Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Runner Makes School History
February 14, 2005 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
At the national qualifying meet in Vancouver, Wash., Vail was one of 62 runners competing for the top six spots in the 8,000-meter race and a place on the national team. The freshman from Gresham, Ore., finished with a time of 25:42 to finish sixth at the meet to earn a spot on the team, making him the first ever Cowboy to achieve the feat.
“I can't even describe the feeling right now,” Vail said. “Going into the race, I had no clue where I ranked among the other runners. I just knew I was going to have to run an amazing race to finish in the top six.”
Vail, who was a three-sport star at Gresham's Centennial High School, did not even run cross country until he was a junior.
“I had run track since my freshman year,” Vail said. “But I was always involved in wrestling and football so I never ran cross country.”
Vail is joined by two other Oregon natives on the national team. Galun Rupp, a native of Portland, won the race while Stuart Eagon, also from Portland, finished second. That trio will join Hakon Devries, Christopher Landry, and Jeremy Minaut to represent the U.S. at the world championships in Lyon, France on the weekend of March 18-20.
Cowboy assistant coach Dave Smith said that this is a huge victory for Vail, as well as the University.
“This is huge for Ryan,” Smith said. “It is a big confidence boost for him and I think it really shows where he fits in the whole picture.”
“It is also huge for the credibility of our program here at OSU,” Smith went on to say. “Most of our major runners here have been international athletes so this is a major step in building the base with the high school runners in the U.S.”
Vail says that his coaches have been the biggest part of his success at OSU.
“Coach Weis and Coach Smith have done a great job with me,” Vail said. “They have put so much into helping me get to the next level and that is why I am where I am.”
— OSU —
Third parties are permitted to post this information verbatim provided they print the complete dateline, including the link to the official athletics site of Oklahoma State University.
