Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Bruce Waterfield
Piliusina, Camacho Named First-Team All-Americans
June 13, 2015 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Piliusina Leaves OSU as most decorated Cowgirl in school history
EUGENE, Ore. -- Oklahoma State wrapped up its 2015 outdoor season with Natalja Piliusina and Savannah Camacho earning first-team All-America honors.
After Saturday's fourth-place finish in the 1,500-meter final, the senior Piliusina leaves OSU as the most decorated Cowgirl in school history. Along with being just the second Cowgirl to win an NCAA title, she won a Cowgirl record nine Big 12 titles, set seven school records and earned eight All-America honors in her five years under coach Dave Smith.
"I'm not too happy with fourth place, but I think it was the best I could have gotten today," Piliusina said. "After I sat out for so many months with injuries, I didn't have a good base, so it makes things harder, especially in the 1,500."
Piliusina ran a season best 4:15.01 to become the first Cowgirl to earn three All-America honors in the 1,500-meter run and the third Cowgirl to earn three All-America honors in one event.
"For Natalja to come back from injury and make the final is just a testament to her tenacity," Smith said. "Getting into the final took everything she had. Today, it would have been easy for a national champion to kind of shut it down a bit, but she fought to the bitter end and held onto that fourth place spot like a pit bull."
This marks the first time in school history that OSU has had a first-team All-American in both the men's and women's 1,500-meter runs at the same Outdoor Championships, as Chad Noelle won the title Friday.
"Natalja has been the heart and soul of the women's team since she got here," Smith said. "The effect of her being on our team will carry on from recruiting class to recruiting class. The kids we have are all built upon her success early, so she will always be a part of whatever we build. Wherever we get to with this program, it will be because of Natalja Piliusina."
The race was the fastest 1,500-meter final since 2008 when the winner, Hannah England from Florida State, ran a 4:06.19 to claim the title. Piliusina's finish picked up five points for the Cowgirls in the team standings.
"We went out there pretty hard in the first lap and I think the lack of mileage and lack of base in the fall sort of caught up with me in the second lap of the race," Piliusina said. "If someone told me in March that I would be fourth, I would have been super happy about it, but I guess you get greedy as the season goes along. Overall though, it's been a great five years. Coming to OSU was definitely the best decision I've ever made -- It changed everything for me. Having Dave as a coach for five years just made me a better person and a better runner."
Camacho narrowly advanced from the semifinal on Thursday, snagging the last time-qualifying spot in the 800-meter run. In the final, in front of more than 11,000 people, Camacho crossed the line in 2:09.07 out of lane one, finishing eighth and bringing home her second first-team All-America honor in two years and her first outdoor honor.
"This is the longest she's extended a season," Smith said. "With the indoor and outdoor seasons, and then making it to the national meet, she might have been running on fumes today. It's a great experience for her and I think she's well set up for the future. Just getting out here and running in front of this crowd with all of the pressure and intensity, it takes a couple of times doing it before it goes really well."
Camacho became the second Cowgirl to finish the outdoor season with All-America honors in the 800-meter run, four years after Cowgirl teammate Piliusina finished as the runner-up in the 2011 final by one hundredth of a second.
"This program just keeps building on itself," Camacho said. "When I got here, Natalja was my idol and now we're recruiting freshmen who see me and Kaela [Edwards] out here that just want to do well and help support the team. We're all just doing a really good job working together and we consistently have someone on the podium."
In the 2014 Outdoor season, Camacho qualified for the NCAA West Regional but suffered an injury and missed a shot at Nationals after being the Indoor runner-up in the 800-meter run in the same year.
"I think my season went well," Camacho said. "In this race, I definitely wanted more, but with the season as a whole I was very pleased with it."
The Cowgirls finished with six points, which was good enough to give them a tie for 35th place in the team competition. It was the fifth highest point total at an outdoor meet for the Cowgirls since their first time scoring at an Outdoor Championships in 1984.
Oklahoma State's season of competition officially ended Saturday. The Cowgirls finished 35th at the Outdoor Championships, 28th at the Indoor Championships and were fifth at the NCAA Cross Country Midwest Regional in the fall. The Cowboys grabbed top-15 finishes in both Cross Country (ninth), and Indoors (13th), before scoring 10 points and finishing 16th at the Outdoor Championships Friday.
NCAA Outdoor Championships :: June 13, 2015 :: Eugene, Ore.
Women's
1,500 Meter Final
4. Natalja Piliusina 4:15.01
800 Meter Final
8. Savannah Camacho -- 2:09.07
Final Team Standings
1. Oregon -- 59.0 pts
2. Kentucky -- 50
3. Texas A&M -- 47
4. Arkansas -- 43
5. Georgia -- 41
6. Florida State -- 35
7. Southern California -- 34
8. Florida -- 32
9. Kansas State -- 28
9. Texas -- 28
35. Oklahoma State -- 6
After Saturday's fourth-place finish in the 1,500-meter final, the senior Piliusina leaves OSU as the most decorated Cowgirl in school history. Along with being just the second Cowgirl to win an NCAA title, she won a Cowgirl record nine Big 12 titles, set seven school records and earned eight All-America honors in her five years under coach Dave Smith.
"I'm not too happy with fourth place, but I think it was the best I could have gotten today," Piliusina said. "After I sat out for so many months with injuries, I didn't have a good base, so it makes things harder, especially in the 1,500."
Piliusina ran a season best 4:15.01 to become the first Cowgirl to earn three All-America honors in the 1,500-meter run and the third Cowgirl to earn three All-America honors in one event.
"For Natalja to come back from injury and make the final is just a testament to her tenacity," Smith said. "Getting into the final took everything she had. Today, it would have been easy for a national champion to kind of shut it down a bit, but she fought to the bitter end and held onto that fourth place spot like a pit bull."
This marks the first time in school history that OSU has had a first-team All-American in both the men's and women's 1,500-meter runs at the same Outdoor Championships, as Chad Noelle won the title Friday.
"Natalja has been the heart and soul of the women's team since she got here," Smith said. "The effect of her being on our team will carry on from recruiting class to recruiting class. The kids we have are all built upon her success early, so she will always be a part of whatever we build. Wherever we get to with this program, it will be because of Natalja Piliusina."
The race was the fastest 1,500-meter final since 2008 when the winner, Hannah England from Florida State, ran a 4:06.19 to claim the title. Piliusina's finish picked up five points for the Cowgirls in the team standings.
"We went out there pretty hard in the first lap and I think the lack of mileage and lack of base in the fall sort of caught up with me in the second lap of the race," Piliusina said. "If someone told me in March that I would be fourth, I would have been super happy about it, but I guess you get greedy as the season goes along. Overall though, it's been a great five years. Coming to OSU was definitely the best decision I've ever made -- It changed everything for me. Having Dave as a coach for five years just made me a better person and a better runner."
Camacho narrowly advanced from the semifinal on Thursday, snagging the last time-qualifying spot in the 800-meter run. In the final, in front of more than 11,000 people, Camacho crossed the line in 2:09.07 out of lane one, finishing eighth and bringing home her second first-team All-America honor in two years and her first outdoor honor.
"This is the longest she's extended a season," Smith said. "With the indoor and outdoor seasons, and then making it to the national meet, she might have been running on fumes today. It's a great experience for her and I think she's well set up for the future. Just getting out here and running in front of this crowd with all of the pressure and intensity, it takes a couple of times doing it before it goes really well."
Camacho became the second Cowgirl to finish the outdoor season with All-America honors in the 800-meter run, four years after Cowgirl teammate Piliusina finished as the runner-up in the 2011 final by one hundredth of a second.
"This program just keeps building on itself," Camacho said. "When I got here, Natalja was my idol and now we're recruiting freshmen who see me and Kaela [Edwards] out here that just want to do well and help support the team. We're all just doing a really good job working together and we consistently have someone on the podium."
In the 2014 Outdoor season, Camacho qualified for the NCAA West Regional but suffered an injury and missed a shot at Nationals after being the Indoor runner-up in the 800-meter run in the same year.
"I think my season went well," Camacho said. "In this race, I definitely wanted more, but with the season as a whole I was very pleased with it."
The Cowgirls finished with six points, which was good enough to give them a tie for 35th place in the team competition. It was the fifth highest point total at an outdoor meet for the Cowgirls since their first time scoring at an Outdoor Championships in 1984.
Oklahoma State's season of competition officially ended Saturday. The Cowgirls finished 35th at the Outdoor Championships, 28th at the Indoor Championships and were fifth at the NCAA Cross Country Midwest Regional in the fall. The Cowboys grabbed top-15 finishes in both Cross Country (ninth), and Indoors (13th), before scoring 10 points and finishing 16th at the Outdoor Championships Friday.
NCAA Outdoor Championships :: June 13, 2015 :: Eugene, Ore.
Women's
1,500 Meter Final
4. Natalja Piliusina 4:15.01
800 Meter Final
8. Savannah Camacho -- 2:09.07
Final Team Standings
1. Oregon -- 59.0 pts
2. Kentucky -- 50
3. Texas A&M -- 47
4. Arkansas -- 43
5. Georgia -- 41
6. Florida State -- 35
7. Southern California -- 34
8. Florida -- 32
9. Kansas State -- 28
9. Texas -- 28
35. Oklahoma State -- 6
Players Mentioned
Middle Distance
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Distance
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