Oct. 25, 2012
STILLWATER -
2012 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
October 27, 2012 | Jimmy Clay Golf Course | Austin, Texas
Full PDF Version Here
The Basics
The Oklahoma State men's and women's cross country teams travel to Austin, Texas, this weekend to compete in the 2012 Big 12 Championships at Jimmy Clay Golf Course. The women's 6,000-meter race is set to begin at 10 a.m. and the men's 8K will follow at 11 a.m.
The No. 1 Cowboys are looking to capture their fifth-straight Big 12 title, while the No. 27 Cowgirls are looking to improve on last year's third-place finish.
Competing this year for the Pokes are: Fabian Clarkson, Kirubel Erassa, Tom Farrell, Brian Gohlke, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Joseph Manilafasha, Girma Mecheso, Taylor Monaghan, Shane Moskowitz, Craig Nowak and Zach Wills.
Savannah Camacho, Jackie Campos, Jenny Dyer, Caileigh Glenn, Victoria Hanna, Monika Juodeskaite, Kate Kujawa, Monica Lake, Taylor Light and Natalja Piliusina will represent the Cowgirls at this year's championships.
Along with OSU, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia will all compete in this year's event.
The top men's and women's teams are crowned league champion, while the top 15 individuals in each race are named all-conference.
OSU Competitors
Men-8K race begins at 11 a.m.
Fabian Clarkson - Sophomore
Kirubel Erassa - Redshirt sophomore
Tom Farrell - Redshirt junior
Brian Gohlke - Redshirt freshman
Shadrack Kipchirchir - Junior
Joseph Manilafasha - Redshirt junior
Girma Mecheso - Redshirt senior
Taylor Monaghan - Redshirt junior
Shane Moskowitz - Redshirt sophomore
Craig Nowak - Freshman
Zach Wills - Redshirt freshman
Women-6K race begins at 10 a.m.
Savannah Camacho - Freshman
Jackie Campos - Senior
Jenny Dyer - Sophomore
Caileigh Glenn - Sophomore
Victoria Hanna - Junior
Monika Juodeskaite - Sophomore
Kate Kujawa - Senior
Monica Lake - Freshman
Taylor Light - Sophomore
Natalja Piliusina - Junior
Last Time Out
Both teams competed in the Chile Pepper Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. on Oct. 13.
The Cowboys took six of the top-10 spots in the 10,000-meter race. Girma Mecheso finished in second place with a time
of 30:13.8. Teammates Kirubel Erassa (30:17.4), Shadrack Kipchirchir (30:19.0), Shane Moskowitz (30:25.6) and Fabian Clarkson (30:25.9) finished in third through sixth place, respectively. True freshman Craig Nowak rounded out the top 10, crossing the finish line at 30:38.6.
Monika Juodeskaite once again led the Cowgirls in the 6,000m race, battling to a second-place finish with a time of 20:54.3. That time moved Juodeskaite into ninth all-time on OSU's 6,000m records list.
OSU in the Polls
The Cowboys overtook the No. 1 spot in the October 15 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll. They earned six first-place votes out of the possible 12 to claim the top spot. Wisconsin, the former No. 1, fell to 20th.
Meanwhile, the Cowgirls dropped five spots to No. 27 in the poll
Conference Meet History
The Cowboys have won the conference meet six times, including four consecutive titles.
Meanwhile, the Cowgirls have captured one conference title, in 1986.
From Coach Dave Smith
On the men
"Both men's and women's team have a real challenge on their hands. On the men's side, it's the best conference in the country. We've got three teams in the top seven and five in the top 30, which makes us the toughest conference in the country. If we want to defend and win our fifth-straight title, it's going to take a major effort. No one is going to roll over and give it to us. We're really going to have to run a perfect race to win this."
On the women
"Iowa State is ranked No. 2 in the country. They might be
the best team in the country. You always hope of winning a Big 12 title, and that is what we're shooting for. To do that, we're going to have to knock off an awfully good team. Not to mention, Texas is ranked 14th so we've got our work cut out for us. We'd like to move up from last year's third-place finish. Hopefully we can move up and keep rising through the Big 12 over the years."
