Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Cross Country Wraps Up Regular Reason In California
October 16, 2014 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
The Oklahoma State men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Sunnyvale, Calif., on Saturday to compete in the Santa Clara Bronco Invite at Baylands Regional Park.
Follow The Meet
Fans can view results following the conclusion of the race by following @run4okstate on Twitter. Final results will also be posted on www.okstate.com.
Meet Schedule
Saturday's meet in Sunnyvale, Calif., will begin with the Men's 8K Invitational at 11 a.m. CT and conclude with the Women's 6K Invitational at 11:45 a.m. CT.
Last Time Out – Cowboy Jamboree
The Oklahoma State men's and women's cross country teams each recorded their fifth-straight team championships at the 78th-annual Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 27.
Individually, Oklahoma State's Kirubel Erassa and Monika Juodeskaite highlighted the meet as Erassa picked up the Cowboys' 15th individual Jamboree title and Juodeskaite claimed the Cowgirls' 13th.
The Cowboys' team victory came in dominating fashion, as Oklahoma State posted the top 11 times in the DI University 8K race, giving the Pokes the best-possible team score of 15 points. Erassa's first-place time of 24:19.59 was followed by top-five finishes from Fabian Clarkson (24:35.78), Craig Nowak (24:51.73), Luis Martinez (25:10.77) and Anthoney Armstrong (25:14.61).
On the women's side, all eyes were on Juodeskaite and her first cross country appearance since her All-American performance at last year's NCAA Championships. After finishing third at the Jamboree in 2012 and second in 2013, the senior lifted the team with a first-place run of 17:16.49, marking the best of four top-five times for the Cowgirls.
Natalie Baker (18:18.26), Caileigh Glenn (18:30.25) and Janelle Martinez (18:30.84) joined Juodeskaite in the top five, giving the Cowgirls a mix of youth and seniority among the event's top times. Jennifer Celis' time of 19:12.48 as an unattached runner set a new personal best for the freshman, while Aurora Dybedokken, Molly Sughroue and Kaylee Dodd also provided solid unattached performances.
Assistant Coach Mason Cathey – Meet Comments
On the state of the team heading into Saturday's meet:
“On Saturday, we'll be competing out in California at the Santa Clara Bronco Invite. I'd say on the women's side, particularly, we've really gained a lot of momentum as the season has gone along. We had our home meet and some people competed there, but a lot of the people that competed there won't compete in California, and vice-versa. On the men's side, we've got an incredibly deep group of guys. We're really trying to figure out [the best] seven or eight, even though we've got 15 that can be in there."
On senior Shane Moskowitz making his season debut:
“I think Shane is going to be our leader this weekend from an experience standpoint. Plus, he's obviously one of our top guys. I'm excited to see him compete. He didn't run at the Jamboree, but he's in really good shape. He came by my office today, and he's excited to get his jersey. I'm excited to watch him.”
On adapting to the firm surface of this weekend's course:
“We do a lot of our training on soft surfaces, but the dirt roads are kind of a mixture. They're hard, but not as hard as concrete, so I think our team is going to be well suited for that [as long as] they don't get nervous going through that first mile that looks a little quick. As far as on the clock, I think the team is ready to go.”
On completing the regular season on a strong note:
“That's another part of the reason why we're not running who we think will be in the top seven, because we're trying to figure out who the ten will be that compete at Big 12s, especially if they haven't opened up for the season. We're taking quite a few of our freshman on the women's side as well. They've been a stunning group. They've got along really well, they're competitive, they push each other and they push the whole team. We just want to see if there's even anybody in that mix as we head into Big 12s. It's incredible that it's already our last meet of the regular season before heading into the championships. We're excited to get another meet under our belt and see the first meet for a couple of people.”
