Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Travels To Ames For Midwest Regional
November 13, 2013 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Nov. 13, 2013
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State cross country will travel to Ames, Iowa, this weekend for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships, which will take place on Friday, Nov. 15.
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 noon, and the women's 6,000 meter race will follow at 1:15 p.m.
Quoting Coach Dave Smith
On having two postseason races in the next two weeks:
“It's tricky. It's a delicate balance. Last year, we really tried to balance it too hard, and it nearly cost us. You have to be careful. You need to get the job done, qualify for nationals and do it with as little exertion as possible with the national meet next week.”
On the men entering this weekend as the No. 3 team in the nation:
“It's probably a fair ranking right now. Colorado is really good, and so is Northern Arizona, even though we beat them here, head-to-head. For our sport, the rankings mean absolutely nothing until the national championships. Luckily, the national title doesn't come down to a vote. We'll get to prove it on race day.”
On how Kaela Edwards' recent performances impact the women's team:
“Kaela amazes me. Everything she has done so far blows my mind, especially considering how little she has raced. She was injured last year, and is new to distance running. She is very tough mentally and competitive. She doesn't see anything that should limit her performance. She is gaining confidence and learning how to race. She will only continue to get better.”
Last Time Out
Oklahoma State men's cross country won its sixth-consecutive Big 12 Championship, powered by top-five performances from Kirubel Erassa, Shadrack Kipchirchir and Tom Farrell, in Waco, Texas.
Erassa (2nd), Kipchirchir (3rd) and Farrell (5th) started fast, creating a small lead group in the first kilometer of the 8k race, and never looked back. Brian Gohlke (11th) and Shane Moskowitz (12th) rounded out the Cowboys' impressive team score of 33, which created a 44-point winning margin over second-place Iowa State.
On the women's side, Monika Juodeskaite took third overall to lead the way, and Kristine Helle also delivered a top-20 finish, taking 18th. With less than a kilometer remaining in the 6k race, OSU was sitting in sixth place as a team. That's when Kaela Edwards made her move. In the final 800 meters, she passed at least 20 competitors on her way to finishing 23rd, helping the Cowgirls jump from sixth to third in the team standings.
Last Year At the Midwest Regional Championships
The Oklahoma State men's cross country team finished tied for first place with Oklahoma and the women's team held off Minnesota by one point to finish in second place at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
By finishing in the top two, both teams earned a bid to the NCAA Championships. The Cowboys tied Oklahoma with 45 points, and just held off Tulsa who earned 47 points to earn their 19th trip to the national championships in the last 20 years. Girma Mecheso led the Pokes, finishing in second place with a time of 30:26.39. Tom Farrell (30:29.06) and Shane Moskowitz (30:30.21) finished in fourth and seventh place, respectively.
The Cowgirls earned their third-consecutive trip to the NCAA National Championships by earning 95 points and holding off Minnesota. They were able to do this in large part to Monika Juodeskaite and Natalja Piliusina. Juodeskaite (20:51.34) finished in ninth place and Piliusina (21:00.03) placed 11th. Jackie Campos (21:25.57) and Kate Kujawa (21:30.37) also contributed to the team by finishing 23rd and 24th, respectively.
In The Polls
OSU men's cross country remained No.1 in the Midwest Region for the 41st-straight week, and stayed at 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.
Best In the Midwest
The Oklahoma State men have won eight of the last 10 Midwest Regional titles, and 11 of the last 16. Six of the Cowboys' last seven Midwest titles have come while scoring 50 or fewer team points.
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.
