OSU Sends Three More to Eugene

Thursday, May 25

Austin, Tex.

All Day

Oklahoma State University

NCAA West Regional

May 27, 2017 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

Edwards, Nowak and Thompson head to 1,500 Semifinals

AUSTIN, Texas – Three Oklahoma State seniors advanced to the NCAA Championships at the final day of the West Preliminary Rounds Saturday in Austin, Texas.

All three athletes advanced to the meet in Eugene, Oregon, within an hour of one another as Kaela Edwards scored an automatic place in the women's 1,500-meter semifinal, and Josh Thompson and Craig Nowak both secured their first trip to the NCAA Championships in the men's 1,500.

Six-time All-American Edwards was positioned on the rail for the start of the quarterfinal and led the race wire-to-wire, crossing the line in 4:28.49.

"Every race is going to be different," Edwards said "Based on the conditions I thought it would be slow and I thought I might end up having to lead the race, which I did. It was really nice because I could control the race. I'm in a position now where people key off of me instead of doing what they want to do."

When Edwards toes the line in Eugene for the 1,500-meter semifinal, it will be her third-straight Hayward field appearance and second in the 1,500.

"Regionals are so much more nerve-racking than indoors," Edwards said. "Indoors, you can run a good time during the year and know you're in, but outdoors you can have an amazing season and you're still not guaranteed to make it through."

Last year, she finished sixth in the national final, battling through an injury that had been lingering for over a month and kept her out of the Big 12 Championships.

"I'm excited to be healthy," Edwards said. "I trained so heavily through most races this year, except for Nationals, so I've been pretty tired. Now that I've taken my training down, I feel sharp and I'm feeling strong on the homestretch, which is a good feeling because I've missed that a lot this year."

Her fourth-place mile finish at the NCAA Championships indoors made her the highest-scoring OSU athlete all-time at indoor championships. Overall, Edwards has scored 33 points at NCAA events, the fourth-most by a Cowgirl all-time behind Nataljia Piliusina's 36, Christine McMiken's 37 and Jackie Goodman's 42.

Immediately following Edwards' qualification, Nowak took to the track seeking his first individual NCAA Track and Field Championship appearance. The two-time All-American earned his first honor on the track this past indoor season as a member of the Cowboy distance medley relay team.

Nowak finished fifth with an automatic qualifying spot in the first heat of the quarterfinal.

"Today it was mainly about surviving and advancing," Nowak said. "You can't do anything too stupid, and just have to stay in position, which is easier said than done sometimes. We executed pretty well and maybe even left it a little close at the end there, but all that matters is getting to Eugene."

His heat was the slower of the two with the winner, New Mexico's Josh Kerr, crossing the line in 4:00.

Thompson cruised to the top-spot in the West with a 3:47.38 in heat two.

"I knew it was going to be tactical and we had a time to beat, so I was just trying to stay on the outside and stay out of trouble," Thompson said. "I was a little stressed before the race, waiting to see Craig's name pop up on the screen, but when I saw him get it, it gave me extra motivation to get that qualifying spot."

The tickets to Eugene are the first for the Cowboy senior duo, and will be their second NCAA Track and Field Championship appearance this year.

"Right now, it's about resting up," Nowak said. "You can't really get more fit and all you can do is keep the legs moving and get yourself ready for Eugene."

Nowak ran the opening leg for the Cowboys' sixth-place DMR team, and Thompson finished sixth in the mile indoors for his second All-America honor of the year back in March.

Thompson now has the opportunity to earn individual first-team All-America honors in three consecutive NCAA athletics seasons. The last time a Cowboy completed the All-America treble was during the 1996-97 season.

Despite a season's best 39.96 in the 4X100-meter relay, the Cowboy quartet of Logan Daily, Anthony Grogan Jr., Tyler Jackson and Jacob Fincham-Dukes came up just short of a bid to the NCAA Championships.

The nearly 100-degree on-track temperature produced some of the fastest times of the year, including OSU's effort, but the Cowboys finished three-hundredths of a second off the final qualifying time.

OSU's time Saturday would have sent them to Eugene with the 10-seed in the West back in 2016.

With the conclusion of the NCAA West Prelims in Austin, and the East Prelims in Louisville, Kentucky, the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships fields are set.

OSU sends five Cowboys to the championship in three events, including Nowak and Thompson in the 1,500, Hassan Abdi and Sylvester Barus in the 10,000 and Fincham-Dukes in the long jump.

Along with Edwards, Kaylee Dodd is headed to Eugene for the 800-meter run and Ieva Zarankaite punched her ticket to the championship for the discus throw.

Last year, the Cowboys finished 15th and the Cowgirls took 12th. John Teeters, Nick Miller, Kaela Edwards, Aurora Dybedokken, Ingeborg Loevnes and Chase Ealey were OSU's first-team All-Americans a season ago.

NCAA West Preliminary Rounds | Austin, Texas | May 27, 2017

Women's Results

1,500 Meters Quarterfinal
11. Kaela Edwards – 4:28.49Q

Shot Put
20. Ieva Zarankaite – 15.56m/51-0

Men's Results

1,500 Meters Quarterfinal
1. Josh Thompson – 3:47.38Q
15. Craig Nowak – 4:00.42Q

4X100-Meters
18. Oklahoma State Team A – 39.96
L. Daily, A. Grogan Jr.,
T. Jackson, J. Fincham-Dukes

Oklahoma State NCAA Championship Qualifiers
Hassan Abdi – 10,000 Meters
Sylvester Barus – 10,000 Meters
Kaylee Dodd – 800 Meters
Kaela Edwards – 1,500 Meters
Jacob Fincham-Dukes – Long Jump
Craig Nowak – 1,500 Meters
Josh Thompson – 1,500 Meters
Ieva Zarankaite – Discus