Sooner Men Finish All-Time Best at Big 12 Cross Country Meet

SPICEWOOD, Texas -- Paced by a pair of top 15 finishes, the University of Oklahoma men's cross country team finished seventh at today's Big 12 Championship at Barton Creek Lakeside Country Club. The finish is the highest for the Sooner men in the eight years of the Big 12 Conference.

Silverus Kimeli finished seventh with a 24:56.8 in the 8k race to lead the Sooners. Senior Joe McNair finished 13th in the race with a 25:08.1. The finish by McNair was an all-time career best in conference competition.

The Sooner women, paced by Jessica Eldridge, finished ninth in the team standings which tied for the all-time best league finish for OU. Eldridge was 10th in the 6k race with a 22:05.9, the best ever individual finish for a Sooner woman.

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Colorado swept the team competitions, winning its eighth men's title with 38 points and its seventh women's title with 45 points. CU runners also took the individual titles with Dathan Ritzenhein winning the men's race in 24:11.8 and Natalie Florence finishing first in the women's race with a 21:25.6.

The Sooner men finished with 154 points, just 19 behind fourth place Kansas. The spread from third to seventh in the men's standings was 35 points. The Sooner women finished with 211 points. The men's point total was the lowest in the eight years of the meet and marked the first time in Big 12 competition for OU to score less than 200 points in the team competition. The women's total was the second lowest in the eight years of the league.

Darren Hutchins finished 41st with a 26:15.9 followed by Jimmy Buchanan who was 44th with a 26:29.7. The final runner to score for the Sooners was Jason Coleman who finished 49th with a 26:35.5. Other Sooner competitors included Salah Hussein, who covered the course in 27:07.0; Blake Culp, who finished with a 27:15.7; Andrew Call, who posted a 27:34.6; and Tyler Schmiedeberg, who ran a 28:06.0.

Nicola Maye finished 28th for the OU women with a 22:54.6. Catherine Odell was 56th with a 24:07.4 followed by Amanda Luksetich, who was 57th with a 24:08.7, and Andrea Bonner, who was 62nd with a 24:12.7. Other Sooner finishers included Kristi Cook, who covered the course in 25:23.9, and Jackie Dubois, who finished in 27:46.6.

“Our goal at the beginning of the season was to improve our finish in the Big 12 meet and we accomplished that today in spite of the conditions,” said Rodney Rothoff, OU's head cross country coach. “It was a tough day to race with 91 percent humidity and temperatures in the 80s at race time. Silverus ran a good race and Joe had a gutsy performance. He was with Silverus until the last 400 meters and had a shot at a top 10 finish. Jessica ran such a tactically and mentally tough race, especially when you consider that she is a freshman. She executed her race plan to a T.

“I was pleased that Darren had such a strong race. He, too, executed his race plan and I'm happy for him to go out as a senior with this kind of performance. Amanda ran her heart out and I'm thrilled for her to close her career in Big 12 competition with such a strong performance,” Rothoff added.

“What's most exciting for me as a coach as I reflect on the results is knowing that four of our top five finishers on the women's side are freshmen and that four of our men are either freshmen or sophomores. That says a lot about the future of this program.”

The finishes by Kimeli, McNair and Eldridge earn them places on the All-Big 12 Cross Country team. That marks the first time in the eight years of Big 12 competition for OU to have two men on the All-Big 12 team and Eldridge is the first woman to earn the honor. The last time a Sooner man earned All-Big 12 honors was in 1996, the first year of league competition.

Several Sooners recorded career best finishes (in terms of placing) in today's race. In addition to McNair, career best finishes were recorded by Call, Hutchins and Luksetich. The finishes by Kimeli, Coleman, Hussein, Culp, Schmiedeberg, Eldridge, Maye, Odell, Bonner and Cook also were career bests since this was their first time to compete in the Big 12.

OU's next competition will be Nov. 15 at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Stillwater.

Results from the eighth annual Big 12 Cross Country Championship
Barton Creek Lakeside Country Club
Men (8k race)
Team Standings -- 1. Colorado 38; 2. Oklahoma State 91; 3. Texas A&M 119; 4. Kansas 135; 5. Baylor 141; 6. Texas 150; 7.OKLAHOMA 154; 8. Missouri 161; 9. Kansas State 231; 10.Texas Tech 252; 11. Iowa State 282; 12. Nebraska 341
Individual Winner -- Dathan Ritzenhein, Colorado, 24:11.8
OU Results -- 7. Silverus Kimeli, 24:56.8; 13. Joe McNair, 25:08.1; 41. Darren Hutchins, 26:15.9; 44. Jimmy Buchanan, 26:29.7; 49. Jason Coleman, 26:35.5; 59. Salah Hussein, 27:07.0; 63. Blake Culp, 27:15.7; 75. Andrew Call, 27:34.6; 82. Tyler Schmiedeberg, 28:06.0.

Women (6k race)
Team Standings -- 1. Colorado 45; 2. Baylor 76; 3. Missouri 88; 4. Texas Tech 117; 5.Texas 124; 6. Nebraska 149; 7. Kansas State 171; 8. Texas A&M 194; 9. OKLAHOMA 211; 10. Kansas 223; 11. Iowa State 310; 12. Oklahoma State 348.
Individual Winner -- Natalie Florence, Colorado, 21:25.6
OU Results -- 10. Jessica Eldridge, 22:05.9; 28. Nicola Maye, 22:54.6; 56. Catherine Odell, 24:07.4; 57. Amanda Luksetich, 24:08.7; 62. Andrea Bonner, 24:12.7; 69. Kristi Cook, 25:23.9; 81. Jackie Dubois, 27:46.6.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooner Men Finish All-Time Best at Big 12 Cross Country Meet

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