OSU Track and Field Travels to Arkansas, Indiana for Final Tune Up

OSU Track and Field Travels to Arkansas, Indiana for Final Tune Up

February 13, 2019 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

Meet Information
• Events – Arkansas Qualifier and the Alex Wilson Invitational
• Times – Arkansas Qualifier: Friday at 2 p.m.; Alex Wilson Invitational: Saturday at 11 a.m.
• Facilities – Randal Tyson Track Center and the Loftus Sports Center
Meet Notes

The Basics
The Oklahoma State track and field team sends a majority of its athletes to the Arkansas Qualifier in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but also has a small contingent to the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Indiana.
               In Arkansas, every group is represented with Garrett Calhoun, LaKyron Mays, Abbie Hetherington and Schuyler Wood-Hilderbrandt leading the way.
               The men's distance medley relay team is running in hopes of qualifying for the national championships. The top-four performances in the event have all been set at the Alex Wilson Invitational.

Follow the Meet
           Fans can follow the action live on Twitter by following @run4okstate for updates. Final results will be published on www.okstate.com, along with a recap of OSU's day on the track.

Throws/Multis/Pole Vault Coach Josh Langley on the Meet
On goals for the weekend in Arkansas
"We're looking to sharpen up in a couple events. I don't think we're looking for anything other than that. In the Multis, we'll be taking a little bit easy. For the throws, we'll look to hit one or two throws, feel out our technique and come home healthy."

On not losing focus with big meets ahead
"For some of the kids, they're looking to make the Big 12 roster, so the focus will be there. That's pretty easy. For those who feel secure in their spot, they realize the importance this weekend. They're obviously not looking to peak, but if they don't have the best weekend, they should have a firm understanding the process."

Rewriting the Record Books
               Six school records have been rewritten so far this season for the Oklahoma State track and field teams.
               The Cowgirl distance medley relay squad of Molly Sughroue, Nicolette Dixon, Kaylee Dodd
and Sinclaire Johnson ran a time of 10:55.93 at the UW Invitational. The time was not only the school record, but also the meet record. They broke the school record by almost six seconds and broke the meet record by almost seven seconds. The previous record was set in 2016.
               Bailey Golden broke the school record in the pentathlon with a score of 3,564 at the
Razorback Invitational. She broke Melody Vaughn's record of 3,498 points which was set back
in 1998.
               Aaliyah Birmingham, a transfer athlete coming in from the University of Tulsa, broke the
school record at the Arkansas Invitational in the 60 meters in her first race as a Cowgirl. Her
new school-best time of 7.42 surpassed Kira White's previous record of 7.54, set back in 2017. She topped her own record last weekend at the Texas Tech Shootout with a time of 7.35.
               Jacob Fincham-Dukes, who is also the indoor and outdoor long jump record holder, set the
school record in the 60-meter hurdles. He ran an 8.32 at the Arkansas Invitational. Fincham-Dukes also bested his own record in the long jump. He jumped 7.87m/25-10 at the Don Kirby Elite to beat his old record by one centimeter.
               Ashton Hicks is only a freshman, but put himself at the top of the 400-meters performance list, running a 46.31 to set the school record in that event. He topped Timmy Thomas' 28-year-old record. Nobody on OSU's roster was born when Thomas set that record in 1991.
               With three weekends left of competition, OSU's current records are still at risk of being broken.

OSU on a National Level
               This season has seen OSU earn bunches of top performances in the nation.
               The Cowboys and Cowgirls currently own six top-25 marks in the NCAA, including the No. 1 time in the women's distance medley relay.
               The women's DMR squad leads the country with a time of 10.55.93. Unless 12 teams put up a better time in the next three weekends of competition, the Cowgirls have a spot secured at the national meet.
               Jacob Fincham-Dukes' qualifying chances are also high, as he sits at No. 7 in the country with his school-record mark of 7.87m/25-10.
               Sinclaire Johnson owns the 14th-best women's Mile time in the country. She ran a 4:35.62 at the UW Invitational and has a chance to better her time over the next two weekends to cement her qualifying position.
               Ashton Hicks is barely on the outside of a qualifying spot in the men's 400 meters. He set a school record in the event with a time of 46.31, which was converted to a 46.42 for qualifying purposes. His performance came in Lubbock, Texas, which is at altitude, meaning his time had to be converted as if he weren't at altitude.
               Isai Rodriguez's 7:54.33 3,000 meters time is No. 21 in the country. He finished eighth in a loaded field at the Husky Classic last weekend.
               Kaylee Dodd's 800 meters performance at the Iowa State Classic is No. 25 in the country. She will need to run at least a half-second faster to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
               At the conference level, OSU hold 13 top-five performances and 31 top-10 performances.
               The Cowboys and Cowgirls have proven themselves on a national level and can show the rest of the country in the coming weeks.