Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Take Sixth At NCAA Indoors
March 15, 2014 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
March 15, 2014
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -
Oklahoma State's Kirubel Erassa finished second in the men's 3,000 meters, and Cowgirls Savannah Camacho and Kaela Edwards took second and third in the women's 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday.
The men finished sixth in the team standings, with 20 points, which is OSU's second-highest team finish in school history, behind a second-place finish in 1965. It's the fourth indoor top-10 finish for the Cowboys, and second in a row. OSU scored 20 points in 2013 as well, finishing eighth.
OSU tied Alabama for sixth, and scored more team points than LSU, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, USC, Nebraska and Stanford, among others.
The women finished 15th in the team standings, with 14 points. It's the second-best women's team finish in school history, as well, behind a 13th-place finish in 1989.
This is the first time in school history the OSU men and women each earned top-15 team finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Erassa (8:13.08), in a race he did not originally qualify for and entered due to a late scratch, jumped out to the lead for the first half of the 3,000 meters. With three laps to go, Erassa fell to fifth, but fought back. With a big kick going into the final lap, Erassa was able to separate himself from the chase pack and claim second place.
This is the second-straight year Erassa has been a First Team All-American in the indoor 3,000 meters. He took third place in the 2013 meet.
"Kirubel is incredibly talented, and he's always been a hard worker," OSU coach Dave Smith said. "The difference with him this year, is he has become very mature in his approach. He's mature about the way he thinks and about the way he races. It's hard for young guys to stay disciplined and have the big picture in mind, but Kirubel has been approaching his training and racing like a professional athlete. That was a loaded field and Kirubel did great to finish second. I'm so proud of the way he has matured as an athlete."
Erassa's runner-up finish wrapped up one of the most decorated individual indoor track and field seasons in OSU history. He was named the Big 12 Indoor Performer of the Year, the USTFCCCA Midwest Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and the USTFCCCA National Co-Athlete of the Week, after the Big 12 Championships.
Camacho (2:05.53) and Edwards (2:05.72) became the first OSU women to be First Team All-Americans in the same event at the same NCAA Indoor Championships since 1997. They crossed the finish line together, in the same fashion as they did when they finished 1-2 at the Razorback Invite, which is where they earned their NCAA-qualifying times.
"Talk about mature racing," Smith said. "Those two women are freshmen, but ran like seasoned veterans. Neither of them had ever raced in an environment like this. In the prelims, they looked like freshmen. They made mistakes and got themselves into trouble. However, in the finals, they looked like the most seasoned veterans in the field. They ran a poised race and made great decisions."
NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
March 14-15, 2014/ Albuquerque, N.M.
Friday, March 15, 2014
Men's Final Team Standings
1. Oregon - 62.0
2. Arkansas - 54.0
3. Florida - 35.0
4. Florida State - 28.0
5. Arizona - 24.0
6. Oklahoma State - 20.0
6. Alabama - 20.0
8. Texas El-Paso - 18.0
8. LSU - 18.0
8. Texas A&M - 18.0
Men's Individual Results
3,000 Meters
2. Kirubel Erassa - 8:13.08+
Women's Final Team Standings
1. Oregon - 44.0
2. Texas - 43.5
3. Georgia - 40.5
4. Florida - 40.5
5. Texas A&M - 35.0
6. Arkansas - 30.0
7. Dartmouth - 24.0
7. Stanford - 24.0
9. Kentucky - 23.0
10. Mississippi State - 18.0
15. Oklahoma State - 14.0
Women's Individual Results
800 Meters
2. Savannah Camacho - 2:05.53+
3. Kaela Edwards - 2:05.72+
+ - Denotes All-American Performance
