Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Track & Field Sends 17 To West Regional
May 21, 2013 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
May 21, 2013
STILLWATER -
The Basics
The Oklahoma State track and field teams are sending 17 athletes to Austin, Texas, this weekend for the NCAA West Preliminary Round, May 23-25.
How to Follow the Meets
Fans can follow the action live. Live results can be found at texassports.com. CBS Sports will livestream events at ulive.cbssports.com. On Twitter, fans can follow @run4okstate for updates, or by using the hashtag #NCAATF.
Meet Schedule
Action in Austin will begin with field events at noon all three days. On Thursday, running events will start at 4:30 p.m., Friday's running events begin at 5 p.m. and Saturday's running events get under way at 6 p.m. Each day, the action will come to an end around 10 p.m.
Quoting Coach Dave Smith
On the keys to success in a regional meet:
“Times are actually not as important this weekend. You might not see many personal bests, because these races will be all about tactics. The key is to keep yourself in position to finish in the top 12 and move on. First place is the same as 12th this weekend. For some of us, it will be about hanging on near that 12th spot, and for others it will be about surviving and advancing while trying to conserve themselves.”
On the importance of seeing competition they could potentially see at Nationals:
“There could be something to gain when you see how someone races, but for many of our veterans, they've been racing the same people for the last three or four years, whether it's been in cross country, indoors or outdoors. We know what they do and they know what we do, so there won't be anything new. Again, it's all about surviving and advancing”
On the main thing he will tell the team before competition:
“The No. 1 thing will be to keep poise. Staying relaxed and calm. I don't want them to let the intensity of the moment get to them. Stuff may happen. People could fall or get knocked over, and they need to react as rationally as possible and maintain poise.”
Last Time Out
Nick Miller launched a new personal record in the hammer throw, breaking a meet record, and his own school record, and Chase Ealey won the women's shot put for the Oklahoma State track and field teams at the Ward Haylett Invite, in Manhattan, Kan.
Miller's throw of 70.57m/231-06 broke the meet record, his own school record, won the event and keeps him at No. 2 in the NCAA. All four marks that Miller registered would have won the event. In the women's shot put, Chase Ealey came away with the win, throwing the shot 15.78m/51-9.25.
OSU also sent four runners to the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, Va.
On the men's side, in the 800 meters, Tyler Payton was able to grab a seventh-place finish, with a time of 1:51.90, and Tommy Casey took 39th in the 1,500 meters, in 3:53.34.
On the women's side, in the 1,500 meters, Adela Hofmannova finished in 29th, with a time of 4:28.52. In the 5,000 meters, Victoria Fratczak ran a 16:53.63, good enough for 14th place.
On Top of the World
Several OSU athletes have made their way into the upper echelon of some world rankings.
On the men's side, Girma Mecheso vaulted to the No. 14 spot in the 10,000 meters and>Nick Miller is No. 67 in the hammer throw.
Natalja Piliusina leads the women's side with two top-50 rankings. She holds the No. 50 spot in the 800 meters, and the No. 32 spot in the 1,500 meters.
In the under-23 world rankings, Tom Farrell is No. 3 in the 1,500 meters and fourth in the 5,000 meters, and>Nick Miller is No. 8 in the hammer. On the women's U-23 side, Monika Juodeskaite has the No. 5 ranking in the 5,000 meters.
Girl Power
Caitlin Way and Chase Ealey are becoming forces to be reckoned with in the throwing events.
At the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, Ealey launched a personal-best shot put of 16.01m/52-06.5, which was the second-best mark in OSU history, and good enough to finish sixth in the event. She also threw the javelin for the first time all season at the Big 12 Championships, and finished fifth. Overall, Ealey earned seven team points for the Cowgirls that weekend.
At the indoor Big 12 Championships, Way scored in the weight throw for the Cowgirls, finishing seventh and earning All-Big 12 honors.
At the outdoor Big 12 Championships, Way shined again. She launched the weight a personal-best 60.02m/196-11, which was good enough for fourth place.
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.
After his dominating performance at the John McDonnell Invite on April 13, Miller became the first-ever OSU field athlete to be named Big 12 Track and Field Athlete of the Week.
All She Does Is Win
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 in all three years as well.
