Erassa, Juodeskaite Lead OSU To Cowboy Jamboree Sweep

September 27, 2014 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track

Sept. 27, 2014

STILLWATER, Okla. - The Oklahoma State men's and women's cross country teams each recorded their fifth-straight team championships at Saturday's 78^th-annual Cowboy Jamboree at the OSU Cross Country Course.

Individually, Oklahoma State's Kirubel Erassa and Monika Juodeskaite highlighted the meet as Erassa picked up the Cowboys' 15th individual Jamboree title and Juodeskaite claimed the Cowgirls' 13th.

"I think it's really good for both of them," coach Dave Smith said. "They put in a lot of hard work this summer. They're both fifth-year seniors, and they both have really big ambitions for this year."

Saturday's performance gave Oklahoma State its first team and individual sweep at the Jamboree since 2010, when Mihaela Susa and Girma Mecheso delivered the top time in both races. It marked the third time in the history of the event that Oklahoma State has accomplished that feat, with the first coming in 1989.

The Cowboys' team victory came in dominating fashion, as Oklahoma State posted the top 11 times in the DI University 8K race, giving the Pokes the best-possible team score of 15 points. Erassa's first-place time of 24:19.59 was followed by top-five finishes from Fabian Clarkson (24:35.78), Craig Nowak (24:51.73), Luis Martinez (25:10.77) and Anthoney Armstrong (25:14.61).

"It felt good," Erassa said. "The first mile we were supposed to go 4:50, but we went 4:30. That kind of hurt us a little bit at the end. It was hot out there, and I'm really happy with my performance."

Despite Saturday's unusually high temperatures, true freshmen Cerake Geberkidane and Chandler Austin also registered notable performances, registering respective times of 25:12.53 and 26:05.34 as unattached runners.

On the women's side, all eyes were on Juodeskaite and her first cross country appearance since her All-American performance at last year's NCAA Championships. After finishing third at the Jamboree in 2012 and second in 2013, the senior lifted the team with a first-place run of 17:16.49, marking the best of four top-five times for the Cowgirls.

"I like this course because it's my home," Juodeskaite said. ""My coach told me to run conservatively in the beginning and just finish the end, so I tried to do that. My race was good."

Natalie Baker (18:18.26), Caileigh Glenn (18:30.25) and Janelle Martinez (18:30.84) joined Juodeskaite in the top five, giving the Cowgirls a mix of youth and seniority among the event's top times. Jennifer Celis' time of 19:12.48 as an unattached runner set a new personal best for the freshman, while Aurora Dybedokken, Molly Sughroue and Kaylee Dodd also provided solid unattached performances.

"It was probably 10 to 15 degrees higher than we've normally had, so it's hard to take away too much from the times today," Smith said. "Overall, though, I think we did a pretty good job. We'll just have to see where we are in five weeks when we go to Big 12s. That'll be the next big test."

With Saturday's team championships, the OSU men's squad has now won the Cowboy Jamboree a total of 20 times, while the women marked their 10th team victory at the event.

Both teams will return to action on Oct. 18, when they compete in the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational in Sunnyvale, Calif., and the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind.

Cowboy Jamboree

Sept. 27, 2014 - Stillwater, Okla. - OSU Cross Country Course

Men's Team Results (DI University)

1. Oklahoma State - 15
2. Belmont - 61
3. Creighton - 84
4. Oral Roberts - 123
5. Incarnate Word - 134
6. Abilene Christian - 156

Men's Individual Results (DI University)

1. Kirubel Erassa - 24:19.59
2. Fabian Clarkson - 24:35.78
3. Craig Nowak - 24:51.73
4. Luis Martinez - 25:10.77
5. Anthoney Armstrong - 25:14.61
6. Noah Gade - 25:19.81
7. Justin Vilhauer - 25:27.29
8. Brian Gohlke - 25:33.17
9. David Osborn - 25:39.06
10. Matthew Fayers - 25:57.11
11. Vegard Oelstad - 25:59.79
16. Brigham Hedges - 26:51.91
17. Alexander Johansson - 26:52.79

Cerake Geberkidane (unattached) - 25:12.53
Sidney Speir (unattached) - 25:55.82
Chandler Austin (unattached) - 26:05.34
Lucas Keifer (unattached) - 28:08.23

Women's Team Results (DI University)

1. Oklahoma State - 19
2. Creighton - 72
3. Abilene Christian - 79
4. Belmont - 85
5. Incarnate Word - 104
6. Oral Roberts - 156

Women's Individual Results (DI University)

1. Monika Juodeskaite - 17:16.49
3. Natalie Baker - 18:18.26
4. Caileigh Glenn - 18:30.25
5. Janelle Martinez - 18:30.84
6. Emily Helms - 18:31.42
9. Abbie Hetherington - 18:50.46

Aurora Dybedokken (unattached) - 18:38.50
Molly Sughroue (unattached) - 19:00.77
Jennifer Celis (unattached) - 19:12.48
Kaylee Dodd (unattached) - 19:16.10