Oklahoma State University Athletics
Nowak, Thompson Advance to NCAA Final
June 07, 2017 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
EUGENE, Ore. – Cowboy seniors Josh Thompson and Craig Nowak both advanced to the 1,500-meter final for the first time in their Cowboy careers, Wednesday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
"They looked great," men's middle-distance coach Bobby Lockhart said. "They ran smart races and looked really impressive in that last 100. If they race like that in the final, they'll be contenders and have a great chance to be first-team All-Americans."
Thompson took second in the first heat of the semifinal to earn an automatic qualifying spot. His 3:40.12 was the No. 2 time of the day.
Nowak also claimed an automatic spot, finishing third in heat two in 3:44.79. While he took sixth as a member of the DMR team at the indoor championships back in March, Nowak's place in the 1,500 final gives him the chance for his first individual All-America honor since the 2014 cross country season.
"He dealt with a lot of respiratory problems early on and I think we found a really good balance of how to train him," Lockhart said. "We've altered workouts and he's running differently, but honestly, he's just running with a lot more confidence now and I think he's been huge for the program."
Thompson's place as one of 12 men in the final puts him in position to become the first Cowboy since 1996-97 to earn individual first-team All-America honors in all three NCAA athletics seasons.
"Josh has exceeded expectations from when we recruited him out of junior college and he's gotten exponentially better each year," Lockhart said. "With how he's been going, all he has to do is race like he has been all year and he'll be in the mix for sure. He was disappointed with the sixth-place finish [in the mile] indoors and he'll be looking to better it Friday."
The last two Cowboys to make the 1,500-meter final, Chad Noelle in 2015 and German Fernandez in 2009, both went on to win the NCAA title that year.
Nowak and Thompson toe the line for the final race of their OSU careers Friday at 7:42 p.m. CT.
Cowboy sophomore Jacob Fincham-Dukes finished ninth in the long jump final with a leap of 7.61m/24-11.75 feet.
Fincham-Dukes' historic sophomore season included a 10th-place finish at the indoor championships, and a school record in the long jump outdoors. He won OSU's first conference title in the long jump since 1962 at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships back in May, and was one of just seven men to record a mark of over eight meters during the 2017 outdoor season.
The men's competition takes Thursday off to make way for the start of the women's championship.
Kaela Edwards and Kaylee Dodd will be the Cowgirls' sole representatives in the women's 1,500-and 800-meter runs, respectively, Thursday, and Ieva Zarankaite throws in the discus final Saturday.
NCAA Outdoor Championships | June 7, 2017 | Eugene, Oregon
Men's Results
1,500 Meters Semifinal
2. Josh Thompson – 3:40.12Q
12. Craig Nowak – 3:44.79Q
10,000 Meters Final
23. Sylvester Barus – 30:43.11
--. Hassan Abdi – DNF
Long Jump Final
9. Jacob Fincham-Dukes – 7.61m/24-11.75
"They looked great," men's middle-distance coach Bobby Lockhart said. "They ran smart races and looked really impressive in that last 100. If they race like that in the final, they'll be contenders and have a great chance to be first-team All-Americans."
Thompson took second in the first heat of the semifinal to earn an automatic qualifying spot. His 3:40.12 was the No. 2 time of the day.
Nowak also claimed an automatic spot, finishing third in heat two in 3:44.79. While he took sixth as a member of the DMR team at the indoor championships back in March, Nowak's place in the 1,500 final gives him the chance for his first individual All-America honor since the 2014 cross country season.
"He dealt with a lot of respiratory problems early on and I think we found a really good balance of how to train him," Lockhart said. "We've altered workouts and he's running differently, but honestly, he's just running with a lot more confidence now and I think he's been huge for the program."
Thompson's place as one of 12 men in the final puts him in position to become the first Cowboy since 1996-97 to earn individual first-team All-America honors in all three NCAA athletics seasons.
"Josh has exceeded expectations from when we recruited him out of junior college and he's gotten exponentially better each year," Lockhart said. "With how he's been going, all he has to do is race like he has been all year and he'll be in the mix for sure. He was disappointed with the sixth-place finish [in the mile] indoors and he'll be looking to better it Friday."
The last two Cowboys to make the 1,500-meter final, Chad Noelle in 2015 and German Fernandez in 2009, both went on to win the NCAA title that year.
Nowak and Thompson toe the line for the final race of their OSU careers Friday at 7:42 p.m. CT.
Cowboy sophomore Jacob Fincham-Dukes finished ninth in the long jump final with a leap of 7.61m/24-11.75 feet.
Fincham-Dukes' historic sophomore season included a 10th-place finish at the indoor championships, and a school record in the long jump outdoors. He won OSU's first conference title in the long jump since 1962 at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships back in May, and was one of just seven men to record a mark of over eight meters during the 2017 outdoor season.
The men's competition takes Thursday off to make way for the start of the women's championship.
Kaela Edwards and Kaylee Dodd will be the Cowgirls' sole representatives in the women's 1,500-and 800-meter runs, respectively, Thursday, and Ieva Zarankaite throws in the discus final Saturday.
NCAA Outdoor Championships | June 7, 2017 | Eugene, Oregon
Men's Results
1,500 Meters Semifinal
2. Josh Thompson – 3:40.12Q
12. Craig Nowak – 3:44.79Q
10,000 Meters Final
23. Sylvester Barus – 30:43.11
--. Hassan Abdi – DNF
Long Jump Final
9. Jacob Fincham-Dukes – 7.61m/24-11.75
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Middle Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Middle Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Sprints/Jumps
/ Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Middle Distance
/ Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Throws
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