Oklahoma State University Athletics
Meet Notes: Last Chance Qualifiers
February 28, 2013 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Feb. 28, 2013
STILLWATER -
The Basics
The Oklahoma State men's and women's track and field teams will travel to South Bend, Ind., and New York City, this Friday and Saturday for last chance NCAA qualifier meets.
This is the final opportunity for athletes to improve on times and distances to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Fans can follow @run4okstate on Twitter for updates.
From Head Coach Dave Smith
On the pressure of a last chance meet:
"It's a little added pressure--the title of the meet adds pressure. We've had pretty good success at these in recent years, though. Even last year, we had two punch their tickets to nationals via these meets. We've been pretty lucky. The thing about this weekend is it's less about tactics and team strategy, and more about just running fast as an individual."
On what makes these meets difficult as a coach:
"Every athlete who may not have already qualified, or may be on the bubble, wants to run this weekend. But, when you have all these races like the Big 12 meet, last chance and nationals in three consecutive weeks, that's a lot of running. It's hard knowing some of them won't get another chance this year. For the seniors, of course we'll say to go for it, where with a younger athlete, to protect them, we maybe won't. But, this is usually a fun trip with a smaller group of athletes."
On sending runners to last chance who have qualified in other events:
"There's always a worry. You would like to put each individual first, but some of these individuals may not qualify if not for the relay. So, you want to get the relay qualified. In the past, we've chosen not to take relays to last chance meets to protect individuals. It's always a balancing act."
OSU Entries For Last Chance Meets
Columbia Final Qualifying Meet
Men's Events
5,000 meters
Alex Wilson Invitational (Notre Dame)
Men's Events
800 meters
Mile
3,000 Meters
Distance Medley Relay
Women's Events
400 Meters
Mile
3000 Meters
Distance Medley Relay
The "Fab Five"
Raul Botezan, Tom Farrell, Kirubel Erassa, Fabian Clarkson and Shane Moskowitz have all run sub-four minute miles this season, with the latter four doing it in the same meet on Jan. 26 at the Razorback Invitational.
No other school in the country has had that many runners break the four-minute mark this season.
Five of the 29 sub-four minute times registered on the NCAA list belong to these Cowboys, and all five times are also in the top 22 marks this season.
Leading Lady
Natalja Piliusina is the nation's No. 5 runner in the women's 800 meters with a mark of 2:04.35, and she's No. 4 in the mile at 4:32.26.
Piliusina is coming off a 2012 indoor season in which she captured her second-straight Big 12 conference title in the 800m and was runner up in the same event at the NCAA national meet. She also hit a new personal best in the 800 meters with a school-record 2:03.46 at the Alex Wilson Invitational.
Record Breakers
Natalja Piliusina and Shadrack Kipchirchir are rewriting the indoor track and field record books at Oklahoma State.
Piliusina already had the school records in the 800m and 1,000m when she went to Seattle for the Husky Classic. In the mile, which isn't her primary event, she broke the school record, running a 4:32.26, giving her three OSU indoor records.
In the same meet, Kipchirchir ran the 5,000 meters in 13:38.57, destroying the previous school record by more than six seconds. He is now ranked No. 3 in the nation in the 5,000m.
World Ranking
Nick Miller is ranked 13th in the world in the 6kg under-20 hammer throw, according to the IAAF 2012 top list.
Miller recorded a throw of 67.56m/221-08 in Livingston, Scotland, last June at the Hammerama meet to earn a spot among the world's best.
Miller is coming off an impressive freshman year that was highlighted by a Big 12 championship in the hammer throw. He became the first Cowboy athlete to win an outdoor conference title in the hammer throw since Wallace Thornberry in 1901. Miller also set an Oklahoma State school record when he launched a 7.26 kilogram hammer 67.56m/221-08 at the Hammerama meet in Scotland.
Last Time Out - Men
Miller dominated the weight throw to lead the OSU men at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Ames, Iowa.
Miller's launch of 20.63m/67-08.25 was the first throw of the competition, and it was not matched the rest of the way.
Taylor Buck got the day started with a fifth-place finish in the high jump. He was able to match his indoor personal best, clearing 2.08m/6-09.75.
In the men's 5,000 meter run, two OSU runners scored for the team. Girma Mecheso finished second, running a 13:57.06, which is the seventh-fastest time in school history. Brian Gohlke set a new personal best by more than 35 seconds, with a 14:16.42.
A trio of scorers in the 3,000 meters led the way for the Cowboys. Shadrack Kipchirchir, Kirubel Erassa and Fabian Clarkson finished second, third and sixth, respectively. Kipchirchir's 7:56.20 was a personal best, and would have been the Big 12 meet record, had he won.
Kirubel Erassa (4:02.02) and Tom Farrell (4:05.90) landed second and seventh-place finishes, respectively, in the mile.
Then, in the 1,000 meters, it was a personal record party as Raul Botezan, Taylor Monaghan and Korey Krotzer all set new personal bests in the event. Botezan finished second, Monaghan snagged fifth and Krotzer took eighth.
Tyler Payton kept it going in the 800 meter run, making a late charge to take third, in 1:53.12.
Last Time Out - Women
Oklahoma State Cowgirl track and field enjoyed a historically high team finish, taking fifth place with 48 points at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.
The women's fifth-place finish tied their highest since the team began competing at the indoor conference championships. The other two times the women finished fifth were in 1989 and 1990.
To lead the women's side, Natalja Piliusina won her third straight Big 12 title in the 800 meter run, with a 2:06.27, which was a Big 12 meet record. Mihaela Bobos took sixth in the event.
The Cowgirls enjoyed a pair of third-place finishes from Adela Hofmannova, who ran a personal-best 2:47.83 in the 1,000 meters, and Clara Nichols, who ran a 1:22.51 in the 600 yard run.
Monika Juodeskaite also landed a third-place finish, running a 9:18.11 in the 3,000 meter run.
Kate Kujawa joined the scoring parade, finishing seventh in the mile, with a 4:56.83.
In the women's weight throw, Caitlin Way threw a 18.39m/60-00.04, which was good enough for seventh place at the meet, meaning both throwers who went today scored for the team and were All-Big 12 performers.
Last Year At Last Chance Meets
Piliusina finished the 800 meter run in 2:03.46, which set a new top time in OSU history.
Her result was good for second place at the event, though the top finisher was a professional runner, giving Piliusina the top time in the NCAA women's 800 meters.
Erassa ran a 3:58.84 in the one mile run to place first in the event, as well as set the meet record. At the time, his mark was second all-time at OSU.
National Rankings
Piliusina is the No. 5 female in the 800 meters, and No. 4 in the mile.
Juodeskaite appeared at No. 17 in the 3000m, following her great run in Seattle.
Ealey stayed in the top 50 in the women's shot put, checking in at No. 42.
For the Cowboys, Botezan (No. 8), Farrell (No. 11), Erassa (No. 12), Clarkson (No. 21) and Moskowitz (No. 22) all rank in the top 22 in the mile.
The Cowboys also have five runners ranked in the 3000m. Erassa is No. 6, Farrell shows up at No. 10, Clarkson snags the No. 17 spot, Kipchirchir holds at No. 26, and Vilhauer checks in at No. 50.
Fresh off his record-breaking performance in Seattle, Kipchirchir has the No. 3 ranking in the 5,000 meters.
Nick Miller gives the Cowboys another top-15 ranking, landing at No. 13 in the weight throw.
The Natural
Although this is his first year to compete in the Weight Throw, Nick Miller is having a fantastic season. He is ranked No. 13 in the country with a heave of 20.97m/68-09.75, which he achieved at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite on Feb. 1.
Miller is the only Big 12 thrower ranked in the top 50 in this event, and the conference champion after defeating the rest of the field in Ames by almost two meters.
Qualifying Standards
For the 2012-13 indoor season, the NCAA has eliminated automatic qualifying times to the NCAA Championships meet.
Qualification to the championships is based on descending-order list for the season. For each individual event contested, the top 16 declared student-athletes will be accepted into the competition. For each relay event contested, the top 12 declared relay teams will be accepted into the competition. The stated maximums are absolute and will not be extended
Players Mentioned
