Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy and Cowgirl Cross Country Each Crack Top-3 of USTFCCCA National Preseason Poll
August 30, 2023 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State men's and women's cross country each enter the season ranked in the Top-3 of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Preseason Coaches Poll, the organization announced Wednesday.
The Cowboys come in at No. 2 after finishing the 2022 season tied with Northern Arizona atop the leaderboard at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater. OSU returns three cross country All-Americans to the lineup in Alex Maier (5th at NCAAs), Fouad Messaoudi (12th) and Victor Shitsama (31st). The Cowboys are three-time defending Big 12 Champions and Maier is the returning individual conference champion and Big 12 Runner of the Year after his dominant 2022 campaign. The No. 2 ranking is tied for the highest preseason ranking since 2013, when the Cowboys entered as No. 1.
The Cowgirls enter the 2023 season ranked No. 3, their highest preseason ranking in program history after earning their first team trophy at the NCAA Championships in 2022. The two-time defending Big 12 Champions return three-time cross country All-American Taylor Roe and six runners from the 2022 NCAA squad. Cross country All-American Molly Born also returns to the fold after missing last season. Born finished 16th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2019.
Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls were also ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Regional rankings after finishing the 2022 season as the highest-placing teams in the region at the NCAA Championships. The Cowgirls took home the Midwest Regional Championship last season, defeating second-place Northwestern by 30 points overall.
For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.
The Cowboys come in at No. 2 after finishing the 2022 season tied with Northern Arizona atop the leaderboard at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater. OSU returns three cross country All-Americans to the lineup in Alex Maier (5th at NCAAs), Fouad Messaoudi (12th) and Victor Shitsama (31st). The Cowboys are three-time defending Big 12 Champions and Maier is the returning individual conference champion and Big 12 Runner of the Year after his dominant 2022 campaign. The No. 2 ranking is tied for the highest preseason ranking since 2013, when the Cowboys entered as No. 1.
The Cowgirls enter the 2023 season ranked No. 3, their highest preseason ranking in program history after earning their first team trophy at the NCAA Championships in 2022. The two-time defending Big 12 Champions return three-time cross country All-American Taylor Roe and six runners from the 2022 NCAA squad. Cross country All-American Molly Born also returns to the fold after missing last season. Born finished 16th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2019.
Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls were also ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Regional rankings after finishing the 2022 season as the highest-placing teams in the region at the NCAA Championships. The Cowgirls took home the Midwest Regional Championship last season, defeating second-place Northwestern by 30 points overall.
For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.
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