Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls cross country

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Oklahoma State Cowboys cross country
Oklahoma State University Athletics logo.svg
University Oklahoma State University
Head coachDave Smith (16th season)
Conference Big 12
Location Stillwater, OK
Nickname Cowboys/Cowgirls
ColorsOrange and black [1]
   
Men's national championships
1954, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2023
Men's NCAA appearances
1939, 1954, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Women's NCAA appearances
1988, 1989, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Men's conference champions
1960, 1972, 1973, 1995, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Women's conference champions
1986, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022

The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls cross country are the cross country teams of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys and Cowgirls compete in the Big 12 Conference at the Division I level in the NCAA and are head coached by 16th year head coach, Dave Smith.

Contents

The Oklahoma State men's cross country program is one of the most decorated in the country, having won five national championships and finishing runner up twice. The Cowboys have also won 17 conference titles, most recently winning the Big 12 in 2023. [2]

The Oklahoma State women's cross country program has had their fair share of success recently as well, winning three Big 12 conference championships in four years, along with a school-record 3rd–place NCAA Championship finish in 2023. [3]

History

Men's team

The Oklahoma State men's cross country program first began in 1917, under the leadership of Ed Gallagher. The team cycled through head coaches with limited success until hiring Ralph Higgins in 1935. Under Higgins, the Cowboys would make their first NCAA Cross Country Championship appearance in 1939, where they would finish 5th. When they made their return 15 years later, they made it count, winning the 1954 national championship in a dominant performance, beating runner–up Syracuse by over 50 points. [4]

Throughout the rest of the century and into the 2000's, the Cowboy cross country team would maintain reasonable success, winning a handful of Big Eight conference titles and making numerous NCAA championship appearances, but they struggled at posing to be a national championship threat against the likes of Arkansas, Oregon and Stanford, until Dave Smith's hiring in 2006. [5]

The hiring of Dave Smith instantly elevated Oklahoma State into being one of the best cross country teams in the country. The Cowboys won their first conference championship in 13 years in 2008, when Smith led the team to their first Big 12 conference title. [6] One year later, Oklahoma State finally won their second national title, winning the 2009 national championship over Oregon. [7] The Cowboys immediately won their 3rd national title in 2010, blowing out runnner–up Florida State by 120 points. [8] After a 2nd–place finish in 2011, Oklahoma State won their third national title in four years in 2012, the school's 4th championship overall. [9] During this time, they dominated the Big 12, winning nine straight conference championships from 2008–2016. The Cowboys resumed their dominance in 2020, winning another four straight conference titles from 2020–2023 and claiming the school's 5th national championship in 2023, beating the powerhouse Northern Arizona team, 49–71. [10]

Women's team

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls cross country program began in 1978. A decade later, the Cowgirls made their first of 17 NCAA Cross Country Championship appearances in 1988, where they finished 11th. The program had mixed success, highlighted by a 1986 Big Eight conference title and a 5th place finish at the 1989 NCAA Championship, but it again was Dave Smith who brought the most success to the Cowgirl program when he was hired to the position in 2009.

Under Smith, the women's cross country team has won four conference titles, winning the Big 12 in 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2022. [11] The Cowgirls have also scored their best national finishes recently, finishing 7th in 2015 before scoring a 4th–place finish in 2022. In 2023, the program claimed a 3rd–place finish, only 33 points behind the national champions, the best finish ever for the program. [12]

NCAA Championship results

Men's Championship Results [13]

YearPointsPlace
1939 1145th
1954 611st
1965 1855th
1966 37817th
1970 43114th
1972 2267th
1973 1945th
1993 38117th
1994 28611th
1995 1503rd
1996 1584th
1997 34614th
1998 38714th
1999 41916th
2000 43413th
2001 72931st
2003 43316th
2004 62130th
2005 3558th
2006 35610th
2007 1803rd
2008 3058th
2009 1271st
2010 731st
2011 1392nd
2012 721st
2013 2303rd
2014 2969th
2015 45018th
2016 38312th
2017 63729th
2018 37813th
2020 1423rd
2021 1863rd
2022 832nd
2023 491st
2024 2568th

Women's Championship Results [14]

YearPointsPlace
1988 24111th
1989 2025th
1998 46220th
2001 48218th
2005 37710th
2010 41717th
2011 70130th
2012 56526th
2015 2747th
2016 46517th
2017 74830th
2018 48119th
2020 53524th
2021 40413th
2022 2014th
2023 1563rd
2024 59827th

Men's Individual Achievements

All–Americans

40 Cowboy runners have received a total of 70 All-American honors, including three runners (Tom Farrell from 2010–13, Isai Rodriguez in 2018 and from 2020–22 and Victor Shitsama from 2020–23) being four–time All-American recipients. [15]

Conference champions

11 Cowboy runners have won a total of 14 individual conference championships. John Halberstadt won two Big Eight conference titles in 1972 and 1973, German Fernandez won two Big 12 conference titles in 2008 and 2011, and Brian Musau has won the two most recent Big 12 conference titles in 2023 and 2024. [16]

Women's Individual Achievements

All–Americans

16 Cowgirl runners have received a total of 24 All-American honors, including two runners (Jackie Goodman from 1986–89 and Taylor Roe from 2020–23) being four–time All–American recipients. [17]

Conference champions

6 Cowgirl runners have won a total of 8 individual conference championships. Christine McMiken won three straight Big Eight titles from 1984–86, and Taylor Roe is the most recent winner, winning the Big 12 individual championship in 2023. [18]

Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course

The Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course was unveiled in summer of 2019, and features multiple different length configurations depending on the individual runner. The course, located on the Oklahoma State campus, consists of just under one million square feet of Astro Bermuda grass and is carved through wooded areas and prarie with varying elevations. [19]

One of the best cross country courses in the nation, the course was selected to host the 2020 and 2022 NCAA Championships, along with the 2021 Big 12 Championships. In October 2024 it was announced that the course will again be hosting the NCAA Championships, this time in 2027. [20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Oklahoma State University Athletics Official Athletics Branding Manual (PDF). November 20, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  2. ↑ "2024-25 Men's Cross Country and Track & Field Digital Guide" (PDF). Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  3. ↑ "2024-25 Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Digital Guide" (PDF). Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  4. ↑ "5 National Championships". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  5. ↑ "Director of Track & Field and Cross Country". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  6. ↑ "2008 Big 12 Cross Country Championships". Big 12 Conference. 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  7. ↑ "Cowboys Win NCAA Cross Country Title". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  8. ↑ "Cowboy Cross Country Repeats as NCAA Champions". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2010-11-22. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  9. ↑ "Cowboy Cross Country Wins National Title". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  10. ↑ Lang, Gavin (2023-11-21). "Cowboy cross country wins fifth NCAA title, OSU's 53rd overall". Oklahoma State University. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  11. ↑ "Big 12 Cross Country Championships". TFRRS. 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  12. ↑ Harrington, Joe (2023-11-18). "NCAA Cross Country Championships 2023 Results: Parker Valby Cruises". FloTrack. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  13. ↑ "2024-25 Men's Cross Country and Track & Field Digital Guide" (PDF). Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  14. ↑ "2024-25 Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Digital Guide" (PDF). Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  15. ↑ "All-Americans". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  16. ↑ "Brian Musau Successfully Defends Individual Title at Big 12 Cross Country Championships". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2024-11-01. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  17. ↑ "All-Americans". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  18. ↑ "Taylor Roe Wins First Career Big 12 Cross Country Title". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  19. ↑ "Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
  20. ↑ "Oklahoma State chosen to host NCAA men's basketball, men's golf, cross country championship events". Oklahoma State University Athletics. 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
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