Castro Flirts With Sub-Four Mile, Cowgirl 4x400m Relay Improves School Record to Cap-Off Busy Weekend

Friday, February 14

Lubbock, TX

10:00 a.m.

Oklahoma State University

Texas Tech Shootout

Castro Flirts With Sub-Four Mile, Cowgirl 4x400m Relay Improves School Record to Cap-Off Busy Weekend

February 15, 2020 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

STILLWATER – Juan Diego Castro nearly ran sub-four minutes in the mile and the women's 4x400-meter relay team of Kalaya Ali, Christina Ollison, Michaela Travers and Aaliyah Birmingham broke the indoor school record as the Oklahoma State track and field teams wrapped up a busy weekend in two different states.

Castro, who set the Costa Rican record in the mile at the Razorback Invitational on Feb. 1, shaved 2.92 seconds off of that mark to run 4:00.43 and finish eighth place overall in an elite field at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Washington. For the time being, that time clocks in at third fastest in the Big 12 and 23^rd fastest in the nation this season.

For the Cowgirls, freshman Gabija Galvydyte ran a personal-best time of 2:08.35 in the 800 meters to place 11^th in a strong field at the Husky Classic. Maddie Salek finished closely behind in 16^th place, also running a new personal-best time of 2:09.68.

In Lubbock, both the men's and the women's 4x400-meter relay teams put an exclamation point on the end of the weekend with historic performances. First, the women's quartet of Ali, Ollison, Travers and Birmingham ran 3:39.06 to improve the school record set by Birmingham, Ollison, Ali and Nicolette Dixon at the Razorback Invitational two weeks ago. The men's squad of Andrew Merutka, Ashton Hicks, DeJuana McArthur and LaKyron Mays followed that up by putting down the second fastest indoor time in OSU history, getting the baton around in 3:09.39.

"The men's and women's 4x400 relays both had good showings and a great 'next person up' mentality. One of our top guys was sick, and DJ [McArthur] stepped in and they competed and ran faster than any OSU 4x400 since 1971," sprints coach Giles McDonnell said. "For the women, unfortunately Nicolette [Dixon] injured her foot, so Michaela [Travers] stepped in. Nicki is a very important piece of what we do, so Michaela stepping in and running as aggressively as she did shows growth in her as an athlete, but also says a lot about the group as a whole. To establish a school record without one of your stalwarts is impressive."

In the 400 meters, Hicks ran a season-best 46.48 to take third place while Mays finished 11^th in a time of 47.59. For the Cowgirls, Birmingham clocked in at 54.04 in an eighth-place finish while Ollison, who was battling food poisoning, ran a near personal-best time of 54.46 to take 11^th place.

"Christina [Ollison] was nowhere near feeling 100 percent today, but she competed so hard regardless. She has a ton of heart," McDonnell said.

McArthur and Justin Long competed in the 600-yard race, finishing third and fourth places, respectively. On the women's side, Travers ran a new personal-best 600-yard time to finish sixth place.

Other notable performances by the Pokes at the Texas Tech Shootout included a fifth-place finish for Torrey Hickel in the shot put, a fourth-place effort by Cowgirl freshman Ariadni Adamopoulou in the pole vault, and sixth and eighth-place finishes in the triple jump by freshman Saara Hakanen and Ryan Roane.

OSU will make its third trip of the indoor season to Fayetteville, Arkansas, next weekend for the Arkansas Qualifier. Action is scheduled to get underway at the Randal Tyson Track Center at 11 a.m. on Friday morning.

Men's Individual Results

Texas Tech Shootout

Shot Put
5. Torrey Hickel – 16.96m

60-Meter Hurdles (qualifying)
36. Jake Dyer – 8.96
37. William Edmonds – 9.02

60 Meters (qualifying)
14. Kurtis Cotton – 7.00

400 Meters
3. Ashton Hicks – 46.48
11. LaKyron Mays – 47.59

600 Yards
3. DeJuana McArthur – 1:10.86
4. Justin Long – 1:11.54

3,000 Meters
-- Nick Kenville – DNF

4x400-Meter Relay
3. Oklahoma State – 3:09.39
(Andrew Merutka, Ashton Hicks, DeJuana McArthur, LaKyron Mays)

Husky Classic

Mile
8. Juan Diego Castro – 4:00.43
53. Garrett Calhoun – 4:10.66

Women's Individual Results

Texas Tech Shootout

Shot Put
25. Hannah Bradford – 11.40m

Pole Vault
T4. Ariadni Adamopoulou – 4.10m
8. Allie Stern – 3.65m

Triple Jump
6. Saara Hakanen – 12.64m
8. Ryan Roane – 12.32m

60-Meter Hurdles (qualifying)
10. Megan Mann – 8.89
14. Bailey Golden – 9.04

60 Meters (qualifying)
8. Brooke Givens – 7.68q

60 Meters (prelims)
19. Brooke Givens – 7.73

400 Meters
8. Aaliyah Birmingham – 54.04
11. Christina Ollison – 54.46
29. Kalaya Ali – 56.55

600 Yards
6. Michaela Travers – 1:24.53

4x400-Meter Relay
5. Oklahoma State – 3:39.06
(Kalaya Ali, Christina Ollison, Michaela Travers, Aaliyah Birmingham)

Husky Classic

800 Meters
11. Gabija Galvydyte – 2:08.35
16. Maddie Salek – 2:09.68
34. Jayden Fiebiger – 2:13:93
40. Rilee Rigdon – 2:15.28

Mile
32. Ariane Ballner – 4:49.94
35. Kaytlyn Larson – 4:50.72
45. Gabby Hentemann – 4:53.78