Oklahoma State University Athletics
A Year in the Making: Back to the National Championship
November 16, 2016 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
The Cowboys are relying on three first-timers in Terre Haute
November is the championship season for collegiate cross country. It's a month that the Cowboys have typically thrived in.
The perennial contenders were just that last season, and expectations were high.
The 2015 cross country season had a familiar feeling throughout.
The Pokes asserted their dominance throughout the regular season and deep into the postseason, winning an eighth-straight Big 12 title, a fifth-straight Midwest Region title and going undefeated in the regular season with an average margin of victory of more than 39 points.
It was another outstanding campaign, and the collegiate cross-country world noticed, giving OSU a top-five nod in the final poll of the season.
OSU was running wild into, and through, November on its way the NCAA Championships, seeking its 11th straight top-10 finish and more: a spot on the podium with their first top-four finish since 2013.
"During the race, when it started out, they were further back than we wanted to be," sophomore Christian Liddell said.
He was an alternate for the Cowboys at the national championships after breaking into the team as a freshman.
"As the race went on, no one was moving up like we wanted to - it was hard to watch. I trained with these guys all year, so even though I wasn't racing, I was still emotionally invested," Liddell said.
OSU finished 18th at the NCAA Championship. It was the team's lowest finish since 2004.
"Last year, we had a perfect storm of things to go wrong," coach Dave Smith said. "It wasn't just one guy, it was a lot of guys."
Coming into this season, for the first time since 2005, Smith's Cowboys didn't crack the preseason United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's top-10.
After losing three of their top-five finishers from the Big 12 Championships in 2015, Josh Thompson and Cerake Geberkidane were the only returners with full postseason experience.
During the summer, Smith added NJCAA standouts Sylvester Barus and Hassan Abdi to the mix, putting the Cowboys on the fringes of some of the nation's bests, but that final spot was yet to be filled.
"That's everyone's plight in cross country," Smith said. "Everyone is always looking for a fifth man. That big difference always comes from your four, five and six guys."
With nearly a full season under his belt, Liddell appeared to be the obvious option, but two seniors have joined the sophomore as OSU's difference-makers in Anthoney Armstrong and Luis Martinez.
"Dave told me on my recruiting trip that if I came here, when all of the guys who won titles left, I would eventually have to take over," Armstrong said. "I'm just excited that my time is now. I came here to win championships and now's the time to do it."
Armstrong and Martinez have been a part of the most successful period in program history. The Cowboys have won four Big 12 cross country titles and two conference indoor titles, and have had two of their best finishes at the Big 12 outdoor championships in school history in the past four years.
"I think my training has finally clicked," Martinez said. "In high school, I was a pretty low-mileage guy, so the first couple of years here, I was just trying to get adjusted to the point where I could just make it through the season. Finally, I'm there now and physically and mentally strong enough to make it through."
Martinez ran at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships once in 2014 where he took 29th. Since then, he'd been in and out of the squad, running just once last year.
As for Armstrong, though he's an accomplished steeplechaser, having scored three-straight all-conference honors at the outdoor meet, he'd never been able to make his mark during the cross country season, running just a few times during the regular season in each of his three previous campaigns.
"With Anthoney and Luis, I think they've both taken steps in their confidence," middle distance coach Bobby Lockhart said. "I think they're starting to believe in themselves compared to years past. They're the heart and soul of this team, and we're relying on them this year."
After an injury sidelined Geberkidane, the two seniors were thrust into the spotlight, and the Cowboy lineup, for the first time in their careers.
Martinez finished second and Armstrong took seventh at the Cowboy Preview, then they went on to both finish in the top-10 at the Cowboy Jamboree.
Two weeks later, at the Penn State Open, Martinez took 11th and Armstrong crossed the line in 14th to help the Pokes finish the regular season undefeated again.
Smith called it the best performance of their careers.
"That race was definitely a breakout for me and Luis," Armstrong said. "I think I'm in a good spot to run well, and the team is in a good spot, too."
Liddell has quietly been a top-25 finisher at each event this year, with his last outing pushing the Cowboys over the hump to knock off Mississippi, 47-49.
Martinez and Armstrong both earned their first all-conference honors in cross country at the Big 12 Championships in October, with Martinez taking fifth and Armstrong taking 10th. Liddell followed right behind in 11th.
"Right now, I think my role on the team is to be a part of that group with me, Anthoney and Luis as the fourth, fifth and sixth runners," Liddell said. "Depending on the day, all three of us are pretty interchangeable. If one of us is having a bad day, we're there to pick it up and make up those spots."
Once again, the Cowboys are Big 12 champions. It marks their ninth-consecutive title.
They've won the Midwest again, running away with the title by 25 points.
"We haven't had many unsuccessful seasons," Lockhart said. "Having that feeling of what happened last year is definitely pushing these guys this year. They're running well and all of their work should pay off at nationals."
They've gained attention as the season has progressed.
OSU's a top-10 team again, and the eyes of the cross-country world are slowly returning their gaze to Stillwater.
This Saturday, the Cowboys will try to prove last year was a fluke and return to the top-10 where they have been for more than a decade.
Liddell, Armstrong and Martinez are all expected to toe the line at the NCAA Championships for the first time in their careers two things on their minds: atonement, and a trophy.
"There's a lot of pressure," Martinez said. "But when you have seven guys running with you, running for the same goal, it makes it easier.
"It's my job and the team's job to uphold the legacies of the guys who ran before us, and we plan to do that."
The perennial contenders were just that last season, and expectations were high.
The 2015 cross country season had a familiar feeling throughout.
The Pokes asserted their dominance throughout the regular season and deep into the postseason, winning an eighth-straight Big 12 title, a fifth-straight Midwest Region title and going undefeated in the regular season with an average margin of victory of more than 39 points.
It was another outstanding campaign, and the collegiate cross-country world noticed, giving OSU a top-five nod in the final poll of the season.
OSU was running wild into, and through, November on its way the NCAA Championships, seeking its 11th straight top-10 finish and more: a spot on the podium with their first top-four finish since 2013.
"During the race, when it started out, they were further back than we wanted to be," sophomore Christian Liddell said.
He was an alternate for the Cowboys at the national championships after breaking into the team as a freshman.
"As the race went on, no one was moving up like we wanted to - it was hard to watch. I trained with these guys all year, so even though I wasn't racing, I was still emotionally invested," Liddell said.
OSU finished 18th at the NCAA Championship. It was the team's lowest finish since 2004.
"Last year, we had a perfect storm of things to go wrong," coach Dave Smith said. "It wasn't just one guy, it was a lot of guys."
Coming into this season, for the first time since 2005, Smith's Cowboys didn't crack the preseason United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's top-10.
After losing three of their top-five finishers from the Big 12 Championships in 2015, Josh Thompson and Cerake Geberkidane were the only returners with full postseason experience.
During the summer, Smith added NJCAA standouts Sylvester Barus and Hassan Abdi to the mix, putting the Cowboys on the fringes of some of the nation's bests, but that final spot was yet to be filled.
"That's everyone's plight in cross country," Smith said. "Everyone is always looking for a fifth man. That big difference always comes from your four, five and six guys."
With nearly a full season under his belt, Liddell appeared to be the obvious option, but two seniors have joined the sophomore as OSU's difference-makers in Anthoney Armstrong and Luis Martinez.
"Dave told me on my recruiting trip that if I came here, when all of the guys who won titles left, I would eventually have to take over," Armstrong said. "I'm just excited that my time is now. I came here to win championships and now's the time to do it."
Armstrong and Martinez have been a part of the most successful period in program history. The Cowboys have won four Big 12 cross country titles and two conference indoor titles, and have had two of their best finishes at the Big 12 outdoor championships in school history in the past four years.
"I think my training has finally clicked," Martinez said. "In high school, I was a pretty low-mileage guy, so the first couple of years here, I was just trying to get adjusted to the point where I could just make it through the season. Finally, I'm there now and physically and mentally strong enough to make it through."
Martinez ran at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships once in 2014 where he took 29th. Since then, he'd been in and out of the squad, running just once last year.
As for Armstrong, though he's an accomplished steeplechaser, having scored three-straight all-conference honors at the outdoor meet, he'd never been able to make his mark during the cross country season, running just a few times during the regular season in each of his three previous campaigns.
"With Anthoney and Luis, I think they've both taken steps in their confidence," middle distance coach Bobby Lockhart said. "I think they're starting to believe in themselves compared to years past. They're the heart and soul of this team, and we're relying on them this year."
After an injury sidelined Geberkidane, the two seniors were thrust into the spotlight, and the Cowboy lineup, for the first time in their careers.
Martinez finished second and Armstrong took seventh at the Cowboy Preview, then they went on to both finish in the top-10 at the Cowboy Jamboree.
Two weeks later, at the Penn State Open, Martinez took 11th and Armstrong crossed the line in 14th to help the Pokes finish the regular season undefeated again.
Smith called it the best performance of their careers.
"That race was definitely a breakout for me and Luis," Armstrong said. "I think I'm in a good spot to run well, and the team is in a good spot, too."
Liddell has quietly been a top-25 finisher at each event this year, with his last outing pushing the Cowboys over the hump to knock off Mississippi, 47-49.
Martinez and Armstrong both earned their first all-conference honors in cross country at the Big 12 Championships in October, with Martinez taking fifth and Armstrong taking 10th. Liddell followed right behind in 11th.
"Right now, I think my role on the team is to be a part of that group with me, Anthoney and Luis as the fourth, fifth and sixth runners," Liddell said. "Depending on the day, all three of us are pretty interchangeable. If one of us is having a bad day, we're there to pick it up and make up those spots."
Once again, the Cowboys are Big 12 champions. It marks their ninth-consecutive title.
They've won the Midwest again, running away with the title by 25 points.
"We haven't had many unsuccessful seasons," Lockhart said. "Having that feeling of what happened last year is definitely pushing these guys this year. They're running well and all of their work should pay off at nationals."
They've gained attention as the season has progressed.
OSU's a top-10 team again, and the eyes of the cross-country world are slowly returning their gaze to Stillwater.
This Saturday, the Cowboys will try to prove last year was a fluke and return to the top-10 where they have been for more than a decade.
Liddell, Armstrong and Martinez are all expected to toe the line at the NCAA Championships for the first time in their careers two things on their minds: atonement, and a trophy.
"There's a lot of pressure," Martinez said. "But when you have seven guys running with you, running for the same goal, it makes it easier.
"It's my job and the team's job to uphold the legacies of the guys who ran before us, and we plan to do that."
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