Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Cross Country Sweeps Regular Season Finale
October 18, 2014 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
An individual title from Monika Juodeskaite and Shane Moskowitz's second-place finish in his season debut helped the Oklahoma State men's and women's cross country teams sweep both team championships at Saturday's Santa Clara Bronco Invitational in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Juodeskaite led the women's 6K competition with a mark of 20:01.0, breaking her previous personal best (20:18.20) set at the 2012 NCAA Championships. The senior's individual title also marked her second-consecutive first-place finish after leading the women's portion of the 2014 Cowboy Jamboree.
“Monika is on a whole different level right now,” coach Dave Smith said. “She's in the best shape of her life, she's confident and she's poised. Monika has some very lofty goals for the remainder of the year, and I would never bet against what she can do.”
Behind Juodeskaite, several underclassmen delivered solid efforts despite lacking experience in cross country competition, including true freshmen Aurora Dybedokken (21:09.6), Molly Sughroue (21:18.7) and Kaylee Dodd (21:32.9). Kristine Helle also set a career best with her 15th-place time of 20:53.8, leading the Cowgirls' promising group of underclassmen.
In his first appearance since last year's national championships, Moskowitz recorded a second-place mark of 23:46.9 to lead a pack of four Cowboys in the individual top ten. Craig Nowak (23:49.5), Brian Gohlke (23:52.7) and Vegard Oelstad (24:00.3) finished fourth, sixth and 10th, respectively, guiding the Cowboys to their third meet championship of the year.
“Shane's an experienced guy, so it was good to have him back,” Smith said. “He's a fifth-year senior and he was the fifth guy on a national championship squad, so it was good to have him back. He knocked off a little bit of rust today, but as long as he gets a few more races under his belt, I think he'll be at a good level in time for the national championships.”
Matthew Fayers (24:11.2), Noah Gade (24:17.7) and Justin Vilhauer (24:32.7) rounded out Oklahoma State's first-place squad with respective finishes of 24th, 36th, and 54th.
Both teams will return to action on Nov. 1, when Oklahoma State begins its postseason slate with the Big 12 Championships in Lawrence, Kan.
Santa Clara Bronco Invitational
Oct. 18, 2014 – Sunnyvale, Calif. – Baylands Park
Men's Team Results (8K Invitational)
1. Oklahoma State – 30
2. Stanford – 65
3. Cal Poly – 71
4. Utah Valley – 165
5. Chico State – 165
6. Santa Clara – 219
7. UC-Santa Barbara – 265
8. Utah State – 276
9. San Jose State – 278
10. St. Mary's (CA) – 282
Men's Individual Results (8K Invitational)
2. Shane Moskowitz – 23:46.9
4. Craig Nowak – 23:49.5
6. Brian Gohlke – 23:52.7
10. Vegard Oelstad – 24:00.3
24. Matthew Fayers – 24:11.2
36. Noah Gade – 24:17.7
54. Justin Vilhauer – 24:32.7
Women's Team Results (6K Invitational)
1. Oklahoma State – 82
2. Cal Poly – 92
3. Idaho State – 121
4. British Columbia – 122
5. Sacramento State – 171
6. Utah State – 188
7. Utah Valley – 201
8. Chico State – 237
9. San Diego – 278
10. Nevada – 296
Women's Individual Results (6K Invitational)
1. Monika Juodeskaite – 20:01.0
15. Kristine Helle – 20:53.8
24. Emily Helms – 21:07.3
26. Aurora Dybedokken – 21:09.6
32. Gintare Zenkeviciute – 21:16.8
33. Molly Sughroue – 21:18.7
45. Kaylee Dodd – 21:32.9
