Oklahoma State University Athletics
Hjalmarsen, Susa To Lead Cowgirls in 2008
August 21, 2008 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
With a host of new faces dotting the 2008 Oklahoma State women's cross country roster, the coming season should be ripe with intrigue.
This much is certain: the team will count on the steady veteran leadership of junior Tone Hjalmarsen and on the dynamic ability of sophomore all-Big 12 and all-Midwest Region performer Mihaela Susa.
A native of Bodoe, Norway, Hjalmarsen comes off a summer in which she won the Norwegian senior national championship in the 10,000 meter run after clocking a 34:44.22 at the National Track and Field Championship in Trondheim, Norway.
A knee injury kept Hjalmarsen out of the 2007 Big 12 Cross Country Championship. Though she returned to compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship, she clearly was not herself, placing 55th at the event when she would have been a contender if healthy. This year, she gets that second chance to make a name for herself on both the conference and regional levels. During her Oklahoma State cross country career to date, Hjalmarsen has been clocked at 17:46 in a 5,000 meter race and 21:26 in a 6,000 meter race.
As for Susa, the sophomore returns to Stillwater after an explosive freshman year that saw her secure all-Big 12 and all-Midwest Region honors in her first year at the collegiate level. Susa was OSU's top finisher every time she raced¬ in 2007 and looks to build on the success she enjoyed a year ago. Included on Susa's Cowgirl resume is a 20:35 at the 2007 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships that stands as the fifth-best 6,000-meter time in school history. Susa also posted a 17:28 at the Boston College Invitational that ranks 40th in OSU history.
Beyond Hjalmarsen and Susa, keep an eye on junior Natalia Kovtun. The USC transfer enrolled at Oklahoma State for the spring semester of 2008 and competed for the Cowgirl track team, but missed the cross country campaign a year ago. From Severodonetsk, Ukraine, Kovtun made her presence felt immediately by earning all-Big 12 honors with a 4:37.86 in the outdoor 1500 meters. To put that into perspective, the time she ran that day was well behind the season-best mark of 4:29.13 that she ran at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. The bottom line is this: Kovtun can run and she could emerge as a leader this cross country season.
Sophomore Teran Mixon and junior Leah Schroeder could be instrumental in providing depth for the Cowgirls in 2007, with Mixon coming off a solid rookie season in which she showed some promise in the middle distance events during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. Schroeder is a junior who is capable of productive cross country performances, evidenced by her 18:33 that was good for a top-20 finish at the 2006 Cowboy Jamboree.
All tolled, there are 12 runners on the 2008 OSU cross country roster who did not compete for the Cowgirls during last year's cross country season. That said, for OSU to be competitive this year, production from the newcomers will be imperative. In addition to Kovtun, one of the newcomers who can make an impact is freshman Brittany Johnson. Johnson was the Missouri state cross country champion in 2005 and 2006 and was honored as the Southwest Missouri Coaches Association Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007. She led her team to state titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007 and set a new class 3A state course record with an 18:42.
Coming from north of the border, Victoria Fratczak was a productive prep performer that has the talent to be part of the Cowgirl rotation in 2008. Fratczak chose OSU over Oregon and Michigan, among others, after finishing a prep career that included a Nova Scotia junior provincial cross country title.
The Schultz twins, Courtney and Camille, can also get into the mix as true freshmen this year. Courtney won the 2007 New Mexico Cross Country title her junior year with Camille placing second. The two led Cloudcroft HS to the 2007 state championship, with Courtney placing first in the 800 meters, the 1600 meters and the 3200 meters and Camille placing second in both the 1600 meters and 3200 meters.
Minot, N.D., product Melanie Funke could also crack into the lineup as a freshman for the Cowgirls. A two-time North Dakota state cross country runner-up, Funke came to OSU after turning down opportunities to compete for Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Minnesota.
Regardless of who steps to the fore for Oklahoma State in 2008, one thing is clear: if recent history is any indication, the Cowgirls could be a contender when they host the 2008 NCAA Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships at the OSU Cross Country Course this November. OSU has finished in the top five at the regional meet each of the last four years and has placed in the top four at the Big 12 meet three of the last four years.
