Hentemann Wins Individual 10,000 Meter Title on First Day of Big 12 Outdoor Championships

Hentemann Wins Individual 10,000 Meter Title on First Day of Big 12 Outdoor Championships

May 13, 2022 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

LUBBOCK, Texas – Oklahoma State outdoor track & field kicked off the first day of the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in style on Friday, with Gabby Hentemann claiming the 10,000 Meter title in the first event of the weekend.

Hentemann took the lead straight from the gun and led wire-to-wire, finishing with a time of 34:18.58 on her way to her first career outdoor Big 12 Championship and second overall. She received a challenge late from Iowa State's Dana Feyen, but Hentemann out-kicked her in the final 100 meters to hold onto the victory.

"It was great to finally be racing again," Hentemann said. "But what made today so special was having so many of my teammates and staff out there cheering. Having a group of men and women that chose to wake up early and cheer on their teammates for 25 laps reminds you that you're running for something bigger than yourself and it speaks levels to the type of culture we have at Oklahoma State."

Teammate Clarissa Morales also competed in the women's 10K, which started at 7 a.m. CT due to expected heat later in the day. Morales earned a fifth-place finish with her time of 34:56.79 after hanging with the lead pack for much of the race and earning four points towards the team title.

Immediately following was the men's 10,000 Meters, which was also moved to the morning due to the expected harsh conditions. The Cowboys earned ten points overall in the team race with fourth, sixth and seventh-place finishes from Shea Foster, Isai Rodriguez and Rory Leonard. Rodriguez completed his first race of the outdoor season after earning two All-Big 12 honors during the indoor season.

After a short break in the action, school-record holder Olivija Vaitaityte and Bailey Golden competed in the first four events of the Heptathlon throughout the afternoon. Golden sits third in the standings after day one and Vaitaityte is close behind in fifth. Both women set new first-day PRs and are in good position heading into the second and final day of the competition.

"Both of our Heps had a great day one and have put themselves in an excellent position going into day two," Throws, Multis and Vaults Coach Josh Langley said. "The competition is stepping up so they are going to have to find a way to keep pushing tomorrow. Olivija was able to find the throw in the Shot Put that we have been searching for and Bailey was steady and consistent all day, which led to both setting large day one PRs."

Max Braht opened the first half of the men's Decathlon, scoring 3,571 points as he sits 12^th overall with two of his best events (Pole Vault and Javelin Throw) remaining on day two.

Over at the throws arena, Hannah Bradford and Sam Mason each set massive PRs on their way to a couple of All-Big 12 honors in the Hammer Throw. Bradford shattered her personal record by nearly two meters with her throw of 55.21 meters, which moves her up to fifth all time in program history in the event. Mason continued the momentum in the men's Hammer Throw, breaking his previous best by over a meter with his eighth-place throw of 57.93 meters. He is now second in school history behind only Cowboy Olympian Nick Miller.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls return on Saturday with a full slate of events, including the finish of the Decathlon and Pentathlon as well as preliminary action for several running events. The Cowgirls currently sit third in the team standings with 15 points after day one with the Cowboys not far behind in fourth with 11 points.

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 race.

The entirety of the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championship is streamed live on ESPN+ with live results will being updated throughout the weekend at the link below.

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

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