Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
NCAA Midwest Regional Championships
Cowboy Cross Country Tops Midwest Region for Sixth-Straight Year
November 11, 2016 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Cowgirls advance to NCAA Championship with runner-up finish
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Cowboy and Cowgirl cross country teams clinched spots in the 2016 NCAA Championships Friday, as the men's team ran away with the Midwest regional crown for the sixth-straight season, and the women's squad finished second.
With 89 points, OSU's women advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 10th time in school history and the fifth time under coach Dave Smith.
The women's race was tight for the entire 6K, and the Cowgirls advanced to the NCAA Championship by just one point over No. 13 Iowa State. The Cowgirls missed out on a second-straight regional title by seven points to the SEC's surprise team, Missouri.
"Three women won races by less than a second and if any of them don't, we're not going through," Smith said. "It was nip and tuck at the end there, and we moved up from fifth to second in probably the last 1000 meters. It was a great race."
In just her second race of the season, Kaela Edwards rose to the occasion and led the Cowgirls to their second-straight NCAA appearance with a sixth-place finish in 20:23.0.
"It was a little stressful, but I came in and I wanted to get a spot in the top-10," Edwards said. "In a way, I knew we would do it. It was a little nerve-racking because when we calculated it ourselves, we went back and forth, but deep down I knew we would get it."
She made up six spots with one kilometer to run to claim all-region honors and cross the line as OSU's highest finisher.
Michelle Magnani continued her stellar freshman season with a 13th-place finish and Aurora Dybedokken followed in 14th, running a 20:36.9.
Molly Sughroue (25th) and Savannah Camacho (31st), rounded out the Cowgirl top-five.
For the Cowboys, the road to a sixth-straight title was as difficult as ever, with some of the top runners in the country lining up alongside them. However, the task was not too large for the Big 12 champions.
Continuing a theme this year, the race opened with a slow pace through the first 4,000 meters as 56 runners were all within three seconds of each other, including the Cowboys' top-five.
Josh Thompson, Hassan Abdi and Sylvester Barus ran in the top-15 through the middle of the race before the pace quickened and the trio cemented the OSU win by finishing second, fourth and 15th, respectively.
"We're starting to come together a little bit," Smith said. "Josh is back to running where we expect him to be and Sylvester is making great progress to get to where he was at the beginning of the year."
Thompson bolted to the front of the pack and was neck-and-neck with Tulsa's Luke Traynor in the homestretch, but Traynor edged the Cowboy senior for the win by four-tenths of-a-second.
"The strategy was to stay conservative," Thompson said. "It was a 7K, 8K for some of us, just try to pick it up a little bit for the last 2K. And that's what we did, and we were able to get through pretty comfortably."
Five Cowboys claimed top-25 finishes with Christian Liddell (20th) and Anthoney Armstrong (23rd) completing OSU's top-five. The Pokes scored 64 and topped Tulsa by 25 points.
The win marks the 14th-straight appearance at a national championship for the Cowboys and 30th overall.
"If both teams run as well as they've run at times this year, we could be top-10," Smith said. "It's something that hasn't happened since 2005, but with Kaela back and Josh back and everything working out, they're encouraging signs for where these teams could finish."
Last year at the NCAA Championships, the Cowgirls finished seventh and the Cowboys finished in an unfamiliar 18th.
The 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships are back in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Nov. 19. The Cowgirls will look to build upon their success this season while the Cowboys are set on getting back into the top-10.
NCAA Midwest Region Championships | Nov. 11, 2016 | Iowa City, Iowa
Women's Results
6. Kaela Edwards 20:23.0
13. Michelle Magnani 20.32.7
14. Aurora Dybedokken 20:36.9
25. Molly Sughroue 20:48.7
31. Savannah Camacho 21:03.8
36. Abbie Hetherington 21:07.7
89. Gintare Zenkeviciute 21:47.1
Men's Results
2. Josh Thompson 30:18.8
4. Hassan Abdi 30:23.5
15. Sylvester Barus 30:42.7
20. Christian Liddell 30:47.9
23. Anthoney Armstrong 30:51.4
36. Luis Martinez 31:05.3
Women's Team
1. Missouri – 83 pts
2. Oklahoma State – 89
3. Iowa State – 90
4. Minnesota – 131
5. Kansas – 154
6. Tulsa – 190
7. Oklahoma – 228
8. Northwestern – 264
9. Northern Illinois – 267
10. Northern Iowa – 333
Men's Team
1. Oklahoma State - 64
2. Tulsa – 89
3. Illinois – 113
4. Iowa State – 120
5. Bradley – 135
6. South Dakota State – 154
7. Minnesota – 205
8. Kansas – 233
9. Oklahoma – 283
10. Missouri – 333
