Thompson Takes Fourth in NCAA 1,500

Wednesday, June 7

Eugene, Ore.

All Day

Oklahoma State University

NCAA Outdoor Championships

June 09, 2017 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track

First Cowboy since 1997 to earn All-America in XC, Indoor, Outdoor in same season

Eugene, Ore. – Cowboy senior Josh Thompson completed the All-America treble when he took fourth in the 1,500-meter run, Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

With the fourth place finish, Thompson became the first Cowboy since Christopher Kenebei in the 1996-97 season to earn first-team All-America honors in all three NCAA athletics seasons, including cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field.

Thompson took 36th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, sixth in the mile at the indoor championships and scored his first outdoor honor in a physical 1,500-meter final Friday.

"It was fun," Thompson said. "Physical contact is always going to be there, so you just have to be prepared for it and expect it. The coaches and my teammates here really prepared me well for it ."

Thompson just missed out on a trip to Eugene back in 2016, but his appearance this year was the Cowboy senior's highest finish at any NCAA Championship.

"It was great to run here at Hayward," Thompson said. "I didn't want to have what happened last year happen again this year, so I just made sure I stayed out of trouble during the races so I could get by as easy as I could."

Fellow senior Craig Nowak finished 12th in the race, earning second-team All-America honors to wrap up his Cowboy career.

The championship race marked the end of the Cowboy duo's historic run for OSU that included the only two Big 12 Indoor Track and Field team titles in school history.

"It's been incredible," Thompson said. "Just with the coaches believing in me, trusting me, seeing what I could do and having teammates who pushed me to get better, it's just been incredible."

Along with scoring at the NCAA Championships four times since 2016, Nowak and Thompson racked up a total of 117 points and nine conference titles at Big 12 Championships. The two were responsible for just over 30 percent of OSU's 382 points scored at all four championships in that time.

Nowak took home the high-point award for his outstanding performance at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, and was named as the conference Scholar Athlete of the Year for track and field during the 2017 season.

Thompson won five of a possible six championship races in his conference career, only coming up short when he took second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase that he was running for the first time as a Cowboy at this year's outdoor championship.

While both Cowboys' OSU careers came to a close Friday, their season of competition continues. Both are scheduled to take the track this Sunday at the Portland Track Festival. Nowak is entered in the 1,500 and Thompson is entered in the steeplechase.

Thompson's 3:38.21 from earlier this season qualified him for the 1,500 at the U.S. Championships, held in Sacramento later this month.

The 2017 NCAA Outdoor men's team title was won by the Gators of Florida for the second-straight year.

The Cowboys finished 51st with 5 points.

Kaylee Dodd and Ieva Zarankaite will close the OSU season tomorrow in the final day of the women's championship.

Dodd runs in the 800-meter final at 6:44 p.m. CT, and Zarankaite opens the day for the Pokes at 5:05.

NCAA Outdoor Championships | June 9, 2017 | Eugene, Oregon

Men's Results

1,500 Meters Final
4. Josh Thompson – 3:44.34
12. Craig Nowak – 3:52.60

Final Team Standings
1. Florida - 61.5 pts.
2. Texas A&M - 59.5
3. Virginia - 36
4. Arkansas - 33
5. Auburn - 24
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51. Oklahoma State - 5