Q&A with OSU runner Ryan Vail

A native of Gresham, Ore., Oklahoma State junior Ryan Vail is the leader of coach Dave Smith's Cowboy men's cross country team. He competed with the Junior National Cross Country Team at the World Championships in Lyon, France during his redshirt freshman year at OSU, making him the first Cowboy to ever qualify for the event. A three-time academic all-Big 12 honoree, Vail finished third at the 8,000-meter Cowboy Jamboree this year with a time of 23:49 to lead Oklahoma State to an upset win over cross country power Arkansas and to a first place finish at the event. Recently at the 10,000-meter Big 12 Championships, he placed third (barley missing second place by three-tenths of a second) and boosted the Cowboys to a second-place finish behind reigning NCAA champion Colorado. Okstate.com recently visited with Vail to find out what makes him tick.Â You're originally from Oregon, how did you end up in Stillwater attending Oklahoma State? “Dave Smith is from the Northwest. He recruits a lot out of the Northwest. It was really all his work. He called me up a lot and convinced me to come take a visit down here. He's a really smart guy and his coaching really fit my training I had up there.” Â What has been your best OSU moment so far? “Making the world cross country team my freshman year or beating Arkansas in the Cowboy Jamboree this year.” Â Is it tough to keep up with academics (class, homework) and athletics (practice, traveling for events?) “It can be. As long as you set out a strict time schedule and you can stick to it, make sure you put the time aside. It's all about setting the time aside. I don't think it's too difficult.” What are your goals for the remainder of this season? “My goal is to help the team win the region again. I'd like to be top-20 at the national race which will help us to be in the top six at nationals.” Â What are your goals for the rest of your OSU career? “I'd like to break the 5K record this spring which would qualify me for the Olympic Trials. They are in Eugene, Oregon so I would get to go back home. That's my big goal for the year.” Â How do you feel about your third place finish in the Big 12 Championship and the team's second place finish? “We were told all year we needed five in the top 15 to win the conference. We got that and it still wasn't quite enough. If we were going to lose that race that's the way we wanted to lose it. We, for the most part, matched our goals. We're still happy with it.” Â What are your thoughts about the upcoming NCAA Regional on November 10th? “I think if we just run it the way we have the last two years, run it in a pack from about fifth through the 15th place and not have an all out effort and still win the race without too much trouble. And just get ready for nationals.”

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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