Cowboy Distance Medley Relay Earns USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week Honors

Cowboy Distance Medley Relay Earns USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week Honors

February 21, 2023 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State track & field Distance Medley Relay squad of Fouad Messaoudi, DeJuana McArthur, Hafez Mahadi and Ryan Schoppe were named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week, the organization announced Tuesday.

The quartet of Messaoudi (2:49.49), McArthur (46.82), Mahadi (1:47.27) and Schoppe (3:52.84) broke the collegiate record in the DMR at the Arkansas Qualifier by over three seconds with their time of 9:16.40. The previous record holders, Oregon, had two Olympians and a two-time NCAA Champion on its relay.

This is the first time since 2015 that a male athlete from Oklahoma State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season (John Teeters) and the third time overall, the other being Kirubel Erassa in 2014. The Cowboys are the third men's DMR quartet to earn national honors in the history of the award.

The Cowboys have broken the school record in the DMR in back-to-back Arkansas Qualifiers, with OSU shaving nearly 11 seconds off the old school record set in 2016.

The Cowboys now look to ride the momentum of their historical outing into this weekend's Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas, on Friday and Saturday. Last year's OSU teams saw both Cowboys and Cowgirls taking home conference titles individually and in the DMR's in addition to several school records being set in the process. The entirety of the Championships will be aired on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

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