Track and Field Opens Outdoor Slate

March 14, 2013 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

March 14, 2013

Oklahoma State Track and Field This Week
Tulsa Duels
March 15-16, 2013 | Tulsa, Okla.
--------------------------------------------------

The Basics
The Oklahoma State track and field teams open the outdoor portion of the schedule at the Tulsa Duels this weekend. Friday's hammer throw will be contested in Stillwater at 1 p.m., with the rest of the events slated to start at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium in Tulsa.

How to Follow the Meet
Fans can follow along on directathletics.com and on tulsahurricane.com.

Meet Schedule
Friday
1 p.m. - Women's, then Men's Hammer Throw (In Stillwater)
7 p.m. - Women's, then Men's Javelin Throw (in Tulsa)

Saturday (All in Tulsa)
9 a.m. - Men's then women's Discus
10 a.m. - Women's then Men's Long Jump
11 a.m. - Men's then Women's High Jump
Noon - Women's then Men's Pole Vault
1 p.m. - Men's then Women's Shot Put
1 p.m. - All running events on a rolling schedule. Events will occur in this order:
Women's then Men's 2,000 meter steeplechase
Women's then Men's 4x100 meter relay
Women's then Men's 1,500 meters
Women's then Men's 100 meter hurdles
Women's then Men's 110 meter hurdles
Women's then Men's 400 meters
Women's then Men's 100 meters
Women's then Men's 800 meters
Women's then Men's 400 meter hurdles
Women's then Men's 200 meters
Women's then Men's 3,000 meters
Women's then Men's 4x400 meters

OSU Entries
Men's Events
Taylor Buck - High Jump
Tommy Casey - 800m
Bryan Gohlke - 1500m
Lance Gray - 400m, 4x400m relay
Alex Johansson - 1500m
Cody Kenny - 100m, 200m, Long Jump
Korey Krotzer - 800m
Alex Monaghan - 1500m
Taylor Monaghan - 2000m Steeple
Tyler Payton - 400m, 4x400m relay
Klaus Schmidt - 1500m
Justin Vilhauer - 2000m Steeple
Terrance West - 400m, 4x400m relay
Jordan Williams - 400m, 4x400m relay
Austin Wright - 1500m

Women's Events Jasmine Adams - 200m, Long Jump, 4x400m relay
Madison Allen - Javelin
Paige Barnes - 1500m
Trianna Browne-Hearrell - 800m, 4x400m relay
Jackie Campos - 2000m Steeple
Jenny Dyer - 3000m
Chase Ealey - Shot Put
Alex Ervin - 1500m
Victoria Fratczak - 1500m
Brooke Gritters - Discus
Jordan Highsmith - Long Jump
Bailey Johnson - 800m, 4x400m relay
Kate Kujawa - 800m
Erika LaCroix - 1500m
Monica Lake - 1500m
Katherine Lee - 200m, 400m
Taylor Light - 3000m
Gloria Moseley - Discus
Clara Nichols - 800m, 4x400m relay
Chelsey Phoebus - 1500m
Britney Presley - 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay
Brittney Reid - 200m, Long Jump, 4x100m relay
Jacy Steelman - Long Jump, Triple Jump, 4x100m relay
Taylor Stolt - 200m, Long Jump, 4x100m relay
Clara Telford - Triple Jump
Cassandra Voss - Discus
Caitlin Way - Hammer
Codi Wilson - 400m, 4x400m relay
Kendra Woodson - 800m

Quoting Coach Dave Smith
On the biggest difference between the indoor and outdoor seasons:

"I think the biggest difference is usually people will move up an event from what they did in indoors. Also, of course some of the events change, like the weight throw becomes the hammer, you add the javelin and the discus among others. But, it's still track, and we're just going to go out there and compete."

On what he looks for in the first meet of the season:

"For some of these athletes, it will be the first time they've competed in a few weeks, so we want to see what kind of progress they're making. We want to see where we can improve in different areas. With the first meet, it's not always about running the fastest. Sometimes, it's about getting into the flow of the outdoor season."

On the quick turnover from indoor to outdoor season:

"It can be exhausting for players and coaches. There's really no offseason. Indoor season ended six days ago and here we are. Even when the outdoor season ends, cross country season starts up soon after that. It's constant. That's why it's a balancing act. With the season never really stopping, it's important to keep everyone healthy and help them get into the flow of outdoor season."

Last Time Out
While the Tulsa Duels mark Oklahoma State's first competition of the outdoor season, several members of the team are still fresh after having competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships just last week. The Cowboys placed eighth at the NCAA meet for their highest finish since 1984 and had All-America finishes from Kirubel Erassa (third in the 3,000 meters), Girma Mecheso (third in the 5,000 meters), Nick Miller (fourth in the weight throw) and the distance medley relay squad of Erassa, Tyler Payton, Botezan and Tom Farrell (sixth). The Cowgirls placed 40th as a team behind a fifth-place finish from Natalja Piliusina in the 800 meters.

Cowboy Names To Know
The Oklahoma State men's track and field roster is headlined by nine athletes with a combined 28 All-America honors. The Cowboy standouts and their All-America showings:

Raul Botezan (2012 Indoor Mile, 2013 Indoor Distance Medley Relay)
Fabian Clarkson (2012 Outdoor Steeplechase)
Kirubel Erassa (2012 Indoor Mile, 2013 Indoor 3,000 meters, 2013 Indoor Distance Medley Relay)
Tom Farrell (2010 Cross Country, 2011 Outdoor 5,000 meters, 2011 Cross Country, 2012 Indoor 3,000 meters, 2012 Cross Country, 2013 Indoor Distance Medley Relay)
Shadrack Kipchirchir (2010 Cross Country, 2011 Outdoor 10,000 meters, 2012 Cross Country)
Joseph Manilafasha (2012 Cross Country)
Girma Mecheso (2008 Cross Country, 2009 Outdoor 10,000 meters, 2009 Cross Country, 2010 Cross Country, 2012 Indoor 5,000 meters, 2012 Outdoor 5,000 meters, 2012 Outdoor 10,000 meters, 2012 Cross Country, 2013 Indoor 5,000 meters)
Nick Miller (2012 Outdoor Hammer Throw, 2013 Indoor Weight Throw)
Tyler Payton (2013 Indoor Distance Medley Relay)

Cowgirl Names To Know
The unquestioned leader of the Oklahoma State women's track and field program is Natalja Piliusina, who has racked up six All-America honors during a career that will likely go down among the best ever for an OSU women's track and field athlete. She is not, however, the only Cowgirl with All-America honor on her career résumé. The list:

Mihaela Bobos (2011 Indoor Distance Medley Relay)
Kate Kujawa (2012 Outdoor Steeplechase)
Natalja Piliusina (2011 Indoor Distance Medley Relay, 2011 Indoor Mile, 2011 Outdoor 800 Meters, 2012 Indoor 800 meters, 2012 Outdoor 1,500 meters, 2013 Indoor 800 Meters)

An Indoor Season For The Record Books
Both the men's and women's track and field programs made history during the 2013 indoor season, with the men taking eighth at the NCAA meet for their highest team finish since 1984 and the women taking fifth at the Big 12 Championships to match the highest team finish at the conference meet in program history.

The Champs Are Here
Men's thrower Nick Miller and women's runner Natalja Piliusina added to their respective lists of collegiate award during the 2013 indoor season, with Miller securing his first Big 12 Championship in the indoor weight throw and Piliusina bagging her third career Big 12 title in the indoor 800 meters.

Miller Breaking the Cowboy Mold
Oklahoma State has made its name in the distance events - not just recently, but for most of the program's history. Sophomore thrower Nick Miller has become the lead figure in bringing the Cowboys into the national discussion in something other than distance. During his young career, Miller has already earned All-America recognition in the outdoor hammer throw and the indoor weight throw. He has also won Big 12 titles and owns the Oklahoma State school record in both events.

The Big 12 800 Meter Queen
Junior Natalja Piliusina has firmly established herself as the Big 12's most dominant force in the women's 800 meters. In fact, she has never lost that race at the conference meet, racking up conference crowns in the indoor 800 meters her freshman, sophomore and junior years and outdoor Big 12 titles her freshman and sophomore campaigns.

At The Top Of His Profession
Coach Dave Smith has built a monster at Oklahoma State in the men's distance events. Under Smith, the Cowboys won NCAA cross country team championships in 2009, 2010 and 2012 and have won each of the last five Big 12 men's cross country titles. He's been honored as national coach of the year by his peers three times and Big 12 coach of the year five times. Smith has coached three NCAA individual champions. Leigh Daniel won the 1999 women's indoor 5K and 1999 outdoor 10K under his watch at Texas Tech and German Fernandez won the 2009 men's outdoor 1,500 meter national title under his guidance at Oklahoma State. He has coached 62 All-Americans and 50 Big 12 individual champions.

What's Next
Oklahoma State competes at the John Jacobs Invitational hosted by Oklahoma March 22-23.