Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Ranked No. 4 In Preseason Poll
August 26, 2014 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
STILLWATER, Okla. -
The Oklahoma State men's cross country team will begin the 2014 season as the No. 4 team in the nation, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason rankings released Tuesday.
The Cowboys received 319 votes in the poll, the most of any team in the Big 12 and the Midwest Region. The position comes one day after receiving the No. 1 preseason ranking in the region, and also marks Oklahoma State's seventh-consecutive preseason top-five selection dating back to 2008.
Trailing only Colorado, Northern Arizona and Oregon, respectively, the Pokes receive the honor in large part due to the squad winning its sixth-straight Big 12 Championship and a third-place finish at the 2013 NCAA Championships.
The team returns four qualifiers from last year's national championships, including Craig Nowak, Kirubel Erassa, Shane Moskowitz and Brian Gohlke. Nowak, who finished 62nd in Terre Haute, recorded the quartet's highest finish at NCAA's, while Erassa, Gohlke and Moskowitz completed the competition in 83rd, 91st and 141st, respectively.
In the women's polls, Oklahoma State received 125 votes, giving them the No. 19 spot in the national rankings and the second-overall spot in the Midwest Region. Returning All-American Monika Juodeskaite and track standout Natalja Piliusina lead the way as the Cowgirls looks to earn their first Big 12 Championship.
Both squads open the season on Saturday, Aug. 30, when they compete in the Tulsa Duels in Tulsa, Okla.
2014 USTFCCCA Preseason Men's Cross Country Rankings
1. Colorado (12)
2. Northern Arizona
3. Oregon
4. Oklahoma State
5. Stanford
6. Indiana
7. Portland
8. Syracuse
9. BYU
10. Villanova
11. Wisconsin
12. Iona
13. Arkansas
14. Virginia
15. NC State
16. Providence
17. New Mexico
18. Tulsa
19. Princeton
20. North Carolina
21. Eastern Kentucky
22. Michigan
23. Texas
24. UCLA
24. Florida State
26. Iowa State
27. Washington
28. Oklahoma
29. Georgetown
30. Colorado State
2014 USTFCCA Preseason Women's Cross Country Rankings
1. Michigan (6)
2. Oregon (3)
3. Florida State
4. Stanford (1)
5. Georgetown (1)
6. Michigan State
7. Arkansas (1)
8. Colorado
9. Iowa State
10. Virginia
11. New Mexico
12. Butler
13. Syracuse
14. Villanova
15. Washington
16. Wisconsin
17. Boston College
18. Providence
19. Oklahoma State
20. West Virginia
21. Virginia Tech
22. SMU
23. Vanderbilt
24. Dartmouth
25. Minnesota
26. William and Mary
27. NC State
28. Weber State
29. Penn State
30. Arizona State
