Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Aims For Sixth-Straight Big 12 Title
October 31, 2013 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Oct. 31, 2013
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State cross country will travel to Waco, Texas, this weekend for the Big 12 Cross Country Championships, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2.
How to Follow the Meets
Online, fans can follow the action live on Twitter by following @run4okstate for updates, or by using the hashtag, #Big12XC. Final results will be published on www.okstate.com
Meet Schedule
The men's 8,000 meter race will start at 10 a.m., and the women's 6,000 meter race will follow at 11 a.m.
Quoting Coach Dave Smith
On the importance of the Big 12 Championships:
“I feel like this is when our season starts -- Big 12's first, Regionals and then Nationals. We want to win all three. The Big 12 is the first leg of that trio, so it is very important. Since 2005, the Big 12 has been the best cross country conference in the nation, so if you can win the Big 12 meet, you have a great shot to win the national title.”
On competing at Baylor, and the challenges the course presents:
“This is new as far as the Big 12 Championships go, but not if you've already raced at Baylor. They have hosted NCAA Regional Championships there before, and I've heard it's a great course. It's on a golf course, has great footing and it's a fair course--not overly challenging, but fair. We're excited to run there.”
On what it takes to win postseason races:
“A lot of it is about poise, and not letting the anxiety of the moment overtake what you do. It's about staying calm, rational and focused while racing, and sticking to the race plan. Again, it's about not getting overwhelmed. Usually, the team with the most poise has the best chance to win, in my opinion.”
Success At the Big 12 Championships
The Oklahoma State men's team has won five consecutive Big 12 Cross Country Championships.
Each time they have won the title, it has been by at least 13 points over the second-place team. Four times it has been more than a 25-point margin.
Last Time Out
Despite resting of two its three returning All-Americans, Oklahoma State men's cross country still managed to take seventh place at the Pre National Invitational.
The men's squad, without All-Americans Tom Farrell and Shadrack Kipchirchir, were led by Craig Nowak, who took 23rd overall, finishing the 8,000 meter race in 23:53.60, which is the ninth-fastest time in OSU history. Chad Noelle (24:11.48) was the second Cowboy to cross the finish line, in 48th, and All-American Joseph Manilafasha took 66th, with a time of 24:21.08.
On the women's side, OSU took 20th as a team. The Cowgirls were led by a strong performance from Monika Juodeskaite, who took 13th overall out of 340 competitors, finishing the 6,000 meters in 20:28.95. Kate Kujawa was the second Cowgirl to finish, taking 133rd, with a time of 21:41.59.
Last Year At the Big 12 Championships
The Oklahoma State men's cross country team earned 24 points and held off Texas and Oklahoma to capture its fifth-straight Big 12 title, and the women's team upset Texas to secure a second-place finish.
The Cowboys - ranked No. 1 - took five of the top eight spots on the individual leader board, with Girma Mecheso leading the way by finishing in second place with a time of 23:58.1. Shadrack Kipchirchir (23:58.5) was third and Tom Farrell (24:00.6) fourth. Kirubel Erassa (24:06.0) finished in seventh place and Shane Moskowitz (24:06.2) was eighth.
By finishing in the top 15, Mecheso, Kipchirchir, Farrell, Erassa and Moskowitz all earned All-Big 12 honors.
The No. 27 Cowgirls earned 81 points and held off No. 14 Texas by 6 points to grab second place, improving on their third-place finish from a year ago. It was the Cowgirls' best finish at the conference meet since taking second in 2005.
Monika Juodeskaite led the way for OSU, running a time of 20:20.9 and finishing in fourth place. Natalja Piliusina (20:38.6) finished in seventh place. By finishing in the top 15, both women earned All-Big 12 honors.
In The Polls
OSU men's cross country remained No.1 in the Midwest Region for the 40th-straight week, and moved to No. 3 in the nation. 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. 3 in the Midwest Region, and they are the Big 12's second highest-ranked team.
Champions In the Classroom
Fourteen Oklahoma State cross country athletes have been named to the Academic All-Big 12 Cross Country Team for their success in the classroom.
OSU's 14 total selections rank second in the conference.
On the men's side, five Cowboys were honored. Leading the way was Taylor Monaghan, who was named for the fourth-consecutive year. Joseph Manilafasha was named for the third time (2010, 2012), Shadrack Kipchirchir and Kevin Colόn were each named for the second time (2012). Neal Smith was honored for the first time.
For the cowgirls, all nine athletes were first-team honorees. Kate Kujawa was named to the team for the fourth-straight year and Natalja Piliusina was honored for the third-straight year. Victoria Hanna and Monika Juodeskaite were both honored for the second-straight year.
Representing the Big 12 Well
Since 2001, on six different occasions the men's Big 12 Champion has gone on to win the NCAA title; Colorado in 2001, 2004 and 2006, and Oklahoma State in 2009, 2010 and 2012. That means the Big 12 Champion has won the national title almost every other year since 2001.
Players Mentioned
