Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Finish Ninth At NCAA Championships
November 22, 2014 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -
The Oklahoma State men's cross country team concluded its 2014 season on Saturday with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
Photo Gallery
OSU jumped out to a hot start, as four Cowboys saw themselves positioned amongst the top 50 at the halfway mark, but was unable to maintain its momentum through the final 5,000 meters of the men's 10K race. The Cowboys, who came into the meet as the fourth-ranked team in the country, posted 296 points, a mark good enough to give the team a top-ten finish for the 10th-consecutive season.
“We had some good things happen, and we had some bad things happen,” head coach Dave Smith said. “Craig Nowak had a great race today, and I'm really happy for him. We had a couple of guys have tough days, though, and that happens sometimes at this meet. We'll get back to the drawing board and get ready for next year.”
Leading the way for the Oklahoma State men's squad was Craig Nowak, who earned his first-career All-America honor with a 16th-place finish. With a top-40 performance, Nowak pushed Smith's annual tradition of producing at least one All-American to eight-consecutive years, a stretch dating back to Ryan Vail and David Chirchir's All-America efforts in 2007.
Nowak becomes the 46th cross country All-American in OSU history and the 23rd since 2007, a mark that leads the nation over the eight-season span.
Fabian Clarkson, Kirubel Erassa, Brian Gohlke and Cerake Geberkidane rounded out the scoring for the Cowboys, finishing in 52nd, 69th, 89th and 126th, respectively. After respective efforts of 62nd, 83rd and 91st at last season's NCAA Championships, Nowak, Erassa and Gohlke each notched career bests at the national meet.
On the women's side, Monika Juodeskaite competed as an individual qualifier for the second-consecutive season, finishing in 107th in the women's 6K competition. Juodeskaite finishes her Oklahoma State cross country career as one of the most successful distance runners in school history, as the Lithuania-native finishes with four All Big-12 selections, the second-fastest 6,000 meter time in school history and one All-America honor.
“Monika has raised the expectations of what it takes to be a good cross country runner at Oklahoma State,” Smith said. “She finished twice in the top 50 [at the NCAA Championships] and was an All-American last year, so she has made a big impact on this program. She has been the best cross country runner at Oklahoma State in a long time.”
NCAA Cross Country Championships
Nov. 22, 2014 – LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course – Terre Haute, Ind.
Men's Team Results (10,000 meters)
1. Colorado – 65
2. Stanford – 98
3. Portland – 175
4. Northern Arizona – 188
5. Syracuse – 206
6. Oregon – 221
7. Villanova – 230
8. Iona – 270
9. Oklahoma State – 296
10. Wisconsin - 335
Men's Individual Results (10,000 meters)
16. Craig Nowak – 30:40.1+
52. Fabian Clarkson – 31:06.0
69. Kirubel Erassa – 31:15.7
89. Brian Gohlke – 31:28.5
126. Cerake Geberkidane – 31:47.6
153. Shane Moskowitz – 31:58.1
189. David Osborn – 32:37.0
Women's Individual Results (6,000 meters)
107. Monika Juodeskaite – 21:15.0
+ - denotes All-America performance
