Cross Country Earns Trip to NCAA National Championships
Men tie with Oklahoma, women hold off Minnesota for automatic bid.
Girma Mecheso and Shadrack Kipchirchir
Nov. 9, 2012
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -
The Oklahoma State men's cross country team finished tied for first place with Oklahoma and the women's team held off Minnesota by one point to finish in second place at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships held this afternoon.
By finishing in the top two, both teams have earned a bid to next week's NCAA National Championships.
The Cowboys tied Oklahoma with 45 points, and just held off Tulsa who earned 47 points to earn their 19th trip to the national championships in the last 20 years. Girma Mecheso led the Pokes once again by finishing in second place with a time of 30:26.39. Tom Farrell (30:29.06) and Shane Moskowitz (30:30.21) finished in fourth and seventh place, respectively.
"We survived some mistakes today but we held on," said OSU head coach Dave Smith. "However, anytime you can win this region its good and I'm excited that we're going to nationals and I think we have a great chance going forward."
The Cowgirls earned their third-consecutive trip to the NCAA National Championships by earning 95 points and holding off Minnesota. They also overcame the loss of Victoria Hanna, who was unable to finish the race with three meters to go. They were able to do this in large part to Monika Juodeskaite and Natalja Piliusina. Juodeskaite (20:51.34) finished in ninth place and Piliusina (21:00.03) placed 11th. Jackie Campos (21:25.57) and Kate Kujawa (21:30.37) also contributed to the team by finishing 23rd and 24th, respectively.
"We dealt with adversity today," said Dave Smith. "We went from looking like we had a comfortable hold on second place to waiting on pins and needles to see if we got second or third. I'm really excited that the rest of the women ran well and we were able to weather that storm and make it through to nationals. It's a testament to the team's depth and how strong they are. Not with just a couple women but the whole group. We can lose someone at the end of the race and still make it through. I'm really excited for the women."
Both teams return to action next Saturday when they travel to Louisville, Ky. for the 2012 NCAA National Championships.
NCAA Midwest Regional Championship November 9, 2012|Springfield, Mo.
Women's Team Results- Top 10
1. Iowa State 63
2. Oklahoma State 95
3. Minnesota 96
4. Northwestern 204
5. Tulsa 218
6. Iowa 220
7. North Dakota St. 232
8. Illinois State 278
9. Illinois 290
10. Saint Louis 292
