Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Cross Country Ready for Regionals
November 11, 2010 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Nov. 11, 2010
The Basics
The Oklahoma State cross country program continues its outstanding year Saturday as the Cowboys and Cowgirls travel to Peoria, Ill., for the 2010 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
The event, hosted by Bradley University at Newman Golf Course, will begin with the women's 6,000-meter race at 11 a.m., following with the men's 10,000-meter race at 12:15 p.m.
The No. 1-ranked Cowboy cross country team has won five-consecutive regional titles and looks to make it six with a good race Saturday. The men have won the individual and team title in every race they have competed in this season.
The Cowgirls, who did not place at last year's regionals, have won two team meet titles this season.
OSU Lineups
Several of the top athletes from the men's and women's teams will represent Oklahoma State Saturday.
German Fernandez, Tom Farrell, Joseph Manilafasha, Colby Lowe, Ryan Prentice, Shane Moskowitz, Matt McElroy and Sean Fleming are registered to run for the men, while Victoria Fratczak, Victoria Hanna, Jori Davis, Kate Kujawa, Teran Mixon, Mihaela Susa, Natalja Piliusina and Felicity Milton are on the women's list.
Last Time Out
The Oklahoma State cross country program recorded another great day at the Big 12 Championships in its last meet, as the men claimed their third-straight conference title and the women finished in 4th place, their best since 2006.
Girma Mecheso claimed the individual title as he was the first of four Cowboys to cross the line in the top four spots.
The women's squad was led by Mihaela Susa in ninth place.
2009 in Review
The 2009 season was perhaps the best season in the history of Oklahoma State cross country for the men's team. The Cowboys captured their second Big 12 Championship in two years, and added their second NCAA Championship, their first since 1954. Senior Ryan Vail won the individual Big 12 championship and was joined in the top four by three of his teammates. OSU went on to win its fifth NCAA Regional Championship before winning the NCAA Championships.
The Cowgirls were led all season by star runner Mihaela Susa who narrowly missed out on notching her third straight All-Big 12 honor. Susa showed up strong at regionals to win her third straight All-Region honor and an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.
OSU in the Polls
After a dominant performance at the conference meet, the Oklahoma State men have been tabbed as the No. 1 team in the country in the USTFCCCA rankings. The Cowboys have been ranked at the No. 2 spot behind Stanford for the entire season up to that point, but the Pokes' Big 12 title performance pushed them just past Stanford for the top spot. They have been the No. 1 team Midwest region squad in each poll this year.
The Cowgirls began the year unranked, but have climbed to No. 23 overall and No. 4 in the Midwest after several impressive performances this year.
