Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Set For NCAA West Prelims
May 25, 2011 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
May 25, 2011
The Basics
Oklahoma State's track and field program travels to Eugene, Ore., this weekend for the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminary Rounds, hosted by the University of Oregon at Hayward Field. The Cowboys and Cowgirls look to improve on an already impressive outdoor season, as eight men and six women are declared to compete for a spot in the NCAA Championships. The West Preliminaries are scheduled to get underway Thursday, May 26, and wrap up Sunday, May 28.
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 15 spots on the all-time top-10 performance lists and four 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)
Women's Triple Jump - Clarissa Andrews - 13.11m - Big 12 Champinships
(Old Record: Clarissa Andrews - 13.06m - NCAA West Preliminary - 2010)
Last Time Out
Oklahoma State competed at the 2011 Big 12 Outdoor Championships last weekend, as the men's and women's squads each claimed an individual championship. Sophomore Tom Farrell won the men's 1,500 meters with a time of 3:43.95, while Natalja Piliusina won the women's 800 meters with a time of 2:05.57. Other highlights came from senior Clarissa Andrews, who improved her school triple jump record from 13.06 meters to 13.11 meters and Andrew Hudson, who had a personal personal best discus throw of 52.95 meters. All-Big 12 performers at the meet included Farrell, Piliusina, Andrews, Raul Botezan, Johnathan Stublaski and Taylor Buck. The Cowgirls finished in 11th place with 12 points while the men finished in 12th place with 15.5 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, Tom Farrell and Colby Lowe are considered among the elite in NCAA competition. Farrell has a pair of conference titles, while Lowe has an individual title to his name. The women's squad holds a duo who have each won Big 12 titles, including Mihaela Susa and Natalja Piliusina.
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 region and the country this season. Here's a breakdown of where Oklahoma State's declared athletes rank in the west region, as well as nationally:
Men's Outdoor Rankings Entering the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds:
(Only listed for events in which athletes are declared)
Event Mark Athlete West Rk Nat. Rk
1,500m 03:42.7 Raul Botezan 14 23
1,500m 03:46.8 Johnathan Stublaski 61 116
1,500m 03:47.6 Shane Moskowitz 77 150
5,000m 13:26.6 Tom Farrell 2 2
10,000m 28:45.9 Colby Lowe 7 12
Steeple 09:02.5 Taylor Monaghan 43 89
H.J. 7' 0.25”(2.14m) Taylor Buck 20 39
Discus 173' 9”(52.95m) Andrew Hudson 41 73
Women's Outdoor Rankings Entering NCAA West Preliminary Rounds:
(Only listed for events in which athletes are declared)
Event Mark Athlete West Rk Nat. Rk
800m 02:03.9 Natalja Piliusina 5 5
1,500m 04:26.8 Mihaela Susa 67 150
10,000m 34:38.9 Tone Hjalmarsen 34 58
10,000m 35:06.6 Felicity Milton 49 88
T.J. 43'0.25”(13.11m) Clarissa Andrews 11 17
Discus 160'5”(48.91m) Brooke Gritters 45 80
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, 24 Big 12 individual championships and 84 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.
