Birmingham Breaks Two School Records on Final Day of Big 12 Indoor Championships

Friday, February 28

Ames, IA

10:00 a.m.

Oklahoma State University

Big 12 Indoor Championships

Birmingham Breaks Two School Records on Final Day of Big 12 Indoor Championships

March 01, 2020 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

AMES, Iowa – Oklahoma State sprinter Aaliyah Birmingham knocked down two school records on the second and final day of the Big 12 Indoor Championships at the Lied Recreation Athletic Facility in Ames, Iowa.

Birmingham, a senior from Tulsa, Oklahoma, finished as the runner-up in the 60 meters with a time of 7.22 to break her own school record she set at last year's conference meet. Her time is currently good for 11^th-fastest in the NCAA. The Cowgirl didn't stop there. In the 400 meters, she broke her second school record of the day with a third-place finish. She ran 53.15 to break Lisa Davis-Knowles' record that was set in 1986. Birmingham now owns both the indoor and outdoor 400-meter school records, as well as the 60 meters record.

"What I think sometimes goes unnoticed about Aaliyah is, I don't know the last time I saw someone run the 60 meters and the 400 meters at the Big 12 meet," sprints coach Giles McDonnell said. "She has that rare combination of being able to run 7.22 and then come back and run 53.15 in the 400 meters. I think that really shows the versatility she has as a sprinter. It shows that she can be an elite-level 400-meter runner."

In the team standings, the Cowgirls finished in a tie for sixth place with Kansas, scoring 54 points. On the men's side, the Pokes finished with 46 points in an eighth-place finish.

After advancing to the final with the fastest preliminary time, senior Kaytlyn Larson finished as the conference runner-up in the 800 meters, crossing in 2:07.81. Teammates Gabija Galvydyte and Maddie Salek each made the podium, earning sixth and seventh-place finishes respectively. For the Cowboys, Juan Diego Castro came in third in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:49.03.

"All the women in the 800 meters ran well, led by Kaytlyn Larson. Kat did a great job of going out and making something happen," head coach Dave Smith said. "I was very proud of her even though she didn't win, because she went out and ran to win and took charge of the race and I think that will carry over into the outdoor season."

In the 3,000-meter races, Isaiah Priddey turned in a strong performance to finish third place. Priddey, a sophomore from Hamilton, New Zealand, ran a season-best time of 8:16.09. For the Cowgirls, freshman Taylor Roe earned her first career all-conference honors with a fifth-place finish.

Senior Garrett Calhoun earned all-conference honors in the 1,000 meters for the second straight year. The Cowboy ran 2:28.15 in route to a third-place finish. Also making the podium in the 1,000 meters was Cowgirl Ariane Ballner. Ballner, a senior from Elmshorn, Germany, earned her third-career podium finish in the event.

Freshmen sprinters DeJuana McArthur and Andrew Merutka both made the top-six spots on the podium for the Cowboys in the 600-yard race. McArthur ran a personal-best time of 1:10.08 to take fourth place and Merutka was close behind with a sixth-place finish.

"A lot of times, the caliber of athletes that make finals in the Big 12 are generally national level candidates, or people that qualify for nationals," McDonnell said. "For them to be able to step up on the day and make finals and then comeback and compete hard says a lot about two young freshmen. DJ just keeps getting better and you know, he's a fighter. To go from a position of not sure what his role is going to be on the team, to now one of the top sprinters that we have, is a pretty amazing transition."

Finnish freshman Saara Hakanen set a new collegiate-best mark of 12.78 meters in the triple jump to get on the podium with a sixth-place finish in her first conference meet. Freshman Heidi Demeo also made the podium with an eighth-place finish in the mile.

In the 400 meters, Ashton Hicks put down a time of 47.08 to place fourth in the conference. Junior Alec Haines also made the podium for the Pokes with a sixth-place finish in the mile.

To wrap up the day, both OSU 4x400-meter relay teams ran well. The men's quartet of Hicks, Merutka, McArthur and Justin Long ran 3:08.84 to take fifth while the Cowgirls' quartet of Kalaya Ali, Christina Ollison, Galvydyte and Birmingham ran 3:40.14 to place sixth.

Only the NCAA Championships remain for the Pokes this indoor season. The top 16 times in each event make it to the national meet. OSU will wait and see which athletes made it through to the championships on March 13 and 14 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"The group of freshmen and sophomores we have right now combined with the incoming class we have already signed for next year, I think we have really big things coming on the women's side," Smith said. "We have the deepest class of men that we've ever had coming in next year, so I'm hopeful we can get back to where we were and be in the running to win this meet."

Team Results

Men's Team Standings

1. Iowa State (137)

2. Texas Tech - (127)

3. Texas (118)

8. Oklahoma State (46)

Women's Team Standings

1. Texas (180.33)

2. Texas Tech - (131)

3. Kansas State (91)

T6. Oklahoma State (54)

Men's Individual Results

Heptathlon (* = event was yesterday)
13. Jake Dyer – 4,736 points
            *3. 60 Meters – 7.06
            *12. Long Jump – 6.55m
            *3. Shot Put – 14.16m
            *14. High Jump – 1.75
            14. 60-Meter Hurdles – 8.92
            13. Pole Vault – 3.47m
            13. 1,000 Meters – 3:06.25

14. William Edmonds – 4,634 points
            *9. 60 Meters – 7.12
            *14. Long Jump – 6.39m
            *9. Shot Put – 12.20m
            *15. High Jump – 1.69m
            15. 60-Meter Hurdles – 9.11
            12. Pole Vault – 3.77m
            11. 1,000 Meters – 2:57.43

Shot Put
10. Torrey Hickel – 16.63m

400 Meters
4. Ashton Hicks – 47.08

600 Yards
4. DeJuana McArthur - 1:10.08
6. Andrew Merutka – 1:10.80

800 Meters
3. Juan Diego Castro – 1:49.03

1,000 Meters
3. Garrett Calhoun – 2:28.15

Mile
6. Alec Haines – 4:18.84
9. Sukhi Khosla – 4:23.78

3,000 Meters
3. Isaiah Priddey – 8:16.09
12. Victor Shitsama – 8:24.83
13. Alex Maier – 8:25.85
15. Ashenafi Hatte – 8:27.67
17. Ayrton Ledesma Fuentes – 8:30.90
21. Sukhi Khosla – 8:38.74
24. Alec Haines – 8:44.08

4x400-Meter Relay
5. Oklahoma State – 3:08.84
(Ashton Hicks, Andrew Merutka, DeJuana McArthur, Justin Long)

Women's Individual Results

Triple Jump
6. Saara Hakanen – 12.78m
20. Ryan Roane – 12.12m

60 Meters (* = school record)
2. Aaliyah Birmingham – 7.22*

400 Meters (* = school record)
3. Aaliyah Birmingham – 53.15*

800 Meters
2. Kaytlyn Larson – 2:07.81
6. Gabija Galvydyte – 2:09.48
7. Maddie Salek – 2:09.92

Mile
8. Heidi Demeo – 4:55.98
9. Gabby Hentemann – 5:01.59

1,000 Meters
5. Ariane Ballner – 2:51.88

3,000 Meters
5. Taylor Roe – 9:34.80
20. Kami Hankins – 9:57.68

4x400-Meter Relay
6. Oklahoma State – 3:40.14
(Kalaya Ali, Christina Ollison, Gabija Galvydyte, Aaliyah Birmingham)