.png)
TSR's 2023 Preseason D1 XC Top 25 Rankings (Women): #6 Oklahoma State Cowgirls
- Finn Birnie
- Aug 28, 2023
- 11 min read
Written by Finn Birnie, additional commentary & edits by Garrett Zatlin
NOTE: Earlier this summer, The Stride Report reached out to nearly every team that was considered for a possible ranking this summer. While we did receive numerous responses and great clarity, we did not get a 100% response rate. On rare occasions, we are referencing TFFRS in order to talk about returners and athletes who are out of eligibility.
After snagging the final podium spot at last year's NCAA XC Championships, the women of Stillwater, Oklahoma will be looking to reinstate themselves back into the podium conversation once more in 2023...except this time, it will be a bit more challenging.
Heading into the fall of 2022, the Cowgirls had it all. A group of veteran runners, an incredibly talented rookie class and the all-important home course advantage in their season finale. And, while their 4th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships was a terrific result, there was a feeling that we could have seen slightly more from the Cowgirls that day.
But what has transpired since then has only left us even more curious about what this team will do in the coming months.
The crushing (and unexpected) departure of standout star Natalie Cook has left the Cowgirls with limited firepower in comparison to last year. And yet, despite that, Oklahoma State still has better depth than some may realize. They also return a heavy number of top veterans and they bring back numerous up-and-coming distance talents.
As we transition into the fall of 2023, we are left to question how big of an impact the loss of Cook will be and if individual lineup pieces can cohesively form a scoring group as good as last year's squad.
* * *
The Cowgirls began the primary portion of their 2022 fall campaign on their home turf as they played host to some of the nation's top teams at the Cowboy Jamboree.
With the meet being the site for the NCAA XC Championships, a statement win would not only set the tone for their season, but it would send a strong message to other podium-contending programs around the country.
And it’s safe to say that Coach Dave Smith’s squad sent that message.
Freshman superstar Natalie Cook opened her collegiate bank account in style, coming away with a huge victory over fellow Cowgirl ace, Taylor Roe. That lethal 1-2 punch was a potent injection of firepower that, even in a best-case scenario, seemed like a stretch to predict.
With just three points secured through their first two runners, it was up to the rest of the team's scorers to bring home the victory. That, of course, proved to be no issue.
Veteran Gabby Hentemann produced a very strong run by finishing in 12th place overall and was closely followed by Kenyan rookie, Billah Jepkirui, in 15th place. By having Sivan Auberbach close out the team's top-five scoring with a decent 40th place effort, the Cowgirls walked away from that weekend with a dominant victory. They flexed firepower worthy of battling title contenders and their depth was just enough to get by.
That outstanding early-season result provided a valuable benchmark for the rest of the fall months, showing us glimpses of what was to come in November.
Clearly, Cook and Roe were going to be a force to be reckoned with, and the pair of Hentemann and Jepkirui were just as formidable. All they needed to do now was close the gap between their top-four and their final scorer. But with numerous lineup options scattered throughout their roster, that wasn't expected to be problem.
Three weeks later, the team was back defending their home turf at the Weis-Crockett Invite, although this time, their squad looked very different.
In what appeared to be a test to determine a suitable fifth scorer, Oklahoma State essentially lined up a "B" team alongside a host of unattached athletes.
Jepkirui spearheaded the new-look lineup, winning in a comfortable fashion. Not only did she win by seven seconds, but her winning time was actually two seconds faster than Cook's winning time from three weeks prior.
Stephanie Moss was the second Cowgirl across the line finishing in a not-so-distant
9th place. Auberach showed potential by finishing in 18th place while Heidi Demeo and Taylor Somer closed out the scoring by placing 26th and 29th, respectively.
With that scoring contingent all finishing inside the top-30, a clearly limited Oklahoma State team earned themselves a very respectable 2nd place finish behind a talented CBU team.
And despite not winning, there were certainly plenty of sliver-linings from this race.
Jepkirui showed the country that she had the ability to keep pace with Cook and Roe as a true low-stick, potentially turning that duo into a trio. Moss also showed that she could be the woman to help close the gap between the team's fourth and fifth scorers.
From there, the women from Stillwater, Oklahoma stepped away their home course as they traveled to Texas Tech for the BIG 12 XC Championships. It was a meet that, truthfully, they were expected to dominate with ease.
Spoiler: They did.
As expected, it was a dominant display from the Cowgirls as they placed six runners in the top-10. Roe led the charge in 2nd place with Jepkirui, Cook, Hentemann, Moss and Gabija Galvydyte finishing 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, and 9th, respectively. All of that led to a very comfortable conference title victory.
Yet again, Oklahoma State was able to get positive performances from both Moss and Galvydyte. Moss proved herself as a scorer once more while Galvydyte was just straight-up fantastic, especially for someone who is traditionally middle distance focused.
And while the the BIG 12 XC Championships didn't necessarily hold the deepest field, the Cowgirls' display of team running was going to be extremely important as they progressed further into the postseason.
Much like their conference meet, Oklahoma State was the overwhelming favorite at the Midwest Regional XC Championships. By tallying just 58 points, the Cowgirls earned a 30-point victory over an improving Northwestern team and punched their ticket to the "Big Dance" despite cruising through the regional stage.
From there, the Cowgirls had just one meet remaining on their schedule.
On the national stage, the elite 1-2 punch of Cook and Roe got off to a fantastic start. Cook was simply outstanding as she secured 7th place in her first-ever collegiate national meet. Meanwhile, Roe was hot on her heels in 13th place.
And yet, for as great as those results were, those low-stick performances came as no surprise.
However, the gap between Roe and Hentemann was far from ideal, leaving Cook and Roe as the only Oklahoma State runners in the top-50. Hentemann’s 57th place was good, but nothing too flashy. Galvydyte had a brilliant run in 74th place while Moss rounded out the team's tally in 91st place.
But with Jepkirui struggling and fading outside of the team's top-five, the firepower on this squad was simply too limited. In the end, Oklahoma State's scoring spread landed the national meet hosts at 4th place in the overall team standings, 36 points shy of the Alabama women.
* * *
Throughout the 2022 regular season, the Cowgirls showed signs of true greatness. But while their run at the NCAA XC Championships was still a success, it didn’t feel like we saw everyone at their full potential. Had Jepkirui been in top form, then we could have seen an All-American trio rather than a duo, a dynamic that would have totally shifted this team's scoring potential.
However, as the 2023 cross country season approaches, even greater challenges have emerged. There will be another major dynamic shift in the Cowgirls' scoring structure later this fall, largely because Natalie Cook is no longer on the team.
Cook quickly proved herself as a force to be reckoned with in her debut fall campaign as she offered Oklahoma State a consistent low-stick to accompany Taylor Roe. Seeing her transfer to a soon-to-be conference rival and fellow podium contender (Colorado) is a tough blow.
There's no other way to put this: Unless this team collectively improves enough to make up for Cook's lost scoring (which would be a lot), then the Cowgirls' firepower is (probably) not going to be as good as it was at the 2022 Cowboy Jamboree...well, on paper, that is.
There is, however, good news.
This team returns six of their seven women who toed the line at last year's national meet!
That is a huge positive, especially for a program that still has plenty of exciting firepower, but needs a breakout season from someone to get back on the podium. The potential lineup combinations of this program are vast and if everyone is performing at their best, then they may very well pick up exactly where they left off last year.
* * *
To no one's surprise, veteran star Taylor Roe will likely be the team's driving force yet again in the fall of 2023. She has been one of the most consistently elite low-sticks on the grass for the last few years, emerging as one of the most valuable All-Americans in the NCAA.
The multi-time All-American and the 2021 indoor 3000 meter national champion has been a mainstay at the top of the NCAA distance running scene. However, as recently as this past spring, she hasn't quite been at her best.
Roe's 13th place finish at last year's NCAA XC Championships was slightly underwhelming, especially after placing 2nd and 5th at the 2020 and 2021 national meets, respectively. Of course, to be clear, that performance wasn't bad in the slightest, but it was not up to the caliber that we were used to seeing from her.
Unfortunately, Roe wasn't able to translate some of her promising form from this past winter to the outside oval. That, in turn, ultimately led her to missing out on the outdoor national meet by one place at the West Regional Championships.
We know how unbelievably talented and reliable Roe can be when she's at her best. As long as she's back in top fitness this fall (which is a very fair assumption to make), then this team will continue to flex some of the best firepower in the NCAA.
Of course, for the vast majority of last fall, Cook was the only individual able to match the scoring potential of Roe. But this year, the Cowgirls will be heavily reliant on Jepkirui to fill those shoes.
Jepkirui is a runner with some seriously untapped potential. The rising sophomore showed us glimpses of being a top-30 talent, nationally, on the grass in her first season with the Oklahoma State women...even if her national meet effort showed us otherwise.
And while her performance at the NCAA XC Championships last fall may have been underwhelming, she has been on fire on the track since then. The rising sophomore has picked up two BIG 12 titles on the oval this past year and also earned a huge 5th place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships over 1500 meters back in June.
If you look back at her year of performances, Jepkirui only had one “bad” race -- and even then it seemed like a fluke. If our TSR #37 runner can reflect the top form that we saw glimpses of last fall, then there is little doubt that she can be an All-American.
In terms of top-tier returners, Gabby Hentemann is next on the list. She currently sits in the “Just Missed” portion of our preseason individual cross country rankings and we believe that she is a fringe All-American candidate who is due for a big season.
Admittedly, Hentemann's 2022 fall campaign was fairly uneventful. She excelled at the Cowboy Jamboree by placing 12th, a legitimately great performance worthy of a top-50 ranking. However, she then sat out of the Weis-Crockett Invite before coasting through her conference and regional meets.
When it came to the national stage, the Cowgirl standout didn't quite produce the run that we expected of her, especially after her 6th place finish in the 10,000 meters at the 2022 outdoor national meet.
Since her performance at the NCAA XC Championships, Hentemann has raced sparingly. Even so, a new 10k PR of 33:17 from this past spring leaves us optimistic that Hentemann can put herself back in the All-American conversation. If that happens, then this team shouldn't be too far off from where they ended their 2022 cross country season.
* * *
More often than not, you know exactly what you’re getting with Roe, Jepkirui and Hentemann. At their best, that trio can all produce All-American results. However, the real x-factor for this team in 2023 will be the possible revival of low-stick star, Molly Born.
The former cross country All-American was one of the best runners in the nation back in 2019. The Oklahoma State ace earned top spots at nearly every invitational that season and then capped off that fall campaign with a monster 16th place finish at the national meet.
Since then, we haven't seen the same Molly Born toe the line. The long-time veteran has battled numerous injuries throughout her career and has sat out from racing for a significant amount of time.
Luckily, in 2023, her luck seems to be turning for the better.
A new 10,000 meter PR of 32:42 from this past spring was good enough to help her qualify for the 2023 outdoor national meet back in June. That result was a pleasant surprise and it left many of us asking, “Is Molly Born really back?”
This is a question that we aren’t going to know the answer to until the next few months. But if she is able to return to her 2019 level of fitness, then Oklahoma State is potentially adding another All-American to their mix. And in that scenario, this team may be better than last year's squad, entirely.
When it comes to a fifth scorer, the women from Stillwater, Oklahoma have plenty of options. However, trying to determine exactly who that final scorer will be is a bit tricky to decipher.
Stephanie Moss and Gabija Galvydyte were the main backend players for this team throughout last fall as they interchanged the final scorer role fairly frequently.
Moss proved her worth and was of consistent value to her team throughout last season while Galvydyte, who is primarily an 800 meter specialist, came on strong late in the season. And truth be told, she surprised us when it came to her aerobic capabilities.
Galvydyte’s performance at NCAA XC Championships (74th overall) came as a pleasant great development and since then, she has truly been on fire. Since then, she has run 4:32 in the mile and finished runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships where she clocked a jaw-dropping 800 meter PR of 2:00.47.
If she is able to capitalize on that momentum and replicate what we saw of her last fall, then the Oklahoma State women are in very safe hands when it comes to the backend of their lineup. On paper, they could have one of the NCAA's more complete scoring groups.
As stated previously, the potential lineup combinations for the Cowgirls is seemingly endless, but Moss and Galvydyte certainly aren't the only options when it comes to final scorers.
A few other names to keep an eye out for are Grace Ping, Lauren Ping, Maddie Salek, Cayden Dawson, Payton Hinkle, Heidi Demeo and Sivan Auerbach. All of those women have shown flashes of exciting potential, either recently or at the prep level, and could be due for stronger performances later this fall.
* * *
While the loss of Natalie Cook is certainly significant, the Oklahoma State women should still have enough firepower to compete with the very best teams in the nation. That, however, is going to be a bare minimum requirement given all of the newcomers who joined the teams found in the top-five of our rankings.
With three scorers almost set in stone, the Cowgirls will need to utilize their depth more effectively this fall to avoid any "off" days. Moss and Galvydyte were crucial names last year and after the improvements they made trackside, we can only expect them to get better.
And then there's Molly Born. She has the potential to take this team a podium threat and maybe push the 'Pokes into our TSR #2 spot by the time we reach November. If that happens, then our current understanding of this squad can be thrown out the window.
Yes, we will fully admit, this team isn't perfect. And, like any top-tier program, there are a lot of moving parts. Even so, the Cowgirls are going to enter the fall of 2023 with seemingly more upside than downside...and they just lost their top-runner!
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the sign of a perfectly constructed cross country roster.
