Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Prepares For Pre Nationals
October 17, 2013 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Oct. 17, 2013
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State cross country will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., this weekend for the Pre National Invitational, which will take place Saturday.
How to Follow the Meets
Online, fans can follow the action live on Twitter by following @run4okstate for updates. Final results will be published on www.okstate.com
Meet Schedule
The men's 8,000 meter race will start at 11 a.m., and the women's 6,000 meter race will follow at 11:40 a.m.
Quoting Coach Dave Smith
On the layoff between the Cowboy Jamboree and now:
"We spend the whole season building toward the Big 12, Regional and NCAA meets, so nothing really changes. The races are a part of the process, and we build them into our schedule in preparation for the postseason. When we don't have races, we can work a little harder, and that's what we've been doing."
On the main focus for this weekend:
"On the men's side, we're trying to give our guys who haven't raced in a high-pressure meet a chance to do so. We're also trying to sort out the lineup we will take into the postseason. We have to make decisions pretty soon. We have 12 or 13 guys who are fighting for seven to 10 spots. On the women's side, we're running a more complete lineup with our top girls. Hopefully we'll get an idea of where we stack up against some of the best teams in the nation. Like the men, I want to give the women the chance to race in a big meet, so when we get to nationals, it isn't foreign to them."
On the importance of racing on the course that will host the national meet:
"I used to place a lot more importance on that than I do now. Last year, we had never seen the course in Louisville before nationals and it was fine. As far as the runners go, it may calm them down to see the course and take away a little of the anxiety for nationals. Maybe there's a psychological advantage there, but I think the bigger thing is being in an environment where all eyes are on you and there's a lot of people there running hard."
A Loaded Field
According to this week's USTFCCCA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Poll, the Pre-National invitational will feature 10 of the nation's top men's 25 teams, including three of the top four: No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Colorado, No. 4 Oregon, No. 9 Tulsa, No. 10 Princeton, No. 12 Indiana, No. 18 Iona, No. 19 Boise State, No. 23 Villanova and No. 24 Georgetown.
On the women's side, there are 13 ranked teams competing, including the last two national champions, Oregon and Georgetown.
Last Time Out
The Oklahoma State men's and women's cross country teams each won their fourth-straight Cowboy Jamboree team championships.
Inclement weather played a part, as lightning in the area delayed the start of the races for two and a half hours, but OSU was still able to put together a great performance.
On the men's side, it was a huge matchup between the No. 1 Cowboys and No. 2 Northern Arizona, and OSU ran like the top-ranked team, winning by 28 points over Northern Arizona, 29-57. The Cowboys landed five runners in the top twelve spots, with Kirubel Erassa (24:28.16) and Shadrack Kipchirchir (24:28.55) leading the way, taking second and third, respectively.
The OSU women were just as effective, winning the team title by 18 points over second-place Kentucky. Five Cowgirls placed in the top 15, led by Monika Juodeskaite (17:30.73), who took second, improving on her third-place finish in 2012.
Overall, the OSU men have now won the Jamboree 19 times, 13 of which have occurred since 1957, when the current race format was implemented. Since the women began competing in 1977, the Cowgirls now have nine Jamboree team titles.
In The Polls
OSU men's cross country remained No.1 in the Midwest Region for the 39th-straight week, and No. 1 in the nation for the eighth-straight week, matching its longest stint at the top in team history. The Cowboys have been ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region in each week since the inception of the USTFCCCA Regional Polls.
On the women's side, the Cowgirls are No. 1 in the Midwest Region, and No. 19 in the nation. They are the highest-ranked Big 12 team. This is the second week the women are No. 1 in the Midwest, last week being the first time ever.
