Oklahoma State University Athletics
Kirubel Erassa Wins USATF Junior 5K Championship
June 15, 2012 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
June 15, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Oklahoma State redshirt freshman distance runner Kirubel Erassa won the USA Track and Field Junior national championship in the 5,000 meters Friday evening at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex on the campus of Indiana University.
Erassa ran a 14:28.00, which was just enough to beat Kyle King of Virginia, who finished right on Erassa's heels with a time of 14:28.26. Erassa also staved off a late charge from Ryan Pickering of Oregon, who ran a 4:29.25.
“Kirubel ran a really smart race,” track and field director Dave Smith said. “It was very tactical, and he has great speed. He ran really well and held off a guy from Virginia who led a lot of the race and guy from Oregon who was running up on him.
“He was able to hold on and he won the title.”
As one of the top two finishers in the race, Erassa will represent the United States at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona on July 10-15.
“This is huge,” Smith said. “It's a big race with some of the best guys in the world – future Olympians and future Olympic medalists will be in that race he's going to run in Barcelona.”
Erassa joins departing senior Colby Lowe as the only Cowboys to win a USATF Junior national championship, as Lowe won the 5,000-meter title in 2009.
