Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Cross Country Ranked No. 1 in USTFCCCA Preseason National Coaches Poll for Third Time in Program History
August 27, 2024 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State men's cross country enters the season ranked No. 1 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Coaches Poll, the organization announced Tuesday.
The Cowboys enter the season at the top of the polls for the third time in program history following an undefeated 2023 season that ended with the program's fifth national championship at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Virginia. OSU returns four of its five All-Americans from last year's squad and has four of the top eight returning finishers from the 2023 NCAA Championships in Denis Kipngetich (4th at NCAAs), Brian Musau (8th), Fouad Messaoudi (10th) and Victor Shitsama (12th).
The OSU men are also four-time defending Big 12 champions and Musau is the returning individual conference champion and Big 12 Runner of the Year after his dominant freshman campaign. Kipngetich comes back as the NCAA Midwest Regional champion and Midwest Region Athlete of the Year after an impressive freshman season that also included a win at the Cowboy Jamboree in September.
In his two career appearances at the national championships, Messaoudi has placed 12th (2022) and 10th (2023) and returns to the Cowboy lineup poised for another All-American campaign. Shitsama is back for a fifth season as one of the most consistent options in the country over the past four seasons. Last season, he became the third Cowboy in program history to earn four All-America finishes in cross country and had the race of his life at NCAAs with his 12th-place finish to help lead the Cowboys to the national title.
The Cowgirls enter the 2024 season ranked No. 15, their fifth-highest preseason ranking in program history. They are coming off back-to-back trophies at the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place team finish in 2022 and a third-place finish last season. OSU won the Midwest Regional title in dominant fashion, defeating Iowa State by 45 points overall. This season, the Cowgirls will have a new look as four-time All-American Taylor Roe and two-time All-American Molly Born each graduated after last season. Cayden Dawson and Sivan Auerbach will lead the Cowgirls into 2024 after All-Region finishes last year.
Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls were also ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Regional rankings after finishing the 2023 season as the highest-scoring teams in the region at the NCAA Championships. OSU swept the Midwest Regionals titles last season at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, with the Cowboys (19 points) and Cowgirls (30 points) combining to score less points than any other individual team (Iowa State men, 56 points).
The Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course will play host to the first meet of the season on Friday with the Cowboy Preview. The men's race will start at 8:15 a.m. CT with the women's race immediately following at 8:45 a.m.
For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.
The Cowboys enter the season at the top of the polls for the third time in program history following an undefeated 2023 season that ended with the program's fifth national championship at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Virginia. OSU returns four of its five All-Americans from last year's squad and has four of the top eight returning finishers from the 2023 NCAA Championships in Denis Kipngetich (4th at NCAAs), Brian Musau (8th), Fouad Messaoudi (10th) and Victor Shitsama (12th).
The OSU men are also four-time defending Big 12 champions and Musau is the returning individual conference champion and Big 12 Runner of the Year after his dominant freshman campaign. Kipngetich comes back as the NCAA Midwest Regional champion and Midwest Region Athlete of the Year after an impressive freshman season that also included a win at the Cowboy Jamboree in September.
In his two career appearances at the national championships, Messaoudi has placed 12th (2022) and 10th (2023) and returns to the Cowboy lineup poised for another All-American campaign. Shitsama is back for a fifth season as one of the most consistent options in the country over the past four seasons. Last season, he became the third Cowboy in program history to earn four All-America finishes in cross country and had the race of his life at NCAAs with his 12th-place finish to help lead the Cowboys to the national title.
The Cowgirls enter the 2024 season ranked No. 15, their fifth-highest preseason ranking in program history. They are coming off back-to-back trophies at the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place team finish in 2022 and a third-place finish last season. OSU won the Midwest Regional title in dominant fashion, defeating Iowa State by 45 points overall. This season, the Cowgirls will have a new look as four-time All-American Taylor Roe and two-time All-American Molly Born each graduated after last season. Cayden Dawson and Sivan Auerbach will lead the Cowgirls into 2024 after All-Region finishes last year.
Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls were also ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Regional rankings after finishing the 2023 season as the highest-scoring teams in the region at the NCAA Championships. OSU swept the Midwest Regionals titles last season at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, with the Cowboys (19 points) and Cowgirls (30 points) combining to score less points than any other individual team (Iowa State men, 56 points).
The Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course will play host to the first meet of the season on Friday with the Cowboy Preview. The men's race will start at 8:15 a.m. CT with the women's race immediately following at 8:45 a.m.
For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.
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