda Warhime