OSU’s men’s cross-country team left last year’s NCAA Championships with a bitter taste in its mouth.
A tiebreaker left it second on the podium to Northern Arizona, which claimed its sixth title in seven years.
The Cowboys didn’t let it come down to that this time.
OSU needed to upend NAU to reach a national title, and it did just that. The Cowboys prevented a third straight title for the Lumberjacks and claimed their fifth cross-country national championship in dominant fashion on Saturday morning in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“To beat a team like that, one of the legendary teams in NCAA history in any sport, is just an honor,” said OSU coach Dave Smith.
Leading up the Saturday, both Smith and NAU coach Michael Smith said it would take 75 points to win the championship this year, but NAU’s 71 still wasn’t enough to override the Cowboys.
OSU finished with 49 points, beating No. 1 ranked NAU by 22 points to take home the hardware. The 49 points is the lowest by any team in the past 18 years, and it is the 12th-lowest score of all time.
OSU remained dominant throughout the competition, with five Cowboys placing inside the top 20. Denis Kipngetich (fourth), Brian Musau (eighth), Fouad Messaoudi (10th), Victor Shitsama (12th) and Alex Maier (15th) were the five placers for the Cowboys.
Dave Smith knew it would be a tough battle, but his team has been ready for the moment.
“We went to the conference meet saying, ‘Hey let’s get out there and take the bull by the horns, get out of our comfort zone and make everybody uncomfortable,’” Smith said. “We knew this race was going to be that way, so let’s just jump in, go with it, and let’s be part of it.”
Smith has been with the Cowboys since 2002 and has been head coach since 2006, as well as the director since 2009. Saturday’s national championship marks Smith’s fourth title with OSU and first since 2012.
Maier, a senior at OSU who has been a staple for the team, has seen the progression of the Cowboys since he arrived on campus in 2019. After taking a team second-place finish and a fifth-place individual finish at last year’s national competition, Maier is all too familiar with coming close to winning it all.
On Saturday, he helped lead his team to the other side of that feeling as the Cowboys hoisted the trophy.
“To see this team grow and to see all my brothers here work every day and sacrifice blood, sweat and tears to get to this point, it vindicates everything,” Maier said.
The OSU women’s cross-country team placed third at NCAAs behind a seventh-place finish from Billah Jepkirui.
Here are the results from both races:
Men’s Team Standings:
1. Oklahoma State – 49
2. Northern Arizona – 71
3. BYU – 196
4. Arkansas – 211
5. Iowa State – 230
Men’s Individual Results:
1. Graham Blanks (Harvard) – 28:37.7
2. Habtom Samuel (New Mexico) – 28:40.7
3. Ky Robinson (Stanford) – 28:55.7
4. Denis Kipngetich (Oklahoma State) – 28:59.7
5. Drew Bosley (NAU) – 29:03.8
8. Brian Musau (OSU) – 29:11.0
10. Fouad Messaoudi (OSU) – 29:13.3
12. Victor Shitsama (OSU) – 29:16.1
15. Alex Maier (OSU) – 29:20.2
50. Adisu Gaudia (OSU) – 29:59.6
85. Will Muirhead (OSU) – 30:25.9
Women’s Team Standings:
1. NC State – 123
2. NAU – 124
3. Oklahoma State – 156
4. Notre Dame – 237
5. Florida – 268
Women’s Individual Results:
1. Parker Valby (Florida) – 18:55.2
2. Doris Lemngole (Alabama) – 19:05.7
3. Olivia Markezich (Notre Dame) – 19:10.0
4. Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama) – 19:22.1
5. Katelyn Tuohy (NC State) – 19:23.0
7. Billah Jepkirui (OSU) – 19:27.5
21. Molly Born (OSU) – 19:53.8
34. Taylor Roe (OSU) – 20:04.7
48. Gabija Galvydyte (OSU) – 20:12.5
100. Cayden Dawson (OSU) – 20:41.0
106. Sivan Auerbach (OSU) – 20:42.2
171. Payton Hinkle (OSU) – 21:11.7