Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Set to Defend National Title
November 19, 2010 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Nov. 19, 2010
The Basics
The second-ranked Cowboy cross country team will try to defend its 2009 national championship Monday, as Oklahoma State heads to the NCAA Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind.
It is the eighth-straight NCAA Cross Country Championships appearance for the men's squad and the first women's appearance since 2005.
The action is scheduled to get underway at 12:08 p.m. with the start of the women's 6,000-meter championship race, followed by the start of the men's 10,000-meter championship race at 12:48 p.m.
OSU Lineups
The top athletes from the men's and women's teams will represent Oklahoma State Monday. While several athletes are registered to run, only seven will race.
Tom Farrell, German Fernandez, Sean Fleming, Colby Lowe, Joseph Manilafasha, Matt McElroy, Girma Mecheso, Shane Moskowitz, Ryan Prentice and Jonathan Stublaski are registered for the men's squad, while Jori Davis, Victoria Fratczak, Ruth-Anne Hadjis, Victoria Hanna, Kate Kujawa, Felicity Milton, Teran Mixon, Natalija Piliusina and Mihaela Susa are on the women's list.
Last Time Out
The OSU cross country program qualified both the men's and women's squads for the national meet after each team finished second at the NCAA Midwest Regionals.
It marked the first time since 2005 that both squads have qualified for the meet in the same year.
Colby Lowe claimed the individual championship for the men, while Mihaela Susa anchored the women's squad with an eighth-place finish.
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
The Oklahoma State men have been ranked in the top two in the USTFCCCA rankings for the entire 2010 season. The Cowboys enter the national meet ranked second and holding more first-place votes than any other team.
The Cowgirls started the year unranked, but have consistently risen in the polls with good performances. They enter the NCAA Championships at 19th, their highest ranking of the year.
