Oklahoma State Track and Field
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OKLAHOMA STATE TRACK AND FIELD NCAA Men’s Cross Country Champions - 1953, 2009, 2010, 2012 Media Relations Contact: Blake Zimmerman | [email protected] | O: 405-744-3654 | C: 918-406-6419 okstate.com | @OSUAthletics | @Run4Okstate | #okstate 2013 Oklahoma State Outdoor Schedule Oklahoma State Track and Field This Week March 15-16 Tulsa Duels Tulsa, Okla. NCAA Outdoor Championships March 22-23 John Jacobs Invitational Norman, Okla. June 5-8 | Eugene, Ore. March 28-30 Texas Relays Austin, Texas March 29-30 Stanford Invitational Palo Alto, Calif. March 30 Arkansas Spring Invitational Fayetteville, Ark. April 5-6 Florida Relays Gainesville, Fla. April 5-6 Sun Angel Relays Tempe, Ariz. The Basics She realized that even though last year was a disap- April 12-13 John McDonnell Invitational Fayetteville, Ark. The Oklahoma State track and field teams are send- pointment, the world didn’t end and she knew she would April 18-20 Mt. SAC Relays Walnut, Calif. ing five athletes to Eugene, Ore, for the NCAA Outdoor get another shot. Last year, she was trying to win the April 20 Michael Johnson Invitational Waco, Texas Track and Field National Championships, June 5-8. NCAA title and make the Olympic standard at the same April 27 Arkansas Invitational Fayetteville, Ark. time, and it was too much. This year, she’s focused and April 28 Payton Jordan Invitational Palo Alto, Calif. How to Follow the Meets really wants to win a national championship. Then, after May 3-5 Big 12 Championships Waco, Texas Fans can follow the action live. Heat sheets and live this week, she can focus on getting her Olympic marks.” results will be posted throughout the meet on ncaa.com/ May 17 USATF Oxy High Performance Meet Los Angeles, Calif. trackandfield. On Kirubel Erassa and Girma Mecheso both having May 23-25 NCAA West Preliminary Round Austin, Texas ESPNU and ESPN3 will broadcast afternoon events a chance to score in the 5,000 meters: June 5-8 NCAA Championships Eugene, Ore. on Thursday, June 6 (5:50-10 p.m. CT), Friday, June 7 June 19-23 USATF Championships Des Moines, Iowa (6:30-9 p.m. CT) and Saturday, June 8 (4-6 p.m. CT) “They both have a great shot. It will be a tough double On Twitter, fans can follow @run4okstate for for Girma. Usually if guys run a 10k, I don’t let them run updates, or by using the hashtag #NCAATF. for two weeks, but he’s trying to do it in 48 hours. He’s durable and he has incredible work ethic. Above all, This Week’s Entries Meet Schedule he’s doing it because he wants to help the team. Both Action in Eugene for Oklahoma State athletes will Kirubel and Girma were in tears when Tom Farrell didn’t begin on Wednesday, June 5, when Fabian Clarkson qualify. Girma even asked if he could scratch and have NCAA Outdoor Championships participates in the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase Tom take his place, which of course, he can’t. Both of semifinals at 8:45 p.m. CT. If he advances, the final will them are going out there to run for Tom. Both of them Men’s Events be Friday, June 7, at 7:40 p.m. CT. have a lot of confidence right now and are going in On Thursday, June 6, Nick Miller takes his national expecting to score. That’s the mindset you have to have 3000M STEEPLE No. 1 ranking into the hammer throw, final which will for this meet.” Fabian Clarkson start at 3:30 p.m. CT. Also on Thursday, Natalja Piliusina takes her No. 1 national ranking into the women’s 1,500 Last Time Out 5,000 METERS meter semifinal at 6:30 p.m. CT. If she advances, her Nick Miller broke his own school record and regained Kirubel Erassa final will be Saturday, June 8, at approximately 4:19 the NCAA’s No. 1 spot in the hammer throw, and Natalja Girma Mecheso p.m. CT. Piliusina won the women’s 1,500 meter prelims to lead Girma Mecheso will compete in both the men’s the OSU men’s and women’s track and field teams at 10,000 METERS 10,000 meter final on Thursday, at 9:15 p.m. CT, and the NCAA Track & Field West Preliminary Round, in Girma Mecheso the men’s 5,000 meter final on Saturday at approxi- Austin, Texas. mately 5:23 p.m. CT, where he will be joined by fellow Miller, a native of Carlisle, United Kingdom, landed HAMMER Cowboy Kirubel Erassa. a 66-meter throw to ensure qualification, then just let Nick Miller loose. He launched the hammer 71.60m/234-11 through Quoting Coach Dave Smith the rain, which was just one of his three throws that eclipsed 70 meters—all three throws would have won Women’s Events On the men’s team as a whole, and their chances to the meet by four meters. score well at the National meet: On the track, Natalja Piliusina backed up her national No. 1 ranking in the 1,500 meters by running 1,500 METERS “The group we are taking is small, but we have a a 4:13.73, which made her the top qualifier in the West Natalja Piliusina chance to score very well. I think Nick will score well in Region, and gave her an automatic berth into the NCAA the hammer, and he could even win it. Girma has been Championships. so great for us, and he has the ability to run big race af- In the men’s 5,000 meters, Kirubel Erassa, took ter big race. I see him scoring well in both the 5,000 and second in his heat with a 14:11.95, meaning he 10,000 meter races. In the 5,000, I think Kirubel can automatically qualified for the NCAA final. Girma score well, too. He is so confident, especially after his Mecheso, just two days after qualifying in the 10,000 race in Austin. He has the potential to score well along meters, took fourth in his heat of the 5,000 meters to with Girma in that race. Fabian ran an incredible steeple qualify as well. to qualify, and it will take another big step forward for Fabian Clarkson will return to the NCAA Outdoor him to score in Eugene, but he is running better right Track And Field Championships after automatically now than he has all year, so he could do it.” qualifying in the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase. Clarkson, who was a second-team All-American in the On Natalja Piliusina coming in to the 1,500 ranked steeplechase in 2012, ran a blistering 8:43.73, which No. 1 and using past NCAA experience: broke his old personal best by more than two seconds. “This year, she is more calm and she has better poise. MEET NOTES Cowboy Names To Know Oklahoma State in 2012-13 The Oklahoma State men’s track and field roster is headlined by nine athletes with a USTFCCCA combined 30 All-America honors. The Cowboy standouts and their All-America showings: Outdoor Men’s Cross Country Team Rankings • NCAA Team Champions Raul Botezan (Week Nine) • Big 12 Champions (2012 Indoor Mile, 2013 Indoor Distance Medley Relay) • USTFCCCA Men’s National Scholar Team of the Year Men • NCAA Midwest Regional Champions Fabian Clarkson 1 Texas A&M • Cowboy Jamboree Champions (2012 Outdoor Steeplechase) • Chile Pepper Invitational Champions 2 Arkansas • Hurricane Festival Champions Kirubel Erassa 3 Oregon • Dave Smith - USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year (2012 Indoor Mile, 2013 Indoor 3,000 meters, 2013 Indoor Distance Medley Relay) 4 Florida • Dave Smith - Big 12 Coach of the Year 5 Florida State Tom Farrell • Girma Mecheso, Tom Farrell Shadrack Kipchirchir and 6 LSU (2010 Cross Country, 2011 Outdoor 5,000 meters, 2011 Cross Country, 2012 Indoor 3,000 Joseph Manilafasha - All-Americans 7 Southern California meters, 2012 Cross Country, 2013 Indoor 3,000 meters, 2013 Indoor Distance Medley Relay) 8 Texas 9 Nebraska Men’s Indoor Track and Field Shadrack Kipchirchir 10 Virginia Tech • Eighth Place at NCAA Championships (Highest team (2010 Cross Country, 2011 Outdoor 10,000 meters, 2012 Cross Country, 2013 Indoor 11 Georgia finish since 1984). 5,000 meters) 12 TCU • Oklahoma State’s 73 points scored at the Big 12 13 Wisconsin Championships was its highest point total at the confer- 14 Mississippi ence meet during the Big 12 era and the second-highest Joseph Manilafasha 15 Kansas total in school history, trailing only the 79 points scored (2012 Cross Country) by the Cowboys at the 1982 Big Eight Championships. 16 Alabama • Five different runners with a sub-four-minute mile, Girma Mecheso 17 Oklahoma State including four doing it in the same race. (2008 Cross Country, 2009 Outdoor 10,000 meters, 2009 Cross Country, 2010 Cross 18 Penn State • Shadrack Kipchirchir’s 13:38.57 in the 5,000 meters Country, 2012 Indoor 5,000 meters, 2012 Outdoor 5,000 meters, 2012 Outdoor 10,000 19 UCLA was the third-fastest time in the nation during the regular meters, 2012 Cross Country, 2013 Indoor 5,000 meters) 20 Iowa season. 21 Ohio State Nick Miller 22 Arizona (2012 Outdoor Hammer Throw, 2013 Indoor Weight Throw) 23 Mississippi State Women’s Cross Country Tyler Payton 24 BYU • Cowboy Jamboree team champions (2013 Indoor Distance Medley Relay) 25 Kansas State • Hurricane Festival team champions • Big 12 team runner-up Cowgirl Names To Know Women • NCAA Midwest Regional team runner-up The unquestioned leader of the Oklahoma State women’s track and field program is 1 Kansas • Placed first or second in every meet except the NCAA Natalja Piliusina, who has racked up six All-America honors during a career that will likely 2 Texas A&M go down among the best ever for an OSU women’s track and field athlete.