STILLWATER, OK (Nov. 10) – The Greiner Family OSU Course is poised to be the battleground for the 2023 NCAA Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships this Friday, with Oklahoma State University playing host to a field of elite collegiate runners.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls, head into this week as the favorites to secure the respective team titles and the teams are both buzzing with confidence to deliver a strong performance on their home course.
The competition schedule begins with the women’s 6K at 10:30 a.m. CT, followed by the men’s 10K at 11:30 a.m. CT. Fans can catch all the action live on okstate.com and follow real-time updates on Twitter via @run4okstate. Live results will also be available during the race at this link.
Both teams are ranked in the top 5 entering the NCAA Midwest Regional and the expectations are high. This marks only the second time in program history that both teams have been ranked this high simultaneously.
Read more: How to follow the 2023 Mountain Region Cross Country Championships? – Preview
The Cowboys, consistently ranked No. 2 nationally this season, are fresh off a dominant triumph at the 2023 Big 12 Championships, where they secured their fourth consecutive conference title.
All-Americans Alex Maier, Fouad Messaoudi, and Victor Shitsama, along with rising stars Brian Musau and Denis Kipngetich, were all key figures at the conference championship and they are expected to lead the charge again at the 2023 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
No. 20 Iowa State is expected to lead the race for the runner up spot and should be the toughest challenge for Oklahoma State. However, don’t expect them to be too close to OSU in the team championships.
Meanwhile, the No. 5 Oklahoma State women are coming off a strong second-place performance at the Big 12 Championships, and they are also in a prime position to make a significant impact.
The Cowgirls maintained a strong pace to position all the scorers in the top half of the race at the Big 12 championship and were only defeated by a very strong BYU team.
Leading the pack for OSU on the day was Taylor Roe, who became the first-ever Big 12 Champion on the grass for the Cowgirls. She will look to win another individual title regional champion on Friday and combine with the likes of Billah Jepkirui, Molly Born, and Gabija Galvydyte in persuit of the team crown.
No. 18 Iowa State should be the strongest challenger to OSU in the women’s team title.
Both the men’s and women’s teams have dominated the regional rankings throughout the season and are aiming for a top-two finish to secure their spots at the national championships automatically.
