OSU Indoor Track Qualifies Nine To Indoor National Championships

OSU Indoor Track Qualifies Nine To Indoor National Championships

March 04, 2022 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State men's and women's indoor track & field teams officially qualified nine athletes to the NCAA Indoor National Championships across six events.

The championships, hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the City of Birmingham, will be held March 11 and 12 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama.

Ariadni Adamopoulou, Gabija Galvydyte, Maddie Meiner and Taylor Roe all qualified individually on the women's side with Alex Maier and the men's Distance Medley Relay squad qualifying on the men's side.

Adamopoulou qualifies for indoor nationals for the second season in a row in the pole vault after her All-American fifth place finish last season. She currently owns the school record vault of 4.37 meters that she set at the Texas Tech Shootout last season and tied this past weekend at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

"I'm excited to see Ari rounding into the same form that allowed her to become an All-American last indoor season." Throws, Multis and Vaults Coach Josh Langley said. "After her injury last outdoor season- it has been a slow road to get here. But she never doubted herself or her ability, and I think that's what makes her an elite level athlete."

Galvydyte exploded onto the scene this season, setting the fastest 800 Meter qualifying time in the Big 12 and tenth fastest in the country at the JDL DMR Invite earlier this season. At the Big 12 Indoor Championships, Galvydyte finished second in the 800m, just two hundredths of a second away from her first individual Big 12 Championship.

Meiner also burst into the spotlight in her sophomore season. She set the school record in the pentathlon at the prestigious Razorback Invitational with 4,098 points before breaking it once again at the Big 12 Championships with her qualifying score of 4,115 points. She also earned her second All-Big 12 honor with her second-place performance at the conference championships.

"We started to get a glimpse of what Maddie was capable last outdoor season with her big performance at Big 12's," Langley said. "I think now she is showing everyone what we get to see every day. Her consistency in everything she does is what separates her from most. It is rare to see her without a giant smile on her face, even during the toughest workouts. This is a young woman who truly has learned to love the process and it's paying off."

Cowgirl superstar Taylor Roe continued her dominant season with a blistering performance at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. Roe was named Big 12 Women's Performer of the Year after winning three Big 12 Championships in the DMR, Mile and 3,000 Meter runs. She qualified in both the Mile and 3,000 Meters and will run the 3K at the national championships.

Maier also continued his record-breaking season with a pair of conference titles at the Big 12 Championships. He overcame a six-second deficit in the final leg of the DMR to win before setting the meet record in the 3,000 Meters and defeating defending champion Wesley Kiptoo by two seconds. Maier also broke the OSU indoor school records in the 3K and 5K and currently holds the second-fastest mile time in program history with a 3:56.44. He also qualified for nationals in two separate events (Mile and 5K) and will run the 5,000 Meters at the national championships.

The men's DMR squad of Fouad Messaoudi, Justin Smith, Juan Diego Castro and Ryan Schoppe round out the national qualifiers for OSU after their record-shattering run at the Arkansas Qualifier. Their qualifying time of 9:22.70 not only broke the school record by nearly four seconds but currently ranks as the fifth-fastest team in NCAA history, according to the USTFCCCA.

"We're excited about Alex and the men's DMR heading into NCAA's," Distance Coach Justin Duncan said. "Coming off of successful weekends at Arkansas, Washington and Iowa, we've built up some great momentum and guys are confident and ready to line up against the Nation's best."

ESPN3 will stream the championships live starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time Friday, March 11 and starting at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time Saturday, March 12. A re-air of the championship will take place starting at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, March 13 on ESPNU.

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