Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Aug 19, 20174 min
Oklahoma State is an interesting team to rank, mainly because of their low-profile approach to racing during the cross country season. Rarely do we see the Cowboys entering huge invites like Wisconsin, Pre-Nats, Notre Dame, or Roy Griak. Instead, they opt for smaller meets like the Cowboy Jamboree and the Penn State Open. Of course, when you're a program as good as Oklahoma State, it's tough to stay "under the radar".
Oklahoma State was an entertaining team to watch in 2016. With so many different moving parts and new competition to face, the Cowboys were always making headlines. The first meet of their season would take place in their own backyard at the Cowboy Jamboree. There, JUCO transfer Sylvester Barus took the individual title while the rest of the squad followed by taking places 3, 5, 6, and 9. Oklahoma State would easily cruise past a respectable Tulsa squad and take the team title all without Cerake Geberkidane.
Unfortunately, Coach Dave Smith mentioned in an interview that Geberkidane had been dealing with injury problems and would be making his debut at BIG 12's (at the latest). The Cowboys would have to thrive without him until then.
The next stop on the schedule was the Penn State Open, a new meet that gave teams the option to race in a smaller invite rather than at Wisconsin or Pre-Nats. For many teams, it was an attractive opportunity as Oklahoma State, Mississippi, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Texas all entered their top squads. The race would essentially become a matchup between Oklahoma State and Ole Miss as Hassan Abdi and Josh Thompson led the way by taking spots 2 and 3 while the rest of their scorers finished 11th, 14th, and 17th.
The Cowboys emerged victorious over a very good Ole Miss team that was only 2 points behind them. It was a huge confidence booster heading into the postseason.
Two weeks later was BIG 12's and Geberkidane was still not in the lineup. As it turns out, his injury required much more attention than initially thought and he was forced to call it quits for the year. For most teams, that would be a devastating blow. For Oklahoma State, it wasn't.
Despite the race turning tactical, Oklahoma State handled it with grace as they placed five in the top 11 to gut out the win over an up-and-coming Iowa State program.
At Mid-West regionals, the results didn't look all that different. Oklahoma State once again got the best of Tulsa as they placed their top five in spots 2, 4, 15, 20, and 23. The Cowboys walked away with the regional team title and entered Nationals with the comfort of knowing that they could consistently defeat some of the best programs in the nation.
Although they entered NCAA's undefeated, they left with the impression that they could've done more. Hassan Abdi and Josh Thompson came up big with two huge All-American finishes, but no other Cowboy broke into the top 100 as an individual. In the team scoring, Oklahoma State finished 13th, 28th, 97th, 111th, and 114th to place 12th overall. Ironically, Tulsa was 23 points ahead of them in 11th.
While their finish at Nationals left something to be desired, 2016 was still a very strong year for the Cowboys. They displayed absolute dominance even without Geberkidane and were able to consistently finish ahead of top-tier teams. Entering NCAA's undefeated is no easy feat.
In 2017, Oklahoma State is looking just as formidable as last year as they return six of their top seven. The loss of All-American Josh Thompson would typically be difficult to overcome, but the return of Geberkidane into their lineup acts as the perfect replacement.
Joining Geberkidane at the front will be Hassan Abdi, who found himself in the top three of every race leading up to NCAA's last year. With huge personal bests of 13:43 and 28:54 this past spring, Abdi should be considered one of the top runners in the NCAA this fall.
The 3rd spot will most likely go to Sylvester Barus, the 2016 Cowboy Jamboree champion. Barus will be a huge x-factor for Oklahoma State this fall as he has the potential to finish near Abdi and Geberkidane. He will, however, need to improve his consistency and give his teammates a scorer they can rely on.
The final two scoring spots will be taken by the duo of Christian Liddell and Luis Martinez. These two were pivotal to the success Oklahoma State had in 2016 as they consistently gave the Cowboys a reliable final two scorers who rarely gave them a poor performance. Unlike other teams in our Top 25, I'm not concerned with the consistency that these two will provide for their team. That said, I am curious to see if they can improve on their finishes from last year. The Cowboys could do more than just make the podium if these two are able to step up and find a new level of fitness...
Oklahoma State has always been a team known for it's depth and that won't change in 2017 with guys like Anthoney Armstrong, Matthew Fayers, Brigham Hedges, Noah Gade, and a slew of underclassmen still on the roster. Having insurance and a talented supporting cast outside of the top five is what makes teams like Oklahoma State great.
The Cowboys have all of the pieces they need for a potential podium run in 2017 and that's not an exaggeration. However, there are still a few question marks that need to be addressed. Can Sylvester Barus be a consistent scorer and become a legitimate low-stick? Will Cerake Geberkidane be able to bounce back from his injury and perform like he did in 2015? How much improvement will we see from guys like Liddell, Martinez, and Armstrong? I feel like these are all fair questions as we enter the 2017 season.
Regardless of the uncertainties, Oklahoma State is a team that is capable exposing weak spots in their opponents and catching fire in the postseason. With their entire top five all listed as upperclassmen, Dave Smith's squad may be one of the most experienced teams in the nation and that is not a good thing for the teams who have to face the Cowboys this season.