Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Set to Compete at UNT Invitational
September 06, 2006 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
The former Eagle Point Golf Course, which begins and ends on the north side of the Radisson Hotel, is a fast and primarily flat surface. North Texas is expecting to host a field that also includes Texas Christian, Southern Methodist, Baylor and the University of Texas-Arlington.
For the second consecutive week, the Cowgirls will be represented primarily by its “B” team as the projected “A” team members will continue preparing for the Cowboy Jamboree, Sept. 30.
Freshman Tone Hjalmarsen will seek her second individual title, after a dominating performance at the Hurricane Festival last week.
Along with Hjalmarsen, junior Kim Blomkvist, freshman Leah Schroeder and sophomore Maria Trejo each will give the Cowgirls talented depth leading into the meet. The trio is coming off impressive performances, where each finished in the top four, helping OSU cruise to a first-place finish.
Also for the Pokes, three Stillwater natives including sophomore's JennaRae Downs and Jennifer Clarke and freshman Breanna Tharp will look to give the team added support.
Other Cowgirls who will look to contribute include junior Meghan Sullivan, sophomore's Brittany Mason and Kalea Tam, and freshmen Emily Hawley and Destyn Stallings. Mason is coming off a seventh-place performance last week.
The women's 5k race starts at 9:00 a.m.
COWGIRLS CLAIM TOP FOUR; CAPTURE FIRST AT TULSA
The Cowgirl's “B” team placed the top four runners last Saturday as the Cowgirls cruised to victory at the Hurricane Cross Country Festival in Tulsa.
OSU dominated the two-mile run at Mohawk Park with 17 points, finishing ahead of Tulsa (38), Oklahoma (85) and Central Oklahoma (88).
Freshman Tone Hjalmarsen ran a time of 11:26 as she finished ahead of the field in her first collegiate race. Junior Kim Blomkvist finished second behind Hjalmarsen in a time of 11:35.
Freshman Leah Schroeder was also impressive in her collegiate debut, posting a third-place finish with a time of 11:44. Sophomore Maria Trejo took fourth in a time of 11:56.
The Pokes then had a strong finish from sophomore Brittany Mason as she finished seventh in a time of 12:04.
Junior Meghan Sullivan, and sophomore's Jennifer Clarke and JennaRae Downs gave OSU added support after finishing 23rd, 24th and 25th, respectively.
OSU freshmen Breanna Tharp and Tara Schooley also performed well as the duo finished 27th and 30th.
A LOOK AT OSU IN 2006
With a plethora of talent returning that includes five letterwinners, two All-Big 12 and four all-region runners, success is an expectation for fourth year head coach René Sepulveda, as he and the Cowgirls embark on the 2006 season.
After finishing in the top three at the conference meet in the two previous seasons, Sepulveda has been able to lead the program into not only one of the best in the conference, but also in the country.
OSU, which is projected to be ranked near the top 10 when the preseason rankings come out next week, is just one of three Big 12 teams that finished last season nationally ranked.
With a top five possibly set for the Cowgirls, the 2005 Midwest Region Coach of the Year hopes to find runners that could challenge and give added support to the hopeful returnees. Leading the pack of challengers, incoming freshmen Leah Schroeder and Tone Hjalmarsen are prime candidates to fill the void left by last year's departed seniors.
The talented recruiting class also includes freshmen Hanna Holst, Irene Masai and Stillwater native Breanna Tharp. Sepulveda said the young runners will help carry the success into the future of the program.
Having a strong group of returnees along with the talented newcomers, Sepulveda feels that he will be able to have enough potential to compete an “A team” and a “B team” each week.
Among the top returning runners, two-time NCAA qualifier junior Mary Davies is expected to carry on what has been an impressive young career at OSU.
Sophomore's Anissa Angelosante and Nina Andersson, who were two of the top young guns in the conference last season, are both candidates for postseason recognition. The duo will provide OSU with valuable experience leading up to the national meet.
Along with Davies, Andersson will help fuel a talented squad with postseason success as she also earned All-Big 12 and all-region honors.
Czech Republic natives, senior Eva Slavikova and junior Eva Tomankova will play a critical role as the Cowgirls search for their first conference championship.
The Cowgirls return plenty of depth including junior Kim Blomkvist and sophomore Brittany Mason. Blomkvist was a top five runner in 2004, but looks to re-gain confidence and challenge the expected top runners for a spot into the postseason.
DAVIES AMONGST THE BEST
Davies has proved to be one of the elite runners in the conference. She was the first runner in the history of the conference to capture titles in all three distance events (10k, 5k, 3,000-meter steeplechase) at the 2006 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. After a fall at the 200-meter mark at last year's NCAA Championships kept her from earning All-American status, the two-time All-Big 12 and all-region runner is a strong candidate for the postseason honors in 2006.
