TOP ATHLETE OF THE PAST 30 YEARS: HAYLEY BRYAN (COPAN)

By Mike Tupa

Dec. 5, 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

HAYLEY BRYAN (Copan)

Multiple sports (Class of 2012)

Hayley Bryan was indeed a girl for all sports.

During autumn time she helped elevate the Lady Hornets to among the top small schools in volleyball.

When the weather turned frosty she sizzled on the basketball court.

The springing of springtime saw her either on the golf course or the track.

Bryan went on to record a solid college basketball career on the NCAA level to round out her school playing days, leaving in her wake a swath of accolades.

She was in the middle of one of Copan’s great sports family dynasties — her older sister Jill scored more than 2,000 points for the Lady Hornet basketball team and younger sister Abby Bryan also heaped honor on the family name.

In addition, both her parents — Kristy and Tim — served as Copan head girls basketball coaches during stretches in the past 25 years and Tim served as Kristy’s assistant for a decade or more.

The Bryan girls — especially Jill and Hayley — were primary figures in an era of Copan girls basketball glory, which included multiple appearances in the state tournament and three-straight seasons of 23-4 records.

When Hayley was a sophomore during the 2009-10 season, a Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise article labeled her as “a 6-foot-1 forward with the soul of a guard.”

She averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game that season — while hitting 80 percent of her free throws.

In a 20-point win against Barnsdall she filled the nets with 28 points, including 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Her lone three-pointer put the game out of reach, 33-16.

Bryan also canned 26 points — with four treys — in another win against Barnsdall, while teammate Kendra Chinn added 25.

As a senior (2011-12), Bryan averaged 16.4 ppg and helped lead Copan to the state semifinals.

As mentioned, she also excelled in volleyball. During a signature win against Claremore-Sequoyah, Bryan served for seven points in one of the sets.

During the spring, she split her time between girls golf and girls track.

She earned a regional qualifier spot in golf.

She qualified for state three-straight years in the discus.

As a senior (2012) she brought home a state medal, finishing fifth (112-feet-8-inches). In the regional she had finished second (108-0).

Bryan followed in her sister’s footsteps to play women’s basketball at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Despite sitting out a full season due to injury, Bryan played four seasons and averaged 13.2 minutes in 89 games. She nailed 75 percent of her free throws (100-133), averaged 3.7 points and handed out 50 assists.

As a junior (2014-15) she registered 16 points against Southwestern Oklahoma and pulled down at least five rebounds in eight games.

In 2013-14, against Nebraska-Kearney she reached 15 points and she amassed a career-high 10 rebounds against Arkansas-Fort Smith. 

Bryan reached double-digit scoring in three games as a freshman (2012-13) — 12 against Cameron, 11 against Northwest Missouri and 10 against Angelo State.

She and Jill played together at UCO in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

It’s been more than a decade since Hayley last suited up for Copan and brightened up Lady Hornet sports like a slow-moving comet arching through an ebony sky.

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Hayley Bryan

Hayley Bryan with parents Tim and Kristy

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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 Warehime, Bartlesville

-Trey Osborne, Dewey

-Heather Lanphear, Barnsdall

-Erin Epperson, Bartlesville

-Levi Wyrick, Caney Valley (Kan.)

-Spencer Magana, Dewey

-Jackie Jo Chaney, Copan

-Haley Downey, Bartlesville

-Cooper Fogle, Caney Valley

-Amanda Brown, Copan 

-Rachel Smith, Pawhuska

-Casey Cassity, Barnsdall

-Stacy Cornforth, Bartlesville

-Gabby Higbee, Dewey

-Kirby Schoenthaler, Bartlesville

-Tyler Kay, Barnsdall

-Colton Penrod, Bartlesville

-Erin Herchock, Dewey

-Lindsey Collins, Caney Valley

-Nathan Hughes, Bartlesville

-Aaron Hunt, Copan

-Calan Crowder, Bartlesville

-Colby Kohlmeyer, Caney Valley

-Allison Hunt, Copan

-Stephen Garrett, Dewey

-Brett Turowski, Bartlesville