Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Freshmen Blend With Veterans For Success
October 10, 2008 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
by Sean Maguire
Success, in any athletic endeavor, requires team chemistry.
Whether a team is playing on the gridiron or running several miles as a pack, the team must come together as one unit to become the best it can be.
At the collegiate level, this can often be a difficult task due to graduations, incoming freshmen, transfers and other factors that can hinder a team's ability to work together.
The Oklahoma State women's cross country team has been through all these things, but has gelled and become successful as one.
"They're coming together," coach Rene Sepulveda said. "Jamboree was the first race where we had freshmen and upperclassmen race together and they seem to be really running well, coming together, and they have more of an understanding of what they have to do at this level."
The Cowgirls have dealt with a lot of change, including the loss of athletes to graduation, the addition of transfer Natalia Kovtun and the addition of a large freshman recruiting class.
Oklahoma State's losses from last year include Eva Tomankova and Maria Trejo, both of whom consistently performed well for the Cowgirls.
Sepulveda, however, said he believes the team is just as good, if not better than last year's team.
"Anytime you lose people, you wish you still had them, but it really is not that big of a difference this year," Sepulveda said. "We have enough depth, so it shouldn't affect us to much."
Transfer athletes can often throw a wrench into a team's chemistry, but junior Natalia Kovtun, who transferred to Oklahoma State after spending her first year at the University of Southern California, has quickly fit in well with the rest of the Cowgirls.
"Natalia's affected the team really well," Sepulveda said, "She competes well, so she's come in and been a big help on our team."
Kovtun has definitely been a big help to the team, leading the way for Oklahoma State in both of the races she has competed in this year; a fact even more remarkable considering this is her first season to run cross country in her life.
"It was hard at first, but now it's fun," Kovtun said. "It's still hard, but it's hard for everybody."
Kovtun added that the team is gaining confidence and sticking up for each other, and that she thinks the team is getting better.
The freshmen on the Oklahoma State women's cross country team are another factor playing into the Cowgirls' unity.
Every member of the class of nine true freshmen will contribute this year, whether by placing well in races or pushing the others in training.
Freshman Victoria Fratczak has already been a key member of the Cowgirl squad, placing in Cowgirls' top four in all three races she has run, including the top finish for the Oklahoma State at the Hurricane Festival, which was the first cross country race of her collegiate career.
"It makes me feel like there's something in sight for me in the future," Fratczak said. "Hopefully, in the next four years, I can place really well at NCAAs. I'm not expecting anything right now, but I see some big possibilities so it's exciting."
Fratczak's coaches have taken notice of her and have high hopes for her.
"Victoria has really affected the team positively," Sepulveda said. "She's come in as a freshman and she's pushing everybody in the workouts. She's so talented, so she's made a big impact on our team as a freshman."
Although Fratczak is the first to make an impact, every member of the freshman class has shown signs of their skill and they all have great potential.
"The freshman class, as a whole, has really stayed together well," Sepulveda said. "They're focused, they're organized and they're a mature group of freshmen and they've taken care of each other."
Two of the freshmen, in addition to Fratczak, that Sepulveda highlighted were Kristen Gillespie and Brittani Johnson, who have already made a difference this year both on team chemistry and during races, possibly because of the veterans' guidance.
"I've, for sure, learned from the older girls," Gillespie said. "I've learned how to pace myself and I see them working hard in front of me and they pull me along with them."
Johnson credits some of her success to the upperclassmen as well.
"I've learned consistency and teamwork from them," Johnson said. "It doesn't just take one of us to win; it takes all of us."
Johnson and Gillespie both said they love their freshman class due to all the unique personalities and great potential.
Perhaps the main factor in keeping this Cowgirl team unified has been the leadership of the veterans that have been crucial to the Cowgirls in past seasons.
Juniors Tone Hjalmarsen and Leah Schroeder, as well as sophomore Mihaela Susa, are proven competitors that have helped the team succeed in the past and are hoping to lead the team to success this year.
Hjalmarsen, who won the Norwegian senior national championship in the 10,000-meter run last summer, has been a consistent performer for Oklahoma State throughout her career and has been the second-best finisher for the Cowgirls in both of her races this season so far.
"I think the team has come together," Hjalmarsen said. "I'm really proud of all the freshmen girls. We're really close and we work hard and we'll improve this year."
Schroeder, who has finished right behind Hjalmarsen as the third Cowgirl to cross the line in both of her races this season, added to Hjalmarsen's feelings.
"I think this year we all have a common goal," Schroeder said. "We're all just working together to strive toward excellence. We're trying to get to nationals because we're basically the underdog."
Sepulveda said he is amazed at the amount of improvement Schroeder has made from last year to this one.
"She's made a big jump from where she was last year to this year," Sepulveda said. "She's made a jump in attitude and physically. She's running closer to her potential now, and she's still got quite a bit more to go - she can run faster. She's a big key to the team this year."
Schroeder is thankful for Sepulveda's encouragement, but said she's aiming to be even better.
"It makes me feel really good," Schroeder said. "Some people fall down and they don't get back up, I guess I was just lucky and wanted it bad enough to get better again. I think it was just dedication and that everyone's helping each other out this season. It really helps when you've got people on your back."
Susa, the first Cowgirl to finish several races last year as a freshman, is looking to due the same this season.
"Mihaela did so well last year, so it put a lot of pressure on her this year," Sepulveda said. "In training, she's killing everybody. She's destroying everybody in every training session. She's just got to transfer her training into her racing."
Hjalmarsen, Susa and Schroeder, as well as Kovtun, have stepped up to lead the team and hope to take it to new heights.
"They are definitely team leaders," Sepulveda said. "They work together. They're close knit. They're friends. They know each other and accept each other. They're good together."
When viewing the Cowgirl's situation on paper, after losing some good performers, adding a key transfer and several freshmen, team unity seems something that should be hard to come by, but when this group is together, they act as a unit and strive for greatness as one.
