Oklahoma State University Athletics
Men's Track Outdoor Season Review
June 19, 2009 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
June 19, 2009
NCAA champions and All-Americans are what every school wants on its roster. Oklahoma State had both during the 2009 outdoor season, with freshman German Fernandez winning the national title in the 1,500 meters and Ryan Vail earning All-America honors in the 5,000 meters. That kind of success at the national meet placed the Cowboys 25th in the final team standings for their highest team finish since 1985.
Going a step further, OSU also had a regional champion (Fernandez in the 1,500 meters) and three Big 12 champions (Fernandez in the 1,500 meters and in the 5,000 meters and Vail in the 10,000 meters). As a team, the Cowboys placed eighth at the Big 12 meet for their highest finish since the league was formed.
Fernandez was at the center of most any conversation dealing with Oklahoma State track and field in 2009, and for good reason. The true freshman was honored as the Big 12 outstanding performer and outstanding freshman of the year and was also singled out by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as the Midwest region outdoor track athlete of the year.
His double at the Big 12 meet marked the first time that a Cowboy won two individual events at the outdoor conference meet since James Butler won the 100 meter and 200 meter crowns at the 1980 Big Eight outdoor meet. When he won the NCAA 1,500 meter championship by leading the race from start to finish, Fernandez became Oklahoma State's first NCAA champion since Paul Larkins won the outdoor mile in 1986.
Though 2009 will go down as the year Fernandez won the 1,500 meter NCAA championship, it should be noted that the 1,500 meters likely isn't even his best event. Most observers would agree that Fernandez was at his best in the 5,000 meters. The Cowboy freshman did not run the 5,000 meters at the NCAA regional meet and thus couldn't run the race at the national meet. When he did run the race during the regular season, he set a new school record by clocking a 13:31.78. To put that time into perspective, the 2009 NCAA 5,000 meter title was won in 14:04.12.
With Fernandez getting the bulk of the attention in 2009, Vail's efforts did not get the attention they deserved. The senior from Gresham, Ore., was a 5,000 meter All-American with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships and added a Big 12 title in the 10,000 meters and an all-Big 12 showing in the 5,000 meters with a seventh-place finish. Add his ESPN the Magazine first-team Academic All-America recognition, his USTFCCCA all-academic team recognition, his academic all-Big 12 recognition and Vail turned in yet another remarkable season for Oklahoma State.
Vail will go down as one of the better runners ever to suit up for the Cowboys, with four All-America honors and a pair of Big 12 individual championships on his career resume.
Freshman Colby Lowe quietly enjoyed a very productive debut season, highlighted by a berth into the NCAA Championships that included a near-miss appearance in the 5,000 meter finals. Lowe was the first runner left out of the final race. Lowe earned all-Big 12 honors in the 5,000 meters with a sixth-place finish at the conference meet. Additionally, he placed eighth at the regional meet. His 13:57.06 at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational earned him an at-large berth into the NCAA Championships.
Joining Fernandez, Vail and Lowe as all-Big 12 performers in 2009 were Sean Fleming in the 5,000 meters, Alejandro Ruiz and Clay Mayes in the 10,000 meters and David Chirchir in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. For Ruiz and Mayes, it was the first all-conference recognition of their respective careers.
During the course of the regular season, Oklahoma State's trip to Palo Alto for the Stanford Invitational in March proved to be a very productive outing, as Chirchir, Fleming, Ruiz and Matt Barnes-Smith all turned in NCAA regional qualifying marks and all set new personal bests in their respective events. Chirchir clocked an 8:55.13 in the steeplechase, Fleming ran the 5,000 meters in 14:01.21, Ruiz ran the 5,000 meters in 14:06.67 and Barnes-Smith ran the 5,000 meters in 14:09.92.
2009 Outdoor Honors and Awards
NCAA Champion
German Fernandez...... 1,500 meters
All-Americans
German Fernandez...... 1,500 meters (1st place)
Ryan Vail...................... 5,000 meters (9th place)
USTFCCCA Midwest Region
Track Athlete of the Year
Big 12 Outdoor Performer of the Year
Big 12 Outdoor Freshman of the Year
Midwest Region Champion
German Fernandez...... 1,500 meters
All-Midwest Region (scored at meet)
German Fernandez...... 1,500 meters
Ryan Vail...................... 5,000 meters
Colby Lowe................... 5,000 meters
Big 12 Champions
German Fernandez...... 1,500 meters
German Fernandez...... 5,000 meters
Ryan Vail...................... 10,000 meters
All-Big 12 (scored at Big 12 meet)
German Fernandez...... 1,500 meters
Ryan Vail...................... 1,500 meters
German Fernandez...... 5,000 meters
Sean Fleming............... 5,000 meters
Colby Lowe................... 5,000 meters
Ryan Vail...................... 10,000 meters
Alejandro Ruiz.............. 10,000 meters
Clay Mayes................... 10,000 meters
David Chirchir.............. 3,000m steeplechase
ESPN the Magazine
First-Team Academic All-America
Ryan Vail
ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District
Ryan Vail
USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
Matt Barnes-Smith
Alejandro Ruiz
Ryan Vail
Academic All-Big 12
Matt Barnes-Smith........ First Team
Brian Gosnell............... First Team
Alejandro Ruiz.............. First Team
Ryan Vail...................... First Team
Tucker Weems............. First Team
Daniel Watts................. Second Team
