Oklahoma State Ends NCAA West Prelims With 11 National Qualifying Performances

Wednesday, May 26

College Station, TX

ALL DAY

Oklahoma State University

NCAA West Preliminary Championship

Oklahoma State Ends NCAA West Prelims With 11 National Qualifying Performances

May 29, 2021 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – In an action-packed fourth and final day of competition from the NCAA West Regional Preliminary Championship, the Oklahoma State track and field team had 8 of its student-athletes and the Cowgirl 4x400 relay unit punch their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship, emerging with 11 total qualifying performances on the weekend.

"The first step is to believe," Dave Smith, director of OSU cross country and track and field, said. "For the ones that made it and for a lot of the athletes that didn't, they believed whole-heartedly they could do it. The belief is not going to get the job done, but without it you can start the job in the first place; it's essential but not sufficient. That's the magic of this team this whole year: we've got a bunch of kids who believe in themselves."

After constant lightning delays eventually postponed the entirety of day three's running events on Friday, Saturday proved to be an exciting occasion as the men's and women's events were combined; some of the best track and field talent in the country was on display in the West Prelim finale.

Early on in day four, Ashton Hicks set the tone and punched his ticket to the national championship for the men's 400 meter title race with 45.73 pace in the quarterfinal round, a time that topped his first-round season best and earned him the 11th-place finish in the field.

"Every great athlete has their moment where they have to face adversity and make a decision about what they want to do," sprints coach Giles McDonnell said. "Ashton showed up an hour before he's supposed to race in 80 plus degree weather with a killer migraine; that's pretty tough. I was really proud, not necessarily because he qualified for nationals or because he ran a time that kind of shows he's moving in the right direction, I was just proud of the fact that, no matter what, he willed himself into and through that race."

Shortly after Hicks' performance, Aaliyah Birmingham followed up in the women's 400 meters with a nationals-worthy race of her own. The Cowgirls' all-time performer in the event finished in 51.57, only six-hundredths of a second off her school-record 51.51 pace she set at the 2019 Big 12 Championship. The time placed her 10th overall.

In the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase, a Cowboy all-timer in Ryan Smeeton earned himself a trip to Eugene with a time of 8:39.53, which earned him fifth place. The senior from Calgary, Alberta, Canada will have a chance to repeat as a first-team All-American after finishing runner-up in the same event at the 2019 NCAA Championship.

"I'm really, really happy for Ryan," Smith said. "He ran under control. He ran with confidence. He ran with poise. He ran like a guy who knew he was going to make it through. He took no risks because he didn't need to. He played it very safe and came through unscathed which is right where you want to be heading to nationals."
Just as they had on day two of the competition, the middle distance Cowgirls simply dominated the field. When the dust settled following three competitive heats, a trio of Cowgirls – Kaytlyn Larson, Stephanie Moss and Sivan Auerabch – qualified themselves for the national meet.

For Larson, the senior earned herself the second-consecutive, top-five finish of the weekend, winning her heat and finishing fifth in the field in 2:04.56. Moss (2:05.56) and Auerbach (2:05.49), both true freshman of the Cowgirl distance unit, will join Larson and as three of the 12 total qualifiers from the West Regional.

As the day came to a close, distance specialist Gabby Hentemann made her trip to College Station worth the while with a lifetime best in the women's 5,000 meters. Her final time of 16:00.49 placed her 10th and earned her a ticket to the NCAA Championship.

Rounding out OSU's track event qualifiers, the Cowgirl 4x400 meter relay unit of Birmingham, Kalaya Ali, Tori Ortiz and Christina Ollison finished in a school-record time of 3:34.28, besting the record set by Ali, Nicolette Dixon, Ollison and Birmingham at the Texas Invitational earlier this season.

"Christina simply willed that team into the finals," Smith said. "I get emotional thinking about it because that girl works so hard and wanted it so bad. You could see it in the way she ran that last 200, 300 meters. To run the fastest split of her life and clinch a spot at nationals for that group, it's just unbelievable."

On the women's side of things in the field events, it was Finnish jumps specialist Saara Hakanen who represented well. The outdoor freshman cleared a personal best 1.82m height on her way to the nationally qualifying fourth-place finish. The mark also ranks second all-time for the Cowgirls, behind only Toni Young's 1.87m leap at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championship.

During her record-setting performance, however, Hakanen suffered a lower leg injury, the severity of which is unknown at this time. Out of precaution, she declined to compete in the triple jump, for which she was also regionally qualified.

"We don't know if she'll be able to go this time next week," Smith said. "Just heartbreaking for a kid that works really hard and believed she was going to make it. For someone who's not only a great athlete but a good human being, it hurts. Just want to give a nod to her and Coach Zivile for the work they've done to get to this point."

Following an incredible showing of the some of the NCAA's best, the Pokes will head back to Stillwater. While offseason training begins for a number of OSU student-athletes, the Nationally qualified Pokes will have a week to reset, recover and refocus on the grand finale of the outdoor season in Eugene, Oregon on June 9-12.

Men's Individual Results

Shot Put (First Round)
33. Torrey Hickel - 17.64m
34. Michael Releford - 17.23m

400 Meters (First Round)
4. Ashton Hicks - 45.78

800 Meters (First Round)
16. Juan Diego Castro - 1:49.00

10,000 Meters (Semifinal)
6. Isai Rodriguez - 29:11.15
12. Victor Shitsama - 29:28.96
15. Alex Maier - 29:28.96

400 Meters (Quarterfinal)
11. Ashton Hicks - 45.73

800 Meters (Quarterfinal)
13. Juan Diego Castro - 1:49.40

4x400 Meter Relay (Quarterfinal)
14. Oklahoma State - 3:06.77
(A. Hicks, C. Newsome, C. Merutka, D. McArthur)

3,000 Meter Steeplechase (Quarterfinal)
5. Ryan Smeeton - 8:39.53
31. Jonas Price - 9:04.89

5,000 Meters (Semifinal)
36. Ryan Schoppe - 14:32.26

Women's Individual Results

Javelin Throw (First Round)
14. Kelsey Kehl - 48.95m

Pole Vault (First Round)
26. Elissa Ray - 3.92m

400 Meters (First Round)
7. Aaliyah Birmingham - 51.81
22. Christina Ollison - 53.40
– Nicolette Dixon - DNF

800 Meters (First Round)
2. Kaytlyn Larson - 2:04.93
14. Sivan Auerbach - 2:06.45
21. Stephanie Moss - 2:07.14
27. Rilee Rigdon - 2:07.70
33. Maddie Salek - 2:08.73

10,000 Meters (Semifinal)
– Molly Born - DNF

High Jump (First Round)
4. Saara Hakanen - 1.82m
– Bailey Golden - NH

Triple Jump (First Round)
– Saara Hakanen - DNS

400 Meters (Quarterfinal)
10. Aaliyah Birmingham - 51.57
22. Christina Ollison - 53.47

800 Meters (Quarterfinal)
5. Kaytlyn Larson - 2:04.56
10. Stephanie Moss - 2:05.06
12. Sivan Auerbach - 2:05.49
18. Maddie Salek - 2:06.30
21. Rilee Rigdon - 2:06.98

5,000 Meters (Semifinal)
9. Gabby Hentemann - 16:00.49

4x400 Meter Relay (Quarterfinal)
11. Oklahoma State - 3:34.28
(A. Birmingham, K. Ali, T. Ortiz, C. Ollison)