OSU Wins Four Events at Arkansas Spring Invitational

Saturday, March 25

Fayetteville, Ark.

All Day

Oklahoma State University

Arkansas Spring Invitational

March 25, 2017 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

Zarankaite continues hot streak with two more wins

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Oklahoma State track and field team won four events, and Ieva Zarankaite earned two of those titles in the discus and shot put, with her shot put mark placing her into the top-five in school history, Saturday at the Arkansas Spring Invitational.

Zarankaite continued her dominant junior outdoor season this weekend by adding two more titles to her list of accomplishments. Zarankaite edged Wichita State's Kelsey Slawson in both the shot put and the discus to keep her 2017 record perfect after claiming the same event titles in Tulsa a week ago.

"She's a competitor," coach Dave Smith said. "The weather wasn't great and it wasn't suitable for getting great marks, so in this situation we just want people to compete and she got two wins for us."

She threw for 14.75m/48-4.75 feet to win the shot put and secure the No. 5 mark in Cowgirl history.

Rogers, Arkansas, native Christian Liddell ran in the men's steeplechase for the first time in his OSU career and won the race in his home state in a personal best time of 9:18.65.

Liddell's win was the first one of the day for the Pokes on the track, but it wasn't the last as Big 12 champion Abbie Hetherington took first in the seeded running of the 800.

Hetherington clocked a 2:07.42 and ran down Trinidad and Tobago's Alena Brooks in the last 50 meters for the event win and the best time of the day.

"I think it's her second best time ever and that's pretty good, considering the conditions," Smith said. " It was very cold, wet and windy. There were a lot of reasons to not run fast today, but she did, and it should be good enough to qualify for the West Regional."

The seeded men's 1,500-meter run featured five Cowboys and two finished in the top-five, including redshirt freshman Heinrich van Niekerk, who took second and topped his week-old personal best by a second.

Sukhi Khosla finished fourth in the 1,500 and joined van Niekerk in the top-five of the Big 12 in the event with his personal best of 3:54.93.

Three-time 800-meter All-American Savannah Camacho ran in the 400-meter dash. The change in distance didn't affect the Cowgirl senior as she finished fifth in a field with two professionals with the seventh-best time in school history of 55.85.

"We wanted to give her some speed work before Stanford," Smith said. "She's run a bit faster before, but today was more about competing than running a fast time."

Camacho is expected to move up to the 800 next weekend in her home state of California at the Stanford Invitational.

In the women's javelin, Megan Honas nearly made it back-to-back javelin titles in Fayetteville, but the Cowgirl senior settled for second with a throw of 44.92m/147-4.

Next week, OSU heads to the West Coast for the Stanford Invitational, but this weekend of competition isn't finished just yet for two OSU freshmen competing overseas.

"For Alec and Michelle, I just want them to enjoy the experience," Smith said. "I'm not sure what to expect because the course is very strange and it's a true world cross country course, but if they go out a little conservative and finish strong, I think they'll be OK."

Alec Haines and U.S. Junior cross country champion Michelle Magnani run Sunday morning in the IAAF Cross Country World Championships in Kampala, Uganda.

A tape-delayed airing of the event will be shown Sunday at 11:25 a.m. CT on USA and NBC Sports Extra. Fans can also keep up with the OSU freshmen's progress on Twitter at @run4okstate.

Arkansas Spring Invitational | Fayetteville, Ark. | March 25, 2017

Women's Results

100 Meters
20. Gianna Moulis – 13.14 (+0.5)

200 Meters
22. Megan Harris – 25.59 (+0.6)
32. Emily Hart – 26.17 (+0.5)
35. Erin Hart – 26.41 (-0.6)
36. Gianna Moulis – 27.03 (-0.6)
37. Summor Fields – 27.36 (+0.6)
38. Hailey Matthews – 27.44 (+0.3)
39. Elaina Nole – 31.19 (-1.0)

400 Meters
5. Savannah Camacho – 55.85

800 Meters
3. Danielle Coleman – 2:15.09
6. Haley Geissler – 2:16.75
14. Sarah Johnson – 2:24.77
20. Kaci McCary – 2:28.14
21. Rachel Norman – 2:29.38
23. Kaylee Oyler – 2:30.69
26. Rachel Nowak – 2:56.80
27. Darby Crynes – 3:03.28

800 Meters (Seeded)
1. Abbie Hetherington – 2:07.42
3. Ariane Ballner – 2:10.16
8. Anna Boyert – 2:13.24

1,500 Meters
6. Kami Hankins – 4:59.60
10. Bailey Sutherlin – 5:04.47

1,500 Meters (Seeded)
9. Clara Nichols – 4:39.21

3,000 Meters
10. Gintare Zenkeviciute – 10:04.19
11. Natalie Baker – 10:04.38
25. Anna Gunter – 11:05.33

100 Meter Hurdles
7. Emily Hart – 14.57 (+2.3)
17. Erin Hart – 15.65 (+0.8)
19. Sarah Robinson – 15.89 (+2.1)
21. Hailey Matthews – 17.40 (+0.8)
22. Elaina Nole – 18.83 (+0.8)
23. Kennedy Turner – 19.59 (+2.1)

400 Meter Hurdles
7. Kennedy Turner – 1:03.99
13. Sarah Robinson – 1:05.62
17. Cydney Crook – 1:15.28

4X100 Meter Relay
10. Oklahoma State Team A – 48.81

4X400 Meter Relay
4. Oklahoma State Team A – 3:47.56
9. Oklahoma State Team B – 4:00.76

Pole Vault
6. Elliett Kulkin – 3.55m/11-7.25

High Jump
3. Fenja Krohn – 1.60m/5-3

Shot Put
1. Ieva Zarankaite – 14.75m/48-4.75
4. Katie Kehl – 14.05m/46-1.25
15. Jocelen Ruth – 12.28m/40-3.5

Javelin Throw
2. Megan Honas – 44.92m/147-4
10. Michaela Vasey – 32.02m/105-1

Discus
1. Ieva Zarankaite – 47.44m/155-8
7. Katie Kehl – 41.33m/135-7
11. Jocelen Ruth – 36.17m/118-8

Men's Results

100 Meters
13. Logan Daily – 11.00 (+0.4)
18. Cole Norton – 11.07 (+0.4)
21. Temitope Olonisakin – 11.19 (+0.4)
22. Ty Smith – 11.20 (+0.4)

200 Meters
17. Ty Smith – 22.41

1,500 Meters
4. William Edmonds – 4:02.35
5. Bryce Balenseifen – 4:02.65

1,500 Meters (Seeded)
2. Heinrich van Niekerk – 3:54.12
4. Sukhi Khosla – 3:54.93
9. Garrett Calhoun – 3:59.93
10. Brigham Hedges – 4:00.77
12. Ryan Wheatley – 4:14.66

3,000 Meter Steeplechase
1. Christian Liddell – 9:18.65

4X100 Meter Relay
--. Oklahoma State Team A – DNF

4X400 Meter Relay
3. Oklahoma State Team A – 3:15.19

Pole Vault
--. Ryan McIntire - NH

High Jump
--. Reid Joyner - NH

Long Jump
6. Simon Imagbe – 6.58m/21-7.25 (+2.0)

Javelin Throw
6. Wesley Hallof – 46.44m/152-4
7. Sean Casey – 45.50m/149-3