LAWRENCE, Kan - Highlighted by a big performance from redshirt freshman Daniel Watts, Oklahoma State's men's cross country team finished fourth at the 11th annual Big 12 Championship Meet on Friday.
Watts finished 13th for the Cowboys, who were without two of their top five runners. The March Cambridgeshire, England, native finished with a time of 25:06.90 in the 8,000-meter race at the the historic Rim Rock Farm course. After the race, Watts was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
"This means a lot to me," said Watts. "I was not even thinking about winning this until they called my name on the medal stand. I feel like this was my best race since I got here. We went out and ran hard together. It has been great to run with this team every day and learn from our older guys."
"I am very proud of Daniel," said Cowboy head coach Dave Smith. "He has done a great job since he got to Stillwater. He has worked his tail off and has improved tremendously as a cross country runner. He gets into races and does not get rattled by the older guys or the big stage. He doesn't make mistakes and he consistently has great races."
Oklahoma State was forced to overcome two setbacks on the day. Junior standout David Jankowski was disqualified early in the race and sophomore Alejandro Ruiz fell with one mile remaining. Senior Ryan Ripley and sophomore Ryan Vail were not able to compete due to injuries.
Senior Joseph Gray paced the Cowboy effort with a 10th-place finish. The Tacoma, Wash., native finished with a time of 24:54.50. Cowboy junior Brian Ehlis finished 20th behind Gray and Watts. The Yakima, Wash., native finished with a time of 25:19.60. Senior transfer Michael Breshears finished 32nd in the race followed by sophomore Matt Barnes-Smith in 35th and sophomore Brian Gosnell in 44th place. Alejandro Ruiz and redshirt freshman Peter Doroshuk finished 46th and 47th, respectively, for the Pokes.
"I feel like our guys ran very well today," said Smith. "We obviously had a few setbacks that hurt us pretty bad, but we are still a good team and the teams that finished ahead of us are good teams. I feel like Colorado is the best team in the country right now."
Colorado captured its 11th-straight conference title behind a strong performance from senior Brent Vaughn. Texas finished second in the teams standings while Kansas rounded out the top three. Kansas junior Colby Wissel earned top individual honors.