Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Cross Country Ready for Big 12 Championships
October 29, 2008 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
The Basics
The Oklahoma State men's and women's cross country teams head to Ames, Iowa, Saturday to compete in the 2008 Big 12 Championships, hosted by Iowa State University.
The No. 3 Cowboys, the highest ranked team in the Big 12, have set their goals high for the event.
“We have one goal,” coach Dave Smith said. “Win the Big 12 Championship.”
The women's team also has set the bar high for its performance.
“We are ranked about fourth or fifth in the Big 12,” coach Rene Sepulveda said. “We would be happy with a third or fourth place finish.”
The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with the 6,000-meter women's race, with the 8,000-meter men's race following at 11 a.m.
OSU Lineups
Oklahoma State will send it's top runners to compete for the Big 12 Championships.
Seniors Ryan Vail, Brian Gosnell and Matt Barnes-Smith, juniors David Chirchir, John Kosgei and Daniel Watts, sophomore Sean Fleming and freshmen German Fernandez and Colby Lowe will run for the men's team, while juniors Tone Hjalmarsen, Natalia Kovtun and Leah Schroeder, sophomore Mihaela Susa, and freshmen Victoria Fratczak, Kristen Gillespie and Brittani Johnson are scheduled to run for the women's team.
Last Time Out
The Cowboys left several top runners at home in their last meet, as they ran the NCAA Pre-Nationals to acclimate young runners to the course.
Freshman German Fernandez won the Open Race at the event, finishing the 8,000-meter course, in 23:34.7.
The Cowboys also ran in the Blue Race, finishing 23rd as a team.
The Cowgirls also competed in the event, finishing the 6,000-meter Blue Race in 13th place.
OSU in the Polls
In the Week 5 Cross Country poll, the Oklahoma State men's team stayed at No. 1 in the Midwest region, while the women's team was voted fifth.
The Cowboys retained their spot as one of the best teams in the country, earning a No. 3 ranking in the national poll, also receiving four first-place votes. Oklahoma state only trails the Stanford Cardinal and the defending national champions, the Oregon Ducks.
The Cowgirls are listed in the "Others Receiving Votes" category of the national poll.
