Oklahoma State University Athletics
Erassa Takes Ninth In 5,000 Meters
June 08, 2013 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
June 8, 2013
EUGENE, Ore. -
Kirubel Erassa finished ninth in the men's 5,000 meters for the OSU men's track and field teams on the final day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday.
Erassa stayed in the coveted top eight for the majority of the race, but finished just out of the scoring positions, taking ninth, with a time of 14:00.31. He earned second-team All-America honors to go with his two first-team All-American awards he won in the indoor season.
“You can do one of two things,” OSU Coach Dave Smith said. “You can sit back and run for sixth or seventh, or go for it. This was his first time at outdoor nationals and he told me he was going to go for it. It backfired a little bit, and I wish he would have been more conservative, but I'll never fault a guy for aiming high. You want a guy who will go down swinging.”
In the men's team race, OSU finished in a tie for 65th, with the two points Girma Mecheso earned in the 10,000 meters.
On the women's side, Natalia Piliusina's national championship in the 1,500 meters gave OSU 10 team points, good enough to finish in a tie for 25th. That is the highest team finish for the OSU women since 1992, when they also finished in a tie for 25th.
“Overall, like Natalja last year, Nick Miller will learn from what happened this week,” Smith said. “He was the favorite and had to face the pressure. Nick will learn just like Natalja did, how to emotionally prepare to win, and he will be back. We will be better as a team because of it. Nick was great all year, and I still think he is the best hammer thrower in the NCAA.”
Some members of the OSU track and field teams will now prepare for the U.S. Track & Field Championships, June 19-23, in Des Moines, Iowa.
NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
June 5-8, 2013/ Hayward Field/ Eugene, Ore.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Men's Individual Results
5,000 Meters
9.>Kirubel Erassa – 14:00.31*
* - Denotes All-American Performance
Final Team Standings
Women
1) Kansas 60
2) Texas A&M 44
3) Oregon 43
4) LSU 40
5) UCF 35
T-6) Stanford 33
T-6) Arizona 33
8) Arkansas 30
9) Clemson 29
10) Arizona State 28
T-25) Oklahoma State 10
Men
T-1) Florida 53
T-1) Texas A&M 53
3) Arkansas 46.5
4) Oregon 44
5) USC 42
6) Texas 32
7) LSU 27
8) Mississippi 24
9) Florida State 22.5
10) Arizona 20.5
T-65) Oklahoma State 2
