Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Travels To Fayetteville For Razorback Invite
January 29, 2014 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Jan. 29, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State track and field will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend, for the Razorback Invitational, on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
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
On Friday, the multievents will start at 11 a.m., the field events start at 5 p.m. and the running events will begin at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the multievents, field events and running events all begin at 11 a.m.
Quoting Coach Dave Smith
On previous success at the Razorback Invite:
“First of all, the facility is amazing. It might be one of the fastest tracks in the United States. I've seen incredible collegiate and world class times happen on that track. The staff at Arkansas knows how to put on good meets. For our kids, they know this meet is when the season starts to kick into high gear. They're dialed in for this meet and expect to perform well.”
On the effect Diego Flaquer is having on the sprint program:
“I think Diego Flaquer is one of the best up and coming sprint coaches in the United States. He has a lot of passion and he works hard. His athletes really like him, respect him and feed off his energy. He has only been here for four or five months, and he is already having an impact on the kids we have, and the kids we are recruiting. All the credit to Diego.”
On the competition OSU will face this weekend:
“It's the first meet this season in which we will really be challenged in every event. There will be multiple All-American-level athletes in every event, and if you want to be the best, you have to face the best and compete with them. It's a mindset. Going in, expectations are high.”
Ready For Launch
Nick Miller continued his assault on the OSU throwing records two weeks ago in the weight throw at the KSU Wildcat Invitational.
On just his third throw of the season, Miller broke his own school weight throw record with a launch of 21.94m/71-11.75, winning the event.
At the time, it was the third-best throw in the NCAA for Miller, who took home fourth place and first team All-American honors in the weight throw at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Miller holds the OSU records in both the weight throw and the outdoor hammer throw, where his mark of 71.60m/234-11 eclipses the second-best mark in school history by 24.08m/70-.0.
Throw It Down
The OSU throwers exploded on to the scene in 2013, and they're back--ready for more.
Leading the way, is three-time All-American Nick Miller, who ended the 2013 indoor season with a bang.
Miller entered the NCAA Indoor Championships with the 15th-best weight throw mark among the 16 competitors, but launched back-to-back personal bests to finish fourth and earn first team All-American status.
On the women's side, Caitlin Way and Chase Ealey return fresh off impressive 2013 campaigns.
Way was an All-Big 12 performer in the indoor weight throw and outdoor weight throw, and was an NCAA Regional qualifier in the hammer.
Ealey just missed All-Big 12 honors in the indoor shot put, but earned them in not only the outdoor shot, but also the javelin, which she had not thrown competitively since high school. Ealey was also an NCAA Regional Qualifier in the shot put.
Full Speed Ahead
The sprint events have not been a major factor for OSU track and field in recent years, but newly-hired Sprints Coach Diego Flaquer is on the way to changing that.
Under Flaquer, both the OSU men's and women's indoor 60 meter records were already challenged at the KSU Wildcat Invite. On the men's side, John Teeters ran a 6.73, just off the record of 6.70, and for the women, Britney Presley ran a 7.65, just missing the school record of 7.63.
Last Year At The Razorback Invite
Tom Farrell, Kirubel Erassa, Fabian Clarkson and Shane Moskowitz all ran the mile in faster than four minutes to highlight Oklahoma State's showing at the 2013 Razorback Invitational.
Farrell finished in second place in the mile invitational with a time of 3:58.20 and Erassa placed third with a time of 3:58.24. Both runners set personal bests and moved themselves onto the school's top 10 list, Farrell to second and Erassa to third. Clarkson finished in fifth place with a time of 3:59.47, which moved him to sixth all-time. Moskowitz, (3:59.48) set a personal best when he finished in sixth place, and he moved to seventh all-time on the record list.
Nick Miller continued to shine in the weight throw, finishing in first place and setting a new personal best with a throw of 20.81m/68-03.25. That distance put him in second place nationally and first place in the Big 12.
For the Cowgirls, Natalja Piliusina competed in her signature event for the first time in 2013 and took third in the 800 meters by crossing the finishing line in 2:04.35. Her time moved her to No. 3 nationally.
Last Time Out
Nick Miller picked up where he left off in his record-setting 2013 campaign, breaking his own school record in the weight throw, as Oklahoma State track and field wrapped up competition at the KSU Wildcat Invitational, in Manhattan, Kan., on Saturday.
Miller, who finished fourth at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw, launched a throw of 21.94m/71-11.75 on just his third throw of the season, winning the event and showing he is primed for another big year.
However, he wasn't the only Cowboy to put together an impressive performance.
Four other Cowboys won their respective events. John Teeters (6.73) took the 60 meter dash, All-American Tyler Payton won the 600 yard run, with a 1:11.88, Shane Moskowitz (2:24.48) won the 1,000 meters and Brian Gohlke (4:13.05) took first in the mile.
The Cowgirls had some great performances as well.
Britney Presley (7.65) came within .02 of the school record while winning the 60 meter dash, Kaela Edwards (2:52.85) and Anna Boyert (2:53.21) finished 1-2 in the 1,000 meter run and Savannah Camacho (4:58.60) won the mile.
In The Rankings
Oklahoma State men's track and field stayed put as the No. 10 team in the nation, according to the USTFCCCA Week One poll.
Individually, the Cowboys have two athletes who have posted top-30 national marks. John Teeters' 6.73 in the 60 meters ranks No. 27 in the nation, and Nick Miller's school-record weight throw launch of 21.94m/71-11.75 is the No. 5 mark in the NCAA.
On the women's side, Adela Hofmannova is ranked No. 36 in the nation in the 800 meters, after the 2:10.47 she ran at the KSU Wildcat Invite.
A New Home
OSU track and field now has a new state-of-the-art facility to call home. The new complex was finished in the summer of 2013, and the teams have already started using it for practice. The complex is home to new locker rooms, a large team room and a large training room, among other brand new features for the teams to enjoy.
