Cowboys End Regular Season with Penn State Open Title

Friday, October 13

STATE COLLEGE, PA

11:00 AM

Oklahoma State University

Penn State Open

Hassan Abdi after finishing as the Penn State Open individual champion.

October 13, 2017 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

STATE COLLEGE, Penn. — Oklahoma State's Hassan Abdi became reacquainted with the podium, after finishing first overall and leading the Cowboy cross country squad to the Penn State National Open crown, on Friday.

Abdi finished the 5.2 mile course in 25:13 to earn him the individual title, defeating Villanova's Andrew Marston by three seconds. This marks the men's second-consecutive meet win after edging out Ole Miss at the Cowboy Jamboree two weeks ago, 42-44.

"I think the guys ran really well," head coach Dave Smith said. "We had a patient race plan and we were in a battle with Penn State the entire time. For us to do that, it gives us a lot of confidence going into the postseason."

Three Cowboys finished in the top 10 and OSU finished with a winning score of 45 points, 15 ahead of second-place Penn State.

Senior Luis Martinez and junior Christian Liddell finished fifth and eighth overall, respectively. While freshman Ryan Smeeton (15^th) and senior Noah Gade (16^th) both finished in the top 20 to help secure the win for the Cowboys.

"Noah Gade might have been the most impressive throughout the field," Smith said. "I'm really excited for him and he's in the best shape I've seen him in."

The No. 26 Cowgirls finished sixth overall in a packed field that included No. 10 Penn State, No. 15 Villanova and conference-rival West Virginia.

The Cowgirls saw production from senior Molly Sughroue, who placed ninth overall and improved her Cowboy Jamboree 6K time by more than a minute.

Essex, England, native Kaylee Dodd, who finished in 21:18 for the Cowgirls, had a strong showing by improving her 2017 6K personal best by nearly two full minutes.

"She had the best day for the women," Smith said. "She ran faster than last year and she'll only continue to keep getting better."

Sophomore Kaytlyn Larson (36^th), freshman Cheyenne Walden (48^th) and freshman Ariane Ballner (51^st) rounded out the top-five for the Cowgirls.

"We ran better than we did at our home meet," Smith said. "But we still have a long way to go. Our adjustment for Big 12s is to not make any. We don't want to adjust anything, just keep getting better in the next 15 days."

With the regular season now behind OSU, the real test begins in two weeks at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships in Round Rock, Texas. The Cowboys are seeking their 10^th-straight conference title and the Cowgirls are looking to rebound after finishing second a season ago.

Penn State Open | Oct. 13, 2017 | State College, Penn.

Men's Individual