SR Craig Nowak (7:56 3K; 14:06 5K; 16th NCAA XC ’14)

SR Fabian Clarkson (3:59 Mile; 7:50 3K; 52nd NCAA XC ’14)

SR Brian Gohlke (14:11 5K; 29:17 10K; 89th NCAA XC ’14)

SO Cerake Geberkidane (8:09 3K; 14:28 5K; 126th NCAA XC ’14)

SR Vegard Oelstad (3:58 Mile; 8:04 3K; 14:17 5K)
 

Sukhi Khosla via Tallahassee, FL (4:09 Mile; 8:59 3200)

Benito Muniz via Carmel, N.Y. (4:09 Mile; 18th FL ’14)

The Oklahoma State Cowboys failed to reach the podium at NCAAs last season for the first time since 2008. Coach Dave Smith’s squad was greatly hurt by #1 man Kirubel Erassa having an off day, and they stumbled to a ninth place finish in Terre Haute. For a team that won three national titles in four years between 2009 to 2012, that is just simply not good enough. 

 

One positive from last year’s trip to NCAAs was Craig Nowak’s surprising 16th place finish. Nowak moved up 24 places in the last 2K, earning his first All-American honor in the process. Now a senior, Nowak is unquestionably the leader of this team, and could potentially be a top 10 guy in Louisville this November if he races like he did in 2014.

 

Another plus for the Pokes is their experience, as we expect four out of this team’s top five to be seniors. Fabian Clarkson should slot in as the Cowboys’ #2, and he has a very good shot to finish top 40 individually after placing 52nd a year ago in Terre Haute. If Clarkson can join Nowak as an All-American, this team could become a top five contender. 

 

One man expected to take a big leap in his 2nd year on campus is Cerake Geberkidane. The sophomore was given the rare opportunity in Coach Smith’s system to compete as a true freshman, and despite taking his lumps (126th at NCAAs), Geberkidane showed his potential with an 11th place showing at Big 12s. Additionally, Geberkidane gained some valuable experience by competing at World junior XC in March, finishing a respectable 34th. 

 

The Cowboys don’t have the big names that we’re used to seeing from them, but their lack of a superstar could end up benefitting them come November. It’s always tricky to get a read on Dave Smith’s squad before NCAAs because they usually skip Wisco/Pre-Nats, but they’ll get a nice little test in their hometown opener, the Cowboy Jamboree, as #20 NAU and their stud Futsum Zienasellassie visit Stillwater on September 26th. Right now we’re sticking them at #10 because they’re depending on almost all of their guys to step up big time, which is never a guarantee. 

 

One wildcard to watch will be 2015 NCAA 1500 champion Chad Noelle, who doesn’t have much experience on the XC course, but certainly has the wheels to contend in a sit-and-kick race. With Edward Cheserek’s presence slowing everything down at NCAAs, Noelle could be OSU’s secret weapon.