Oklahoma State University Athletics
Athlete Spotlight: Kirubel Erassa
June 08, 2013 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
June 8, 2013
EUGENE, Ore. -
Kirubel Erassa is enjoying a fantastic track and field season, and looks to continue it this weekend. He was a two-time first-team All-American in the indoor season, finishing third in the 3,000 meters, and was an integral part of the record-setting distance medley relay squad that placed sixth. He was also one of the five Cowboys to record a sub-four minute mile. In the outdoor season, he ran a personal-best 1,500 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays, won the Big 12 Championship in the 5,000 meters and automatically qualified in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA West Preliminary in Austin.
Erassa will join fellow Cowboy Girma Mecheso in the 5,000 meter final today at 5:23 p.m. CT.
Personal Bests
1,500 meters - 3:43.99
Mile - 3:58.24
3,000 meters - 7:49.17
5,000 meters - 13:47.26
All-American
2012 Indoor Mile (Second Team; 10th place)
2013 Indoor 3,000 meters (First Team; third place)
2013 Indoor DMR (First Team; sixth place)
USA Track and Field Junior National Champion
2012 Outdoor 5,000 Meters
School Record Holder
Distance Medley Relay - 9:28.38
All-Big 12 (scored at conference meet)
2011 Indoor Mile
2012 Indoor Mile
2012 Indoor 3,000 meters
2012 Outdoor 1,500 meters
2012 Cross Country
2013 Indoor Mile
2013 Indoor 3,000 meters
Honors and Awards
2011 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (Track and Field)
2011 First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (Cross Country)
2012 First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (Track and Field)
2012 First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (Cross Country)
2013 Outdoors: Ran a personal-best 3:42.76 to finish fourth in the 1,500 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays … Was the Big 12 Champion in the 5,000 meters, running a 13:53.53 to lead the trio of Cowboys who finished 1-2-3 … Finished second in his 5,000 meter heat with a 14:11.95 at the NCAA West Preliminary, to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
2013 Indoors: Enjoyed a breakthrough season in which he secured All-America honors in both the 3,000 meters (third place at NCAAs in a personal-best 7:49.17) and as part of the OSU Distance Medley Relay squad that took sixth at NCAAs in 9:35.55 ... Was part of the school-record-setting DMR squad that ran a 9:28.38 at the Alex Wilson Last Chance Meet ... Earned All-Big 12 accolades with a second-place finish in the mile and a third-place finish in the 3K ... Was one of five Cowboys to run a sub-four-minute mile during the 2013 indoor season when he clocked a 3:58.24 at the Razorback Invitational ... That mark was good for fourth in school history ... His 7:49.17 in the 3K at the NCAA Championships was good for second on the all-time OSU list.
2012 Cross Country: Among the leaders of Oklahoma State's Big 12 and NCAA-champion squad ... Earned All-Big 12 honors after placing seventh at the conference meet in 24:06.3 ... Was third at the Chile Pepper Festival and ninth at the Cowboy Jamboree to help lift the Cowboys to the team title at both meets ... Placed 102nd at the NCAA Championships in 30:44.8 ... An Academic All-Big 12 first team honoree.
2012 Outdoors: USA Track and Field junior national champion in the 5,000 meters after running a 14:28.00 at the junior national meet to become OSU's second 5K junior national champion in four years ... Earned All-Big 12 honors by placing fourth in the 1,500 meters with a personal-best time of 3:43.99 ... That mark was good for 51st nationally during the regular season ... His personal-best 13:47.26 in the 5,000 meters at the Payton Jordan Invitational was good for the 23rd-best time in the nation and the fifth-best mark in the Midwest Region ... Ran the 5K at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, but did not advance to the NCAA Championships after placing 31st.
2012 Indoors: Second-team All-American after placing 10th in the one mile final, recording a time of 4:04.36 ... Earned All-Big 12 honors after placing second in the 3,000 meters at the conference meet, clocking a 8:02.98 ... Also named All-Big 12 for placing eighth in the mile after running a 4:07.35 ... Set the second best one mile mark in OSU history when he ran a 3:58.84 at the Alex Wilson Invitational ... Set a personal record of 7:59.35 in the 3,000 meters at the Tyson Invitational.
2011 Cross Country: Took the individual championship at the Hurricane Festival, completing the four-mile race in 20:25 ... Named the Big 12 Runner of the Week for his performance at the Hurricane Festival ... Placed 16th at the Big 12 Championships after completing the 8,000-meter race in 24:12.1 ... Finished as the Cowboys' fifth scored runner at the Cowboy Jamboree with a 36th-place finish ... Notched his season-best time in the 10K at the Chile Pepper Festival, clocking a 30:39.9 to place 36th ... Came in 39th at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
2011 Outdoors: Redshirted ... Competed at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he posted two top-five finishes ... Completed the 1,500 meters in 3:49.95 to finish fourth ... Placed fifth in the 5,000 meters, clocking a 14:28.66.
2011 Indoors: Was a staple in the Oklahoma State lineup, competing in five meets as a true freshman ... Ran the mile in 4:05.34 at the Arkansas Last Chance Meet ... Secured All-Big 12 honors after running the mile in 4:08.79 to place third at the conference meet ... Was timed at 4:08.16 in the event prelims ... Other times in the mile were a 4:07.89 at the Husky Classic and a 4:13.47 at the Kansas State Invitational ... Just missed out on earning All-Big 12 honors in the 3,000 meters when he placed ninth at the conference meet in 8:14.51 ... Ran the 3K in 8:23.39 at the Razorback Invitational.
High School: Attended Grayson HS in Grayson, Ga., where he was coached by Rob Blaskiewicz ... 2010 Nike indoor national champion in the 5,000 meters in 14:19.82 and runner-up in the mile in 4:07.28 ... His 14:19.82 in the indoor 5,000 meters was the fastest time in the nation in 2010 and stands as the second-fastest time in prep history and the fastest ever run by a high school senior ... The 4:07.28 mile he ran ranked as the fourth-fastest time in the nation in 2010 ... 2009 Gatorade Georgia Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year ... His eighth-place finish at the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships in 15:35 is tied for the best finish ever by a Georgian ... 2009 Georgia state cross country champion ... School record
holder in the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters ... His 14:43 at the state cross country meet was the second-fastest time ever recorded at the meet ... Ranks among the greatest prep milers and two-milers in the history of the state of Georgia.
Personal:>Kirubel Erassa was born June 17, 1993 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ... Son of Aalmitu Erassa.
Players Mentioned
