Oklahoma State University Athletics
Coach's Update: Dave Smith
October 30, 2008 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
As the Oklahoma State men's cross country team enters the Big 12 Championships, coach Dave Smith discusses the possibility of a Big 12 Championship and what it would mean to the team.
On who he expects to contribute at the Big 12 Championships:
"I expect all of them to contribute. Each guy that we are racing will have a specific task to focus on in the race. Each will have a roll in our pursuit of the championship and it will take all of them accomplishing their assigned jobs for us to win it."
On the team's goals at the Big 12 Championships:
"We have one goal: Win the Big 12 championship."
On the magnitude of a possible Bg 12 championship:
"Winning the Big 12 would be a huge step for our program. Over the last few years the Big 12 has been the best cross country conference in the country, so winning it is no small feat. To win the conference a team must be good enough to also challenge for the national championship, and the long term goal of this program is to become a perennial power nationally. Obviously, if we are to accomplish that long term goal, we have to be able to win the Big 12 championship with some consistency."
On what a Big 12 championship would mean to the team:
"It is extremely important. We have been focused on this date for almost a year now. We were barely off the podium at the national championships last year when the conversation shifted to how good we thought the team could be this year. We were the top finishing Big 12 team at the national meet and that was a huge accomplishment for us. It provided us some tangible evidence that we could be the best team in the conference. Now, it is time to draw on that added confidence and translate the momentum we have been building since last November into being the best team in the conference when it matters; at the Big 12 Championships. Likewise, winning the conference would go a long way in reaffirming that our training and preparation for the national meet is where it needs to be. This will also mark the first time this season that we race at full strength, and I think the guys are really excited to finally have the opportunity to get out and race as a complete squad. They are ready to lace 'em up, toe the line and compete against the best in the country."
