Oklahoma State track and field head coach Dave Smith joins Casey Kendrick on the OSU Spring Sports Roundup to talk about the achievements of the Cowgirl Track program in 2012 and Natalja Piliusina's Olympic aspirations. Piliusina has already earned the Olympic "B" standard, which could allow her to represent Lithuania in the 1,500 meters at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Coach Smith also talks about Cowgirl Basketball player Toni Young joining the Cowgirl Track & Field program, and making an immediate impact nationally in the high jump.
Honors and Awards 2010 Cross Country All-Midwest Region 2010 Cross Country USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
2012 Indoors: Notched a runner-up finish in the 800 meters at the NCAA Championships after clocking a 2:04.48 to earn first-team All-America recognition ...Won her second-straight 800 meter title at the Big 12 Championships, posting a time of 2:07.43 ... Also helped the distance medley relay team come from behind to consecutive Big 12 Championships, as the team set the third-best DMR time in OSU history with an 11:19.24 ... Bested her previous personal record in the 800 meters and set a new school record after running a 2:03.46 at the Alex Wilson Invitational ... That time is ranked as No. 1 in the NCAA ... Surpassed the top school mark she set in 2011 in the 800 meters with a 2:05.56 at the Tyson Invitational ... Ran a 4:46.84 in the mile to place seventh at the Razorback Invitational.
2011 Cross Country: Was the Cowgirls top finisher in all five events she competed in ... Placed fourth at the conference championship meet to earn all-Big 12 honors after finishing the 6,000 meters in a school record 19:45.9 ... Earned all-region recognition after coming in ninth at the Midwest Regional, completing the 6,000-meter race in 21:15.45 ... Led the Cowgirls with an 83rd place finish at the NCAA Championships, posting a time of 20:53.3 ... Finished fourth at the Cowboy Jamboree, clocking a 17:26.64, the 14th-best 5,000 meter time in OSU history ... Completed the 6,000 meters at the Chile Pepper Festival in 20:33.3 on her way to a 10th-place finish.
2011 Outdoors: Ran for a school record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:02.16 at the NCAA Championships to finish in second place ... Broke the school record earlier in the season with a 2:03.91 at the Payton Jordan Invitational ... Piliusina's 2:03.91 was the fastest regular-season time in the Big 12 by more than a full second ... Notched a first place finish in the 800 meters at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships with a time of 2:05.75 ... Finished 12th in the 800 meters of the quarterfinal round of the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds with a time of 2:06.70 to advance to the NCAA Championships ... Ran the 800 meters in 2:05.84 at the John McDonnell Invitational ... Logged a 1,500 meter time of 4:20.63 at the Mt. SAC Relays for a mark that ranks fourth on the all-time Oklahoma State outdoor list.
2011 Indoors: Secured the first All-America honor of her career running as part of the Oklahoma State distance medley relay squad that placed fifth at the NCAA Championships with a school-record time of 11:04.59 ... A two-time Big 12 champion as a true freshman, winning the 800 meters in 2:08.47 and competing as part of the distance medley relay squad that won the conference title in 11:09.67 ... Set a school record when she ran the 800 meters in 2:05.86 at the Razorback Invitational ... Just missed out on earning a spot in the NCAA finals in the mile when she placed 11th at the NCAA prelims in 4:40.97 ... Best mile time of the season was a 4:39.39 at the Husky Classic, a mark that ranks third on the all-time Oklahoma State indoor list and ranked her No. 12 on the 2011 NCAA indoor list.
2010 Cross Country: A very strong performer for the Cowgirls as a true freshman ... Member of the USTFCCCA all-academic team ... Earned all-region status by placing 16th at the 6,000 meter NCAA Midwest Regional in 20:35.51 ... Just missed out on all-Big 12 accolades by placing 16th at the 6,000 meter conference meet in 20:57.06 ... Was the first Cowgirl to cross the finish line at the NCAA Championships, placing 49th in 20:59 to lift OSU to a 17th-place finish at the meet, its best team finish since 2005 ... Fifth-place finisher at the 6,000 meter Cowboy Jamboree in 21:35.55 to help lead the Pokes to the team title at the meet ... Also helped lead the Cowgirls to the team championship at the 5,000 meter Chile Pepper Festival by placing 11th in 17:43.10 ... Her performance that day ranks No. 20 on Oklahoma State's all-time cross country 5,000 meter list.
Prior to OSU: Attended Azuolynas Gymnasium in Klaipeda, Lithuania ... Coached by Romas and Jolanta Berzinskai ... Lithuanian junior record holder in the 1,500 meters ... Won national titles at several different age groups ... Took fifth at the 2009 European under-20 championships in Novi Sad, Serbia ... Placed seventh in the 800 meters at the 2007 World Youth Championships and was eighth in the 800 meters at the World Youth Championships in 2008.
Personal: Natalja Piliusina was born October 22, 1990 in Klaipeda, Lithuania ... Daughter of Daiva and Aleksandr Piliusina.
