Pokes Hit The Road for Big 12 Championships

Friday, October 30

Lawrence, KS

10:00 AM

Oklahoma State University

Big 12 Cross Country Championship

October 28, 2020 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

Meet Notes
Live Results: https://live.pttiming.com/XC-PTT.html?mid=2065

THE BASICS
In the first and only road meet of the segmented season, the Oklahoma State men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Lawrence, Kansas for the 2020 Big 12 Cross Country Championships. In the fall season finale, the goal for both the men's and women's teams is clear: the title of Big 12 Champions. The Cowboys are raring to get their hands on the hardware after back-to-back runner-up team finishes in 2018 and 2019. An event win at the conference meet would be the first for the Cowboys since 2016 and the 10th-ever under Head Coach Dave Smith. For the Cowgirls, Friday's race will be a matter of defending the title. After securing the second-ever women's Big 12 Championship in 2019, the women of Oklahoma State's cross country team are eager to reclaim the trophy and maintain their dominance of the Big 12.

BACK FOR MORE
Although the fall cross country season was unaffected by NCAA cancellations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, for many of the distance runners of OSU's program, the wait to compete lasted nearly a year. The Cowboys enter into the new season after a runner-up finish at the 2019 Big 12 Championships and a fifth-place finish in the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Cowgirls are a year removed from capturing their second-ever Big 12 title and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Such impressive team finishes for the women rested on the shoulders of two All American Cowgirls in Molly Born and Taylor Somers, who raced as individuals in the NCAA National Championships and crossed the finish line in 16th and 18th place, respectively.

LAST TIME AT THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
On the shoulders of runner-up Taylor Somers and third-place finisher Molly Born, the Cowgirls raised the trophy at the 2019 Big 12 Cross Country Championships. The event win marked the Cowgirls' second in program history and first since 2015. Kaytlyn Larson, Taylor Roe and Ariane Ballner joined Somers and Born in the top 20 and scored points that were crucial to the Cowgirls' victory. The Cowboys, in their second-straight runner-up finish, relied on 2018 Cross Country All-American Isai Rodriguez and 2019 Outdoor All-American Ryan Smeeton to secure second place. The duo of Rodriguez and Smeeton finished second and third, respectively, followed by Bryce Quigley, Alec Haines and Alex Maier in the top 20.

THE FIELD
Women's 6K
Baylor
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma
(RV) Oklahoma State
TCU
(29) Texas
Texas Tech
RV West Virginia

Men's 8K
Baylor
(10) Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma
(5) Oklahoma State
TCU
(24) Texas
Texas Tech
West Virginia

FOLLOW THE MEET
Fans can follow the action live on Twitter by following @run4okstate for updates or check the link below for real-time results. Official results will be published on www.okstate.com as soon as they become available, along with a recap of OSU's day on the course.

Live Results: https://live.pttiming.com/XC-PTT.html?mid=2065

MEET SCHEDULE
The Big 12 Championships will take place at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas.

- Women's 6K: 10 a.m. CT
- Men's 8K: 11 a.m. CT

FROM COACH SMITH
On this year's Big 12 Championship compared to previous years':
"You know, there hasn't been as many meaningful competitions around the country and around our conference. We had two home meets here. First, it the Jamboree where we got to run against most of the conference, including Iowa State. And then it was the OSU Invitational, where we ran against BYU, NAU and runners from Colorado, three of the top four teams from last year's NCAA Championships. With that, I think we've had some exposure to good competition. For a lot of the teams in our conference, they haven't really show what they can do yet; they haven't had a chance to run against tough competition. So there's a lack of understanding with exactly how good each team is and how we stack up with them. We've just been fortunate to have a more quote-on-quote normal schedule. Heading into the conference meet, we're fortunate that we're in a situation, other than the testing protocols and face masks and the things we're doing to stay safe, everything is the same for us. We're going into it excited to win one on the men's side. For the women, they're looking to defend that title. Both teams are excited to have the opportunity to race."