Billah Jepkirui Highlights Distance Season Opener at Stanford Invitational

Friday, March 31

Stanford, CA

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Oklahoma State University

Stanford Invitational

Billah Jepkirui Highlights Distance Season Opener at Stanford Invitational

April 01, 2023 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Oklahoma State outdoor track & field distance runners kicked off their outdoor seasons Friday at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.

Billah Jepkirui highlighted the Cowgirl efforts, winning her first 1,500 Meter race as a Cowgirl with her time of 4:14.00. In the process, she jumped up to eighth in Cowgirl history behind a slew of All-Americans and a pair of national champions. She also defeated a field that included a host of All-Americans in just her first outdoor race for OSU.

Joining Jepkirui in the women's 1,500 Meters was Maddie Salek, Heidi Demeo Lilly Lavier and Krystal Rodriguez, all of whom set new personal bests with Salek winning her heat with a time of 4:19.81.

Taylor Roe opened her outdoor campaign competing in the 10,000 Meters for the first time in her career and immediately dropped the second-fastest 10K time in program history with her time of 33:02.36. Teammate Gabby Hentemann also set a new personal best in the event with a time of 33:17.48, which she set last season on her way to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships last spring.

On the men's side, Rory Leonard and Alex Maier kicked off their outdoor campaigns in the 10K, with Leonard dropping a two-minute personal best with his 12^th-place time of 28:21.30. Leonard's time moves him up to sixth in Cowboy history behind five previous Cowboy All-Americans.

Alex Stitt continued the momentum in the 1,500's, running a personal-best time of 3:42.28 and a eighth-place finish overall in the event.

Meanwhile at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, former Longhorn Philip Frank returned to Mike A. Myers Stadium to participate in the 110 Meters Hurdles. He set a personal best in the event, crossing the finish line in 14.96 seconds.

Both groups at the Texas Relays and Stanford Invitational will wrap up action on Saturday, with the Relays on the Longhorn Network and the Invitational on FloTrack.

For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.

Texas Relays

Women's Individual Results

100 Meters Hurdles Timed
65. Olivija Vaitaityte — 14.75
78. Bailey Golden — 15.59

4x400 Relay
17. Tori Ortiz, Ansley Scott, Yasmine Johnson, Kalaya Ali — 3:40.73

Men's Individual Results

110 Meters Hurdles
54. Philip Frank — 14.951

4x400 Relay
17. Elijah Berry, Justin Smith, Justin Long, DeJuana McArthur — 3:08.75