Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Track and Field Travels To Fayetteville
April 11, 2013 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
April 11, 2013
STILLWATER -
The Basics
The Oklahoma State track and field program is traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday, April 13, for the John McDonnell Invitational, hosted by the University of Arkansas.
How to Follow the Meets
Fans can follow the action live. Arkansas live results can be found at FlashResults.com. On Twitter, fans can follow @run4okstate for updates.
Meet Schedule
The meet gets underway on Saturday with the hammer throw at 9 a.m., and the running events begin at 5 p.m. The final running event, the men's 4 x 400m relay, begins at 8:55 p.m.
Quoting Coach Dave Smith
On the group he is sending to Arkansas and the competition they will face:
"We're kind of splitting up the group. We're saving some people for Mt. Sac next week. It's a super high level for middle and long distance runners. Natalja Piliusina, Tom Farrell, Kirubel Erassa and people like that will go there. The group going to Arkansas is full of people who are either going to the Big 12 Championships and getting one last race before we go, or they're trying to earn a place at the Big 12 Championships. It's a diverse group of athletes that we're sending."
On how the team has done in the outdoor season so far compared to indoors:
"We haven't had a meet in outdoors yet where we just put it all on the line and tried see where we are. We haven't done that yet other than a little at Stanford, but that was with our second group of athletes. Next week, we'll finally open up some of our stars and see where they are. We can't really see where we are until the Big 12 meet, when it matters where you place. We'll know a lot more then. It doesn't really matter what happens until the championship part of the season."
On how the week off helped the runners:
"It was good. I think people needed a break. Especially coming off the Stanford meet. That's a long trip there and back. That alone is tiring along with being away from home for four or five days. They were able to catch up on classes, too. The Big 12 meet is at the end of finals week this year, which adds even more stress for the athletes to stay ahead in class."
Last Time Out
Five runners set new personal bests and three jumpers landed top-five finishes in their respective events to lead the Oklahoma State men's and women's track and field teams at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. In the women's 3,000 meter steeplechase, Kate Kujawa finished fourth in her heat, in a personal-best 10:15.55. Her mark was the third-fastest in OSU history. In the women's 800 meters, Clara Nichols' time of 2:07.31 smashed her previous personal best by six seconds and was the fifth-fastest time in OSU history. She finished third in her heat and ninth overall. On the men's side, in the 800 meters, Tyler Payton (1:52.85) and Lance Gray (1:54.68) finished 13th and 21st, respectively.
Cowboy Names To Know
The Oklahoma State men's track and field roster is headlined by nine athletes with a combined 30 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 3,000 meters, 2013 Indoor Distance Medley Relay)
Shadrack Kipchirchir (2010 Cross Country, 2011 Outdoor 10,000 meters, 2012 Cross Country, 2013 Indor 5,000 meters)
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 honors 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)
A Personal Best Party
Although the outdoor season began less than a month ago, the OSU men's and women's track and field teams have combined for 18 personal-best marks in only four weekends of competition.
Girl Power
Caitlin Way and Chase Ealey are becoming forces to be reckoned with in the throwing events.
At the Pepsi Florida Relays, Ealey launched a personal-best shot put of 15.99m/52-05.5, which was the second-best mark in OSU history.
At the indoor Big 12 Championships, Way scored in the weight throw for the Cowgirls, finishing seventh and earning All-Big 12 honors. Last week in Florida, she heaved a season-best 55.39m/181-09 in the hammer throw.
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.
Nick Miller won the Big 12 title in the weight throw and Natalja Piliusina won her third indoor 800 meter title.
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.
Players Mentioned
