Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Track Set For Big 12 Championships
May 12, 2011 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
May 12, 2011
The Basics
Oklahoma State's track and field program heads south down I-35 to Norman, Okla., this weekend for the 2011 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by the University of Oklahoma at the John Jacobs Track Complex. The Cowboys and Cowgirls look to improve on an already impressive outdoor season, as the best athletes from each squad will be in action. The event is scheduled to get underway Friday, May 13, at noon and wrap up Sunday night with the team award presentations.
Rewriting the Record Books
The 2011 outdoor track and field season has resulted in some of the best marks in Oklahoma State history. In just this season, the Cowboys and Cowgirls have claimed a total of 14 spots on the all-time top-10 performance lists and three school records.
Outdoor School Records Set in 2011:
Men's 10k - Colby Lowe - 28:45.91 - Stanford Invite
(Old Record: John Halberstadt -28:50.4 - 1972)
Men's High Jump - Taylor Buck - 7'0.25" - Arkansas Twilight
(Old Record: Rich Geske - 7'0" - 1975)
Women's 800m - Natalja Piliusina - 2:03.91 - Payton Jordan Inv.
(Old Record: Justine Craig - 2:04.61 - 1987)
Last Year at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships
The OSU men finished in ninth place as a team a the 2010 Big 12 Outdoor Championships as the Cowboys won three individual Big 12 championships. Johnathan Stublaski won the 1,500 meters title while John Kosgei won both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. It was the second-straight year for the Cowboys to win three individual championships as German Fernedez won the 1,500 and 5,000 meters titles and Ryan Vail won the 10,000 meters in 2009. The women's squad finished 12th at last year's meet with 11 team points.
Athletes to Watch This Weekend
Several of the top collegiate track and field athletes in the country call Oklahoma State home. On the men's side, German Fernandez, Tom Farrell and Colby Lowe are considered among the elite in NCAA competition. Fernandez is a six-time conference champion, while Farrell and Lowe each have an individual title to their name. The women's squad also holds a trio who have each won Big 12 titles, including Mihaela Susa, Natalja Piliusina and the 2010 indoor distance medley relay team.
Among the Best
In addition to several top school marks, the OSU track and field program has turned in some of the top outdoor performances in the Big 12 and the country this season. This is even more impressive considering the Big 12 is the No. 1 power-rated conference in both men's and women's competition. Here's a breakdown of where Oklahoma State's top performers ranks nationally and in the Big 12 conference:
Men's Outdoor Rankings Entering the Big 12 Championships:
(National Top 50 Only)
Event Mark Athlete Nat. Rk B12Rk
1,500m 3:42.23 Tom Farrell 15 1
1,500m 3:42.68 Raul Botezan 21 3
1,500m 3:44.18 German Fernandez 36 4
5k 13:26.59 Tom Farrell 2 1
10k 28:45.91 Colby Lowe 12 1
H.J. 7'0.25" Taylor Buck 33 6
Women's Outdoor Rankings Entering the Big 12 Championships:
(National Top 50 Only)
Event Mark Athlete Nat. Rk B12 Rk
800m 2:03.91 Natalja Piliusina 3 1
1,500m 4:20.63 Natalja Piliusina 38 4
T.J. 41' 8" Clarissa Andrews 43 9
Success Expected
Success is expected at Oklahoma State. The OSU men's cross country program is fresh off back-to-back national championships in 2009 and 2010, as well as three-straight Big 12 championships. Those national titles gave OSU athletics its 49th and 50th overall NCAA championhips, more than anyone else in the Big 12 and No. 4 nationally. The Cowboy runners have also seen no shortage of individual success. At last year's NCAA cross country championhips, Girma Mecheso, German Fernandez and Colby Lowe all finished in the top 10 at seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively to anchor the Cowboys' team title. Tom Farrell was 29th overall and Johnathan Stublaski was 36th overall to round out OSU's scoring five. The Cowboys' scored just 73 team points, 120 better than runner-up Florida State, and recorded the fourth-largest margin of victory in the history of the NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships.
Mr. Smith
Oklahoma State Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Dave Smith is among the elite when it comes to collegiate running coaches. Smith is a two-time reining NCAA cross country coach of the year and a three-time reining Big 12 cross country coach of the year. He has coached his athletes to three NCAA individual track and field championships, two NCAA team cross country championships, 26 All-American honors, 22 Big 12 individual championships and 78 All-Big 12 individual honors.
Getting to the Big Show
The 2011 NCAA Div. I Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held June 8-11 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. In order to qualify for the event, athletes must first advance through either the East or West preliminary rounds. Oklahoma State will compete at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, hosted by the University of Oregon at Hayward Field May 26-28. Qualification to preliminary championship competition is based on the descending order list for the season, segregated by east and west sites. For each individual event contested at each preliminary competition, the top 48 declared student-athletes will be accepted, while 24 relay teams will be accepted for each event. The top 12 performances for each event, both individual and relays, at each preliminary site will qualify for the final championship competition.
Best Track Meet Around
The 2011 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships is arguably the best conference championship meet in the country this year. With eight men's and nine women's teams ranked in the top 25, both more than any other conference, no other league can match the level of competition that will be on display in Norman this weekend.
