Oklahoma State Cross Country Eyeing National Championship No. 6
Cross Country is not for the faint of heart. It is hot, it is grueling and ultimately it is a battle with yourself. The race is long and lonely. The race becomes a little easier when one has an army running with them. The sheer joy of crossing the finish line first may be one of the sweetest moments in all of sports.
Competitive Cross-Country running may be one of the most underrated sports in all of the athletic land. Yet in the Cowboy country of Stillwater, Oklahoma State has managed to once again field one of the most dominant XC teams in college sports.
The Oklahoma State men’s team has been dominating the competition once again this season. The Cowboys made it National Championship No. 5 in 2023 and have been the clear-cut favorite to bring home No. 6 in 2024. The Cowboys have held the No. 1 spot in each of the first four U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Coaches’ Polls this season.
Still on 🔝 #GoPokes I #run4okstate pic.twitter.com/sZhJwhLw3Y
— Oklahoma State XC/T&F (@run4okstate) October 8, 2024
In their first competition of the season, the Cowboys took down No. 8 New Mexico, No. 22 Oregon and No. 24 Texas at the Cowboy Jamboree on September 28. Oklahoma State has five Cowboys individually ranked in the top 12 with Brian Musau (3rd), Denis Kipngetich (5th), Victor Shitsama (10th), Fouad Messaoudi (11th) and Ryan Shoppe (12th).
With the men asserting their dominance this season, the Oklahoma State Cowgirls’ Cross Country team is patiently waiting for their moment in the spotlight. The Cowgirls place 2nd in the Cowboy Jamboree only behind No. 17 New Mexico. The ladies of Oklahoma State remained locked at No. 19 in the recent USTFCCCA Cross Country poll.
Holding steady in the top 2️⃣5️⃣!#GoPokes I #run4okstate pic.twitter.com/lPGK0tvMl1
— Oklahoma State XC/T&F (@run4okstate) October 8, 2024
The OSU Cowgirls Cross Country squad has been ranked inside the top 25 of every coach’s poll since 2020. They hold an active streak of 30 consecutive weeks in the rankings. The OSU men join the ladies in that streak, but the Cowboys have not been outside of the top 10 rankings since 2019.
Next up for the Oklahoma State Cross Country teams is the October 19th Weis-Crockett Invitational which will be held at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course.
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Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.