Cowgirls Ready for Big 12 Championships

May 13, 2009 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

May 13, 2009

STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State women's track and field team heads to Lubbock, Texas, this weekend to compete in the 2009 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held at Texas Tech's Terry and Linda Fuller Track.

Several of the Cowgirls' top performers are competing at the event, including NCAA regional qualifiers Mihaela Susa, Natalia Kovtun, Tone Hjalmarsen, Merritt Dietz, Courtney Gougler and Baiba Blumbaha.

Oklahoma State is scheduled to compete in 11 events, with the biggest group running the 5,000 meters. The Cowgirls should be highly competitive in the event, with regional qualifiers Susa, Kovtun and Hjalmarsen leading the way. Susa ran one of the top times in school history earlier this season, finishing in 16:09.83 at the Stanford Invitational.

In addition to the 5,000 meters, Kovtun will compete in the 1,500 meters, running the event for the second time this season. Teran Mixon, who has been competitive in the event all year, will join Kovtun in the 1,500 meters.

Hjalmarsen will also compete in multiple events, taking her talent to the 10,000-meter race, where she hit an NCAA championship provisional mark earlier this year.

Other Cowgirls competing in the running events include Brandi Andrews and Kristen Gillespie in the 800 meters and Kendra Woodson in the 400-meter hurdles, an event she has consistently improved in throughout the year.

Clarissa Andrews and Baiba Blumbaha highlight the Cowgirl jumpers as they compete in the long and triple jumps, events they have excelled in all season. Mateja Posavec joins the duo in the triple jump.

Oklahoma State will also compete in a pair of throwing events, as Merritt Dietz, who qualified for last year's U.S. Olympic Trials in the discus throw, and Katie Hamilton throw both the shot put and the discus. Dietz has easily hit regional qualifying marks in both events this season.

Joining Dietz and Hamilton in the discus throw are Courtney Gougler, who has also reached a regional qualifying mark this year, and Julie Rader.

The final event is the heptathlon, where Tihana Sarac, who has seen heptathlon success throughout her career, will compete for the Cowgirls. Sarac recorded 4,803 points at the Mt. SAC Relays heptathlon, her only heptathlon this season.

The meet is scheduled to begin with the decathlon at 11 a.m. Friday and conclude with the team championship presentations at 9:45 p.m. Sunday. The Cowgirls' events are scheduled as follows:

Friday

First Hept. Event: 11:30 a.m.

10,000-Meter Run Final: 8:15 p.m.

Saturday

Discus Throw: 1 p.m.

Final Hept. Event: 1:30 p.m.

Long Jump: 4 p.m.

1,500-Meter Run Prelim: 6 p.m.
800-Meter Run Prelim: 8:10 p.m.

400-Meter Hurdles Prelim: 8:40 p.m.

Sunday

Triple Jump: 4 p.m.

1,500-Meter Run Final: 6:20 p.m.
Shot Put: 7 p.m.