OSU Outdoor Track & Field Kicks Off Postseason Action at Big 12 Outdoor Championships

Friday, May 13

Lubbock, Texas

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Oklahoma State University

Big 12 Outdoor Championship

OSU Outdoor Track & Field Kicks Off Postseason Action at Big 12 Outdoor Championships

May 12, 2022 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

LUBBOCK, Texas – Oklahoma State outdoor track & field begins postseason play with a trip to Lubbock, Texas, for the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships from Friday to Sunday.

Kicking off the Big 12 Championships for the Cowgirls on Friday are Gabby Hentemann and Clarissa Morales in the women's 10,000 Meters. The race was originally scheduled to complete Friday's action, but was moved to 7 a.m. CT due to the expected high temperatures.

"The Big 12 is one of the premier track & field conferences in the NCAA," Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Dave Smith said. "We are excited to test ourselves against the best this weekend in Lubbock."

Hentemann is coming off an indoor season in which she finished second in the 5K and third in the 3K at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. Morales is currently ranked third in the conference with her time of 33:55.05 set at the Stanford Invitational in April.

Following the 10K, school-record holder Olivija Vaitaityte and Bailey Golden compete in four of their seven events in the Heptathlon on Friday, starting with the 100 Meter Hurdles. Vaitaityte and Golden are currently ranked second and third in the conference, respectively, and are the top two scorers in the event in program history.

"The heptathlon could be a big event for our women's team," Smith said. "Both Bailey Golden and Olivija Vaitaityte are currently qualified for the NCAA Championships, but might need a little improvement to hold onto their positions, which I think they'll get this weekend."

Isai Rodriguez, Shea Foster and Rory Leonard get things started for the Cowboys in the men's 10,000 Meters immediately following the women's race on Friday morning. Foster is currently ranked third in the Big 12 with his time of 28:25.44 at the Stanford Invitational. Rodriguez holds the third-fastest time in school history with his personal-best time of 27:52.92 ran at the 2021 NCAA Championships.

Max Braht follows the 10K crew in the men's Decathlon, where he currently sits second in school history with his personal-best total of 6,742 points scored at last year's Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Six of the ten events in the Decathlon will take place on Friday with the remaining four finishing Saturday morning.

OSU Throwers Hannah Bradford, Johnna Orange, Sam Mason and Zac Robbins will all compete on Friday in the Hammer Throw. The women compete first at 11 a.m. with the men following at 1:30 p.m. All four are in the top ten in Cowgirl and Cowboy history, with Robbins and Mason holding down the second and third in program history in the event.

The competition ramps up on Saturday with multiple prelim events alongside several field events. Braht, Golden and Vaitaityte start the day off wrapping up the Decathlon and Heptathlon events starting at 11 a.m.

Six Cowgirls kick off the Saturday night cap in the women's 1,500 Meter Prelims. Taylor Roe, Sivan Auerbach, Heidi Demeo, Colleen Stegmann, Krystal Rodriguez and Maddie Salek will compete in two heats with the top three finishers from each heat and the next three best times qualifying for the final.

On the men's side, Ryan Schoppe, Fouad Messaoudi, Isaiah Priddey, Kian Davis and Chris Middleton-Pearson will compete in the 1,500 prelims immediately after the women's race. Schoppe and Messaoudi are the top two seeds in the event with Schoppe breaking the school record in the event with his time of 3:37.43 earlier this season at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

"We are strong in both the men's and women's 1,500 Meter races," Smith said. "Those fields are loaded and the best athlete in those fields have vastly different skill sets and strategies which will make those races really fun to watch."

Following the men's 1,500, Ariadni Adamopoulou and Anna Airault compete in the women's Pole Vault at 6:30 p.m. Adamopoulou holds the school record in the event both indoors and outdoors and is currently ranked seventh in the Big 12 with a vault of 4.15 meters at the Baylor Invitational.

In the women's 400 Meter Prelims, Kalaya Ali, Nickie Dixon, Christina Ollison, Tori Ortiz and Tamara Woodley will all look to qualify for the finals between four heats. Ollison, Dixon and Woodley currently rank third, fourth and sixth in program history.

Four of them will also run on the women's 4x400 Relay, which broke the school record earlier this season at the Texas Relays.

Charlie Bartholomew, DJ McArthur, Cash Merutka, Cooper Newsome, Hunter Reimers and Koryee Wyatt will compete for the Cowboys in the men's 400 Meter Prelims across five heats. Four of them will also run on the 4x400 Squad, which also broke the school record earlier this season at the Baylor Invitational.

"Both our men's and women's 4x400m Relay teams have been on fire all year," Smith said. "I wouldn't be surprised if each broke the school record they set earlier this season."

Indoor All-American Gabija Galvydyte runs in the women's 800 Meter Prelims alongside Lilly Lavier, Jinah Mickens-Malik and Mackenzie Michael. Galvydyte holds the fifth-fastest time in school history in the event and is ranked 12^th in the country. She finished second at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in the 800 Meters and will look for her first Big 12 title on Sunday.

"Gabija is becoming one of the top middle-distance runners in the country," Smith said. "She will certainly have a chance to prove that this weekend against a stellar field that includes an NCAA Champion."

Three-Time All-American Ryan Smeeton will look for his second career Big 12 championship on Saturday in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase alongside teammates Will Muirhead and Victor Shitsama. Smeeton has finished second and third at the NCAA meet in the event and is currently ranked first in the conference in the Steeplechase.

Those who qualify through the prelims on Saturday will compete in the finals on Sunday with an opportunity to score vital points in the team score race.

Live results will be updated throughout the weekend at the link below.

https://live.pttiming.com/?mid=4901

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