Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Track & Field Travels To Stanford & Arkansas
May 01, 2014 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
May 1, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State track and field will split the squad between two meets this weekend--the Payton Jordan Invitational, in Stanford, Calif., and the Arkansas Invitational, in Fayetteville, Ark., May 2-4.
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. Live results for the Payton Jordan can be found on gostanford.com, and live results for the Arkansas Invite can be found at flashresults.com.
Meet Schedule
In Fayetteville, field events will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday, with running events starting at 6 p.m. In Stanford, the running events will begin at 5:39 p.m. CT on Sunday.
Quoting The Coaches
Head Coach Dave Smith on the Payton Jordan Invite:
“The Payton Jordan, over the last several years, has been the best distance running meet in the United States. There's always good weather, good conditions and great, competitive races that are paced well. The expectation for everyone who steps to the line out there is to run fast. It's no different this year.”
Smith on preparing for the postseason meets:
“Right now, we've hit that time of year where it's been a long year for these kids. We're starting to see the wear and tear. People are dinged up. We have some great athletes who aren't running, which is stressful. We're solid on the men's side, but we're kind of in limbo on the women's side. We will we see where we go from here.”
Sprints Coach Diego Flaquer on the 4 x 100 meter relay full of football players:
“A lot of it had to do with these guys wanting to be involved in track. I think it's one of those things where we had the pieces, so why not? Obviously it takes a little pressure off them from an individual standpoint and puts them in a situation they're used to--competing as a team to try to create something great. For them, it's fun and that's how we're approaching it. They've worked hard and I wanted to give them this opportunity.”
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
The Oklahoma State men's track and field team jumped five spots to No. 17 in this week's edition of the (USTFCCCA) outdoor rankings.
The No. 17 ranking equals the highest outdoor position for OSU in the history of the rankings.
Individually, Oklahoma State has 13 athletes ranked in the NCAA's top 50 in their respective events.
On the men's side, Chad Noelle, John Teeters, Shadrack Kipchirchir and Nick Miller all claim top-five NCAA rankings; Noelle (3:40.06) is No. 2 in the 1,500 meters, Teeters (10.14) ranks fifth in the 100 meters, Miller (71.30m/233-11) holds the No. 4 spot in the hammer throw and Kipchirchir (13:37.68) is No. 5 in the 5,000 meters.
OSU has two men ranked in the 10,000 meters. Kirubel Erassa (29:02.77) is No. 21, and Brian Gohlke (29:17.41) checks in at No. 37. Itamar Levi holds the No. 43 spot in the shot put, with a mark of 18.05m/59-2.75.
For the Cowgirls, Savannah Camacho leads the way at No. 3 in the 800 meters. Her mark of 2:02.84 ranks second in OSU history. Clara Nichols (2:06.83) joins Camacho in the 800 meter rankings at No. 36.
In the discus, Ieva Zarankaite (54.34m/178-3) continues her impressive debut season, checking in at No. 17, Monika Juodeskaite (16:00.32) ranks No. 21 in the 5,000 meters and Viktoriia Sadokhina (12.78m/41-11.25) holds the No. 26 spot in the triple jump. Chase Ealey (15.55m/51-0.25) is No. 48 in the shot put.
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
3. John Teeters 100 Meters 10.14
20. Chad Noelle 800 Meters 1:49.72
42. Tyler Payton 800 Meters 1:50.41
2. Chad Noelle 1,500 Meters 3:40.06
36. Matthew Fayers 1,500 Meters 3:45.09
5. Shadrack Kipchirchir 5,000 Meters 13:37.68
18. Kirubel Erassa 10,000 Meters 29:02.77
23. Brian Gohlke 10,000 Meters 29:17.41
36. Anthoney Armstrong 3,000 Meter Steeplechase 9:00.16
17. Itamar Levi Shot Put 18.05m/59-2.75
2. Nick Miller Hammer Throw 71.30m/233-11
Women
44. Savannah Camacho 400 Meters 54.66
3. Savannah Camacho 800 Meters 2:02.84
16. Clara Nichols 800 Meters 2:06.83
9. Monika Juodeskaite 5,000 Meters 16:00.32
48. Kate Kujawa 3,000 Meter Steeplechase 10:40.72
9. Viktoriia Sadokhina Triple Jump 12.78m/41-11.25
28. Chase Ealey Shot Put 15.55m/51-0.25
12. Ieva Zarankaite Discus 54.34m/178-3
30. Caitlin Way Hammer Throw 58.15m/190-9
Last Time Out
Oklahoma State's Chad Noelle, John Teeters and Shadrack Kipchirchir each registered top-five marks in the NCAA in their respective events at the Mt. SAC Relays, in Walnut, Calif., on Friday.
As a result, OSU now has an athlete with a top-five national mark in a sprinting event (100 meters), middle distance event (1,500 meters), distance event (5,000 meters) and throwing event (hammer throw).
In the elite division of the men's 1,500 meters, a field stacked with 10 runners who were either professional or ran unattached to a university, including former OSU eight-time All-American Tom Farrell, Noelle grabbed the victory with a time of 3:40.06. Noelle's time ranks No. 2 in the nation, and is the fourth-best 1,500 meters in OSU history.
In the 100 meters, Teeters ran a wind-legal 10.14, which is a personal best for him, the No. 3 time in the NCAA and the No. 4 mark in Cowboy history. Teeters' competition also consisted of professional and unattached runners along with other NCAA competitors.
In the elite division of the 5,000 meters, Shadrack Kipchirchir lit up the track, finishing in 13:37.68, which was not only good enough for 10th in the event, but also No. 5 in the NCAA. His time is the sixth-best mark in OSU history.
Savannah Camacho ran the third-best 800 meters in the NCAA to date on the final day of the Mt. SAC Relays. Camacho's run, a 2:02.84, earned second place in her heat, behind a professional runner, and ninth in the event. Her time ranks No. 3 in the NCAA and is the second-best 800 meters in school history.
On the women's side, Monika Juodeskaite won the Olympic Development division of the 5,000 meters, with a personal-best mark of 16:00.32. Her time ranks No.3 in OSU history, and entering the weekend her mark would be good enough for the No. 12 spot in the NCAA.
Last Year At The Payton Jordan Invite/ Arkansas Invite
Oklahoma State's Natalja Piliusina ran the fastest women's 1,500 meters in the NCAA, and Girma Mecheso accomplished the same feat in the men's 10,000 meters, plus a school record for the OSU track and field teams at the Payton Jordan Invitational, in Palo Alto, Calif.
Mecheso's time of 27:52.38 demolished his own school record in the event by more than 24 seconds, and leads the NCAA by more than 42 seconds. That mark also gave Mecheso the No. 13 ranking in the world for the 10,000 meters.
Piliusina ran a 4:09.57, which was just .06 off her school record and personal best. Her run was two and a half seconds quicker than the previous top mark in the nation.
Chase Ealey won the women's shot put to lead the Oklahoma State track and field teams at the Arkansas Team Invitational, in Fayetteville, Ark. In the final tune-up before next week's Outdoor Big 12 Track and Field Championships, Ealey launched the shot a distance of 15.89m/52-1.75, winning the event by more than four meters.
On the men's side, Tyler Payton (1:53.69) took ninth in the 800 meters, and Alexander Johansson (3:59.03) took seventh in the 1,500 meters.
Football Infusion
Starting with the 2013-14 indoor season, some OSU football players have not only been participating in track & field, but also making an instant impact. Tyreek Hill, in one month of competition, won the Big 12 Indoor 200 meter title and placed fifth in the same event at the NCAA meet. For his efforts, he was named Big 12 Indoor Freshman of the Year.
The trend continues this weekend, as OSU will send a 4 x 100 meter relay comprised of four Cowboy football players -- Miketavius Jones, Ashton Lampkin, Kevin Peterson and Jerel Morrow -- to Fayetteville. These four will also compete in a combination of sprinting and jumping events.
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.
