Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Set To Compete In California & Norman
April 17, 2014 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
April 17, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State track and field will split the squad between two meets this weekend--the Mt. SAC Relays, in Walnut, Calif., and the John Jacobs Invitational, in Norman, Okla., April 17-19.
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 okstate.com. Flotrack.org will host a live stream of the Mt. SAC Relays.
Meet Schedule
At the Mt. SAC Relays, events will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday. In Norman, all events will take place Saturday.
Quoting Coach Dave Smith
On the hype surrounding the Mt. SAC Relays:
“It's a big meet, there's no question about it. There's a balance to it, though. The competition should fire up our athletes and have them ready to compete, but they have to stay within themselves and try not to get too caught up in the moment. There are going to be some big-time marks from some big-time athletes.”
On maintaining the momentum from last week:
“It's extremely important. Last weekend was a huge confidence boost for us. This is the time when we really want to be building momentum toward the postseason, which is where we need to be at the top of our game. Last week was one step toward achieving that and this week can be, too.”
On the pressure of trying to achieve qualifying marks as the season goes on:
“It's something you have to tune out, as an athlete. More than anything, you have to compete. Usually if you give the necessary effort and execute in the fashion you are supposed to, the marks will come. We still have plenty of meets on the schedule, but this is the time when we want to see progress toward that mark that will get them to the Regional meet.”
A Top-10 Trifecta
Oklahoma State men's track and field has a chance to make even more history in 2014.
With a top-10 finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, it would be the first time in OSU history to achieve top-10 finishes in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field within the same academic year.
The Cowboys could become the first team in Big 12 history to sweep the cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field conference titles in the same academic year.
OSU is already the first team in Big 12 history with titles in both cross country and indoor track & field, accomplishing the feat in the same academic year.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State has 11 athletes ranked in the NCAA's top 50 in their respective events.
On the men's side, Nick Miller leads the way at No. 3 in the hammer, and after good performances at the Stanford Invitational, Kirubel Erassa and Brian Gohlke rank No. 21 and No. 29 in the 10,000 meters. Itamar Levi ranks No. 35 in the shot put, and Anthoney Armstrong is No. 37 in the 3,000m steeplechase. Making their debuts this week at No. 36 in the 800 meters and No. 13 in the 100 meters, respectively, are Chad Noelle and John Teeters.
For the Cowgirls, Clara Nichols holds the No. 11 spot in the 800 meters and Viktoriia Sadokhina takes No. 20 in the triple jump after great performances at the Stanford Invitational. A trio of throwers is also ranked. Ieva Zarankaite ranks No. 12 in the discus after winning at the John McDonnell Invite, Chase Ealey sits at No. 37 in the shot put and Caitlin Way is No. 44 in the hammer throw.
Making A Mark In The Midwest
Oklahoma State's Dave Smith has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Midwest Region Indoor Coach of the Year, and Kirubel Erassa has been named the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.
Erassa has already been named the Big 12 Indoor Performer of the Year, and the USTFCCCA Co-National Athlete of the Week for the week of Feb. 24-March 1.
This is Smith's first Indoor Midwest Region Coach of the Year award. He adds it to his first Big 12 Indoor Coach of the Year award.
Smith is also the first coach in OSU history to win this award, and one of three coaches this year to be named Midwest Coach of the Year in both cross country and indoor track & field.
On The Qualifying Track
The top 48 outdoor marks in each event in both the West and East regions qualify for the NCAA West and East Preliminary Rounds. From there, the top 12 in each region move on to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, in Eugene, Ore.
Here is a breakdown of which Cowboys and Cowgirls are on track to qualify for the West Regional, May 29-31, in Fayetteville, Ark.
Men
Rk. Name Event Mark
5. John Teeters 100 Meters 10.21
12. Chad Noelle 800 Meters 1:49.72
30. Tyler Payton 800 Meters 1:50.41
18. Kirubel Erassa 10,000 Meters 29:02.77
21. Brian Gohlke 10,000 Meters 29:17.41
36. Noah Gade 10,000 Meters 29:51.13
45. David Osborn 10,000 Meters 30:10.96
23. Anthoney Armstrong 3,000 Meter Steeplechase 9:00.16
36. Nick Thorp 3,000 Meter Steeplechase 9:07.09
15. Itamar Levi Shot Put 18.05m/59-2.75
2. Nick Miller Hammer Throw 71.30m/233-11
Women
33. Savannah Camacho 400 Meters 54.66
9. Clara Nichols 800 Meters 2:06.83
33. Gintare Zenkeviciute 5,000 Meters 16:39.21
8. Viktoriia Sadokhina Triple Jump 12.78m/41-11.25
21. Chase Ealey Shot Put 15.55m/51-0.25
9. Ieva Zarankaite Discus 54.34m/178-3
25. Caitlin Way Hammer Throw 58.06m/190-6
Last Time Out
Oklahoma State's men's and women's track and field teams put up a plethora of NCAA-qualifying marks and lit up OSU's all-time outdoor record lists in day two of the John McDonnell Invitational, in Fayetteville, Ark.
The Cowboys and Cowgirls combined to set 17 new personal bests, and registered 10 marks that will now appear on OSU's all-time top 10 lists in their respective events.
Leading the way for the Cowboys was sprinter John Teeters, who ran a blistering 10.21 to finish second in the 100 meter dash, and put up a 20.75 in the 200 meter dash, taking third. Teeters' 100 meter time now ranks No. 4 in both the NCAA West region and on OSU's all-time list. His mark in the 200 meters is tied for fourth in OSU history, and lands him at No. 10 in the West region.
Savannah Camacho, who usually makes her mark in the middle distance events, tried her hand at the 400 meters, and did not disappoint. She took second with a time of 54.66, which ranks third in OSU history and No. 27 in the West region.
Two Cowgirls registered great marks in the discus. Ieva Zarankaite won the event with a personal-best 54.34m/178-3, which cemented her status as No. 2 in OSU history, and Katie Kehl threw a mark of 46.59m/152-10 to take fourth in the event and No. 7 on OSU's all-time list. Zarankaite now holds the No. 10 spot in the West region.
Last Year At The Mt. SAC Relays
At the 2013 Mt. SAC Relays, on the men's side, reigning Big 12 athlete of the week Nick Miller continued his incredible run in the hammer throw. In an event full of professional and unattached throwers, Miller launched the hammer 70.20m/230-04, which gives him the top mark in the NCAA, and broke his own school record.
In the 1,500 meter elite invite, Tom Farrell's time of 3:41.33 fell just short of a personal best by .26 seconds and earned him third place. Raul Botezan took 11th place, with a time of 3:44.59. In the Olympic development division of the 1,500 meters, Kirubel Erassa ran a personal-best 3:42.76, and finished fourth in the event.
On the women's side, Natalja Piliusina was impressive yet again in the 800 meters. The 2013 OSU Female Student-Athlete of the Year ran a 2:03.80 in the Olympic development division, finishing third. In the open division of the 800 meters, Clara Nichols ran a personal-best 2:06.63, finishing fifth and landing in the No. 3 spot on the OSU all-time list.
At The Top of the Hill
Tyreek Hill has been named the male Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year.
Hill's honor comes after he broke OSU's 25 year-old 200 meter record twice in Ames, Iowa, on his way to winning the Big 12 200 meter title and qualifying for the NCAA meet in the event. He also broke his own school record in the 60 meter dash, taking second. He scored 18 team points.
Hill also joins German Fernandez as the second Cowboy to win Freshman of the Year. Fernandez took home that award in 2009, as well.
World Rankings
Two Cowboys finished the indoor season ranked in the top 10 in the world in their respective events after incredible performances at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
In the 200 meters, Tyreek Hill ran a school-record 20.57 to finish fifth in the vent. It is also the No. 9 200 meter time in the world. Hill accomplished this after one month of training and NCAA competition. It was only the second meet this season in which he ran the 200 meters.
In the weight throw, Nick Miller launched a mark of 23.07m/75-8.25, which was a personal record by more than a meter. His mark ranks No. 5 in the world in the weight.
Power Shift
Oklahoma State is an established cross country power, but after its second-consecutive top-10 NCAA Indoors finish, it seems another national power is growing. Here is a list of some schools OSU has tied or beaten in team scoring at the last two NCAA Indoor Championships:
- Alabama
- Auburn (Twice)
- Clemson (Twice)
- Florida State
- Georgia (Twice)
- LSU (Twice)
- Mississippi State (Twice)
- Nebraska (Twice)
- Penn State (Twice)
- Stanford
- Texas (Twice)
- Texas A&M
- USC (Twice)
- Virginia Tech (Twice)
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.
