Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Outperform National Rankings on Day Two of NCAA Outdoors
June 10, 2021 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
EUGENE, Ore. – In the first day of women's events from the NCAA DI Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the Cowgirls were well represented in the events in which they competed: each individual and the 4x400 relay team outperformed their national rankings in a gritty day of competition.
Opening up day two for the Pokes, 2019 Honorable Mention All-American Aaliyah Birmingham raced in the women's 400 meters semifinal, in which she was ranked 15th coming out of the regional preliminaries and into the national championships.
As a member of the third of three heats in the event, Birmingham's one-lap sprint from lane two earned her a time of 52:18, a pace that placed her 13th among some of the NCAA's fastest women.
The race marked Birmingham's last as individual in an OSU uniform. The Tulsa-transfer joined the Oklahoma State program in 2019, made an immediate impact on the program and rewrote her fair share of Cowgirl history along the way. She closes out her collegiate career as the Cowgirl record-holder in four events: indoor 60 meters, indoor 400 meters, outdoor 100 meters and outdoor 400 meters.
The two-time individual All-American is ranked favorably among the nation's fastest and, following the conclusion of the NCAA Championships, could be a qualifier for the US Olympic Trials in the women's 400 meters or the women's 100 meters on account of her school-record season best: an 11.31 pace she recorded at the Arkansas Twilight.
"She has laid a foundation, set a precedent for what sprints can be for this program," Assistant Coach Giles McDonnell said.
Following Birmingham, the talented trio of middle distance Cowgirls – Kaytlyn Larson, Stephanie Moss and Sivan Auerbach – each raced in the women's 800 meters, representing Oklahoma State as the only school to qualify three athletes to the national semifinal race.
First on the track, in heat two of three, Larson in lane five and Moss in lane nine raced well. Larson, the senior, clocked in at a lifetime best 2:04.29 for the 12th-place finish and Moss, the true freshman, finished in a time of 2:05.95, which placed her 17th in the field.
In the heat three, Ein Ayala, Israel-native, Sivan Auerbach recorded a 2:06.27 finish, good for 18th overall. All three Cowgirls outperformed their national rankings and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in the process. While Larson celebrates her OSU career, the future certainly seems bright for true freshman Moss and Auerbach.
Rounding out the Pokes' second day at Hayward Field, the Cowgirl 4x400 meter relay unit of Aaliyah Birmingham, Kalaya Ali, Nicolette Dixon and Christina Ollison clocked a 3:36.76 combined pace, earning them a 14th-place finish. Kept from the final by a talented field, Oklahoma State's sprints specialists have much to look forward to in the years to come.
After hitting the halfway mark of the four-day competition today, each of the 175 institutions represented at the national championships, Oklahoma State among them, will enter into the finals portion of the meet, starting with a full day of men's finals tomorrow, June 11.
Competing for an individual national championship, Ryan Smeeton will take to the track one last time as a Cowboy for the 3,000 meter steeplechase final at 7:24 p.m. CT.
Men's Individual Results
3,000 Meter Steeplechase (Semifinal)
3. Ryan Smeeton - 8:31.75
400 Meters (Semifinal)
22. Ashton Hicks - 47.47
10,000 Meters (Final)
10. Isai Rodriguez - 27:52.92
22. Victor Shitsama - 29:32.28
Women's Individual Results
400 Meters (Semifinal)
13. Aaliyah Birmingham - 52.18
800 Meters (Semifinal)
12. Kaytlyn Larson - 2:04.29
17. Stephanie Moss - 2:05.95
18. Sivan Auerbach - 2:06.27
4x400 Meter Relay (Semifinal)
14. Oklahoma State - 3:36.76
(A. Birmingham, K. Ali, N. Dixon, C. Ollison)
Opening up day two for the Pokes, 2019 Honorable Mention All-American Aaliyah Birmingham raced in the women's 400 meters semifinal, in which she was ranked 15th coming out of the regional preliminaries and into the national championships.
As a member of the third of three heats in the event, Birmingham's one-lap sprint from lane two earned her a time of 52:18, a pace that placed her 13th among some of the NCAA's fastest women.
The race marked Birmingham's last as individual in an OSU uniform. The Tulsa-transfer joined the Oklahoma State program in 2019, made an immediate impact on the program and rewrote her fair share of Cowgirl history along the way. She closes out her collegiate career as the Cowgirl record-holder in four events: indoor 60 meters, indoor 400 meters, outdoor 100 meters and outdoor 400 meters.
The two-time individual All-American is ranked favorably among the nation's fastest and, following the conclusion of the NCAA Championships, could be a qualifier for the US Olympic Trials in the women's 400 meters or the women's 100 meters on account of her school-record season best: an 11.31 pace she recorded at the Arkansas Twilight.
"She has laid a foundation, set a precedent for what sprints can be for this program," Assistant Coach Giles McDonnell said.
Following Birmingham, the talented trio of middle distance Cowgirls – Kaytlyn Larson, Stephanie Moss and Sivan Auerbach – each raced in the women's 800 meters, representing Oklahoma State as the only school to qualify three athletes to the national semifinal race.
First on the track, in heat two of three, Larson in lane five and Moss in lane nine raced well. Larson, the senior, clocked in at a lifetime best 2:04.29 for the 12th-place finish and Moss, the true freshman, finished in a time of 2:05.95, which placed her 17th in the field.
In the heat three, Ein Ayala, Israel-native, Sivan Auerbach recorded a 2:06.27 finish, good for 18th overall. All three Cowgirls outperformed their national rankings and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in the process. While Larson celebrates her OSU career, the future certainly seems bright for true freshman Moss and Auerbach.
Rounding out the Pokes' second day at Hayward Field, the Cowgirl 4x400 meter relay unit of Aaliyah Birmingham, Kalaya Ali, Nicolette Dixon and Christina Ollison clocked a 3:36.76 combined pace, earning them a 14th-place finish. Kept from the final by a talented field, Oklahoma State's sprints specialists have much to look forward to in the years to come.
After hitting the halfway mark of the four-day competition today, each of the 175 institutions represented at the national championships, Oklahoma State among them, will enter into the finals portion of the meet, starting with a full day of men's finals tomorrow, June 11.
Competing for an individual national championship, Ryan Smeeton will take to the track one last time as a Cowboy for the 3,000 meter steeplechase final at 7:24 p.m. CT.
Men's Individual Results
3,000 Meter Steeplechase (Semifinal)
3. Ryan Smeeton - 8:31.75
400 Meters (Semifinal)
22. Ashton Hicks - 47.47
10,000 Meters (Final)
10. Isai Rodriguez - 27:52.92
22. Victor Shitsama - 29:32.28
Women's Individual Results
400 Meters (Semifinal)
13. Aaliyah Birmingham - 52.18
800 Meters (Semifinal)
12. Kaytlyn Larson - 2:04.29
17. Stephanie Moss - 2:05.95
18. Sivan Auerbach - 2:06.27
4x400 Meter Relay (Semifinal)
14. Oklahoma State - 3:36.76
(A. Birmingham, K. Ali, N. Dixon, C. Ollison)
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Sprints
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Sprints
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Distance
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