Oklahoma State's men's cross country won its fifth-consecutive NCAA Midwest Region Championship on Saturday.
David Chirchir and German Fernandez
Nov. 14, 2009
Springfield, Mo. – Oklahoma State’s men’s cross country team finished 21 points clear of second-place Oklahoma to win its fifth-consecutive Midwest Region championship Saturday with seven runners earning all-Region honors on the day.
Senior David Chirchir paced the second-ranked Cowboys, finishing the 10,000-meter course in 31:03 for a ninth-place finish. Chirchir earned his third-consecutive all-Midwest region honor.
The Cowboys, which claimed their 12th region championship of all-time, turn their sights toward the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind.
“We wanted to run well enough as a team to win, but conservatively enough to save ourselves for the NCAA championships,” OSU coach Dave Smith said. “The guys executed the game plan well with Ryan Vail leading the group. He’s kind of our quarterback and we were happy with the result.”
Vail earned his fourth-career all-Region honor. Kosgei, Fernandez and Mecheso earned their second-consecutive all-Region honors, while Watts claimed the honor for the third time in his career.
The Cowgirls did not post a team place after having two runners injured during the race. Junior Mihaela Susa, who earned all-Region honors for the third year, once again led the Cowgirls with a seventh-place finish overall in the 6,000-meter race. She earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships with her performance.
Sophomore Victoria Fratczak finished in 27th place. Senior teammate Natalia Kovtun finished a second behind Fratczak in 28th place. Smith said the Cowgirls were in position for a sixth-place finish before the injuries and credited Susa, Fratczak, Kovtun and Alyse Goldsmith with running great races for the Cowgirls.
“Four women ran exceptional races, we had two women that didn’t finish the race and it is heartbreaking because they were in position for a sixth-place finish,” Smith said. “Mihaela earned the at-large bid and I’m happy for her, it was a good day for the women.”
Susa will be the first Cowgirl to represent the team at the NCAA Championships since 2005, when the Cowgirls posted a 10th-place finish as a team.
Men’s Results – 10,000 meters
Team Standings 1 Oklahoma State 50 2 Oklahoma 71 3 Iowa State 109 4 Minnesota 125 5 Southern Illinois 160
