Indoor Preview: Sprints

For a program that has only recently been added back into the Oklahoma State track and field mix, the sprints group has had its fair share of success since coach Dave Smith brought it back less than five years ago.

The sprints group made strides in 2015, qualifying for nationals and putting John Teeters into the national spotlight. In 2016, despite being disqualified by inches in the 4X100-meter relay at the West Preliminary Rounds outdoors, the Cowboy speedsters made more progress in their goal of Big 12 and national success.

Indoors, it was the 4X400-meter relay team's surprise finish that pushed the Pokes out of reach of perennial powerhouse Texas and gave OSU its second Big 12 indoor title in three seasons in 2016.

From the outside, their title defense looks improbable with the departure of school record-holder John Teeters to anchor the sprints group, but the Cowboys and Cowgirls believe they have the pieces to compete again this season in the fastest conference in the country.

Then true freshman Malik Givens snuck into the 60-meter final a season ago at the conference level and scored a crucial three points for OSU. This season, sprints coach Giles McDonnell said Givens has taken it upon himself to be the face of the Cowboy sprints group.

"I know coming in, he was one of the athletes I was told they were counting on doing some pretty good things and kind of stepping into the hole that was left by John Teeters," McDonnell said. "I think he's embraced the idea of him being fast, maybe possibly that fast. I don't want to put unnecessarily high expectations on him because John was a special young man last year, but Malik is doing a lot of things in practice to indicate that can be successful during the indoor, outdoor season."

On the women's side, another sophomore this season that turned heads in 2016 is Megan Harris.

She was the fastest Cowgirl last season, putting up the best marks all season in the 60-and 200-meter dashes. Both of her season bests from those events landed her in the Cowgirl record book, at fourth all-time in the 60, and eighth in the 200.

"The thing that I've heard about her is that she's very competitive when it comes time to lace them up in action," McDonnell said. "In practice, we don't get to see that much, but I think she's going to do some things that she showed flashes of doing last year."

The Cowgirls finished second at the conference indoor championships a season ago with four points coming from the sprints. This year, McDonnell's group is eyeing improvement in one of the toughest conferences nationally.

With returners like Ambra Wesley, Summor Fields, Amira Coleman and Kennedy Turner alongside 6A Texas State champion Kira White and Tulsa transfer Lauren Thomas, the Cowgirl sprint group is one of the most talented in recent history.

"They're all making huge improvements," McDonnell said. "They're making improvements in the weight room. They're doing things that I don't think they necessarily thought they could do.

"Now, they're starting to see how good they can be. Track is very mental and the women are starting to learn how to overcome those mental hurdles, and are really starting to buy into the idea that they're capable of more than they thought they were."

The same goes for the men, McDonnell said, with All-Americans Brandon Singleton and Tyler Jackson taking the roles of team leaders after Teeters and Sharod Selph moved on in the spring.

"I think they've accepted that they're going to play a major role in the chances that the team has of winning another title," McDonnell said. "They understand how difficult it is to be successful in the Big 12 and I think that's carrying over into practice."

That trophy just might come down to the 4X4, again.

"They look the part," McDonnell said. "The makeup and type of athletes that they are indicate that they can run. I'm confident that they'll be able to rise to the occasion if they need to do something special in the 4X4 for our team to do well, and I think they're confident, too. They're seeing that they can have a pretty meaningful and impactful season if they keep doing what they're doing."

This year, the Cowgirls are looking to score in the 60-meter dash for the first time since the renaissance of the sprints program.

"Kira White was probably the best short-sprint recruit that Oklahoma State has ever signed," McDonnell said. "Just her times that she ran to win State in Texas would have already made her a finalist in the Big 12 in the 100, and that says a lot."

White's personal best of 11.47 in the 100 from her senior year at DeSoto would have been good enough for runner-up at the outdoor conference championships in 2016, and would have qualified her for the NCAA Championships.

Already in the young indoor season, White has put her name into the OSU record book with her 7.75 from the K-State Winter Invitational. It was the fourth-fastest 60-meter time in school history.

"Like any freshman, she's learning to do different things and that adjustment can sometimes take a little while," McDonnell said. "But as she gets more comfortable with the stuff that she's doing and more comfortable with her surroundings, you can kind of see instantly why she was such a highly regarded recruit."

OSU's first taste of the indoor season came on Dec.10 at the K-State Winter Invitational.

The Cowboys won the 4X400-meter relay, Ambra Wesley won the 600-yard run and Givens and White both finished runner-up in the 60.

OSU returns to the track in 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

"There's a belief that they could make some noise," McDonnell said. "We have sprinters that could help the team and be successful, but that's all on paper - they still have to do it."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Amira Coleman

Summor Fields

Malik Givens

Megan Harris

Tyler Jackson

Sharod Selph

Brandon Singleton

John Teeters

Lauren Thomas

Kennedy Turner

Ambra Wesley

Kira White

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