Oklahoma State University Women's Track

Pukstiene is in her 13th year at Oklahoma State after joining the Cowgirl staff in 2003. She assists primarily in jumps and sprints. All of Oklahoma States outdoor womens jumping records have been set under Pukstienes watch. Cowgirl high jumper Toni Young earned All-America honors by placing fifth at the 2012 NCAA outdoor meet. She became OSUs first-ever female high jump All-American and shattered the school record by clearing 1.87 meters/6-01.50 at the national meet. Pukstiene coached Clarissa Andrews to lengths never before reached for a jumper at Oklahoma State, as Andrews claimed the school record in both the outdoor long jump and the outdoor triple jump under Pukstienes watch. Andrews triple jump mark of 13.11 meters/43-00.25 at the 2011 Big 12 Championships obliterated the previous school record of 12.89 meters/42-03.5. Pukstienes work with the Cowgirl jumpers has resulted in five of Oklahoma States all-time top seven indoor marks in the long jump and each of the top three indoor marks in the triple jump being set during her time in Stillwater. The success of Pukstienes pupils has also extended to the outdoor season, where five of the top eight marks in the long jump and five of OSUs all-time top seven marks in the triple jump have been set since Pukstienes arrival. In 2009, Andrews and Baiba Blumbaha logged the two best outdoor long jump marks in school history at the Big 12 Championships and both went on to compete at the NCAA regional meet. Blumbaha then went on to suit up for the Cowgirls at the national meet. Pukstiene also had an impressive addition to her resume in 2011, as she coached mens walk-on Taylor Buck to some of the best high jump performances in school history. Bucks high jump of 2.14m/7-00.25 was the highest mark at Oklahoma State in decades and ranks third in school history. During her career at Oklahoma State, Pukstiene coached triple jumper Paula Ogunbanjo to a third-place finish at the 2004 Big 12 Indoor Championships and helped develop Ogunbanjo into an NCAA qualifier in 2005. Pukstiene also coached heptatahlete Tihana Sarac to a school record in 2005. Pukstiene attended Southern Methodist University after beginning her jumping career in her home country of Lithuania. Pukstiene not only set the school record in the triple jump for the Mustangs, but also represented SMU at the 2003 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Pukstiene placed ninth in the Indoor Championships, while claiming a 12th-place finish at the Outdoor Championships. Before completing her career at SMU Pukstiene was Lithuanias national champion in the triple jump in 2001 and 2003. She set the Lithuanian junior national record in the triple jump in the under-18, under-20 and under-23 divisions. Pukstiene is married to Mindaugas Pukstas. The couple has two children, Rokas (born in 2004) and Gabija (born in 2007). Zivile Pukstiene is in her 13th year at Oklahoma State after joining the Cowgirl staff in 2003. She assists primarily in jumps and sprints. All of Oklahoma States outdoor womens jumping records have been set under Pukstienes watch.

Flaquer is in his third year as the Oklahoma State sprints coach. Flaquer contiued the upward trend of the Oklahoma State Sprints program during the 2014-15 season, highlighted by an impressive season by John Teeters. Teeters set the school record 6.52 in the 60-meter dash, a time that was the fastest in the NCAA, third fastest in the United States and sixth fastest in the world for the year. Teeters finished runner-up in the event at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was an All-Big 12 performer in the 60, 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100. All told, 11 different athletes between the mens and womens teams earned 21 all-conference honors under Flaquers guidance last season. In his first year at OSU, the Cowboys had one of their best sprint seasons in recent memory. Under Flaquers guidance, Tyreek Hill set school records in the indoor 60 meters and 200 meters, claiming the conference title in the 200 and finishing as runner up in the 60, where he was joined as an All-Big 12 performer by John Teeters. Hill also finished as an All-American in the 200 meters with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Teeters was also an all-conference performer in the 100 meters at the 2014 Big 12 Outdoor Championships, and followed that by winning the NCAA West Preliminaries and earning honorable mention All-American honors at NCAAs. Prior to OSU, Flaquer spent three years as an assistant coach and one as a graduate assistant at Auburn, primarily responsible for the horizontal jumpers. He also assisted Auburn head coach Ralph Spry with Auburns nationally recognized sprint group. In 2013, the Auburn mens 4x100m relay finished third at the NCAA Championships for the second-straight year. Sprinters Marcus Rowland and Harry Adams finished second and fourth in the 60 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships and also qualified for the U.S. Track and Field Championships in the 100 and 200 meters. In the jumps, Flaquer guided Siobhan Ford-Holland to a personal best in the triple jump at the SEC Outdoor Championships and her first career berth to the NCAA Outdoor Championships at the NCAA East Preliminary Round. During 2012 while working with Flaquer, Auburn mens sprinter Harry Adams posted the top wind-legal marks in both the 100 and 200 meters, including a school-record run of 9.96 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2011, Flaquer was as an assistant coach with the Colombian National Team during the Junior Pan-American Games in Miramar, Fla. Flaquer worked specifically with the sprinters and jumpers. Under his coaching, Colombia brought home three gold medals and one silver. Prior to his second stint at Auburn, Flaquer coached sprinters and hurdlers at Samford.He coached Morgan Tyler to the SoCon indoor title in the 60-meter hurdleswhile leading the Bulldogs to third-place finishes at both the indoor and outdoor SoCon championships for the 2009-10 season. Flaquer coached at Troy University in 2008, where he helped his team finish third at the Sunbelt Conference Championships. He coached Desmond Brown, who broke a 20-year-old Troy school record in the 400-meter hurdles and qualified for the Mideast Regional Championships, as well as Leander McKenzie, who broke the school record in the 110-meter hurdles. Flaquer also assisted in the development of Tawanna Meadows, who qualified for the NCAA championships and the Olympic trials in the 100 meters. Flaquer also coached Sun Belt Conference long jump champion ODarien Bassett. Bassett went on to win the Mideast Region with a school-record jump of 7.94m, and he would go on to finish 10th at the 2008 USA Olympic Trials with a jump of 7.89m. In 2006, Flaquer was the head sprints and jumps coach at his alma mater, Virginia Intermont College. That year, he was selected as the NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year for the sprints area in the indoor season after helping the Cobras to a runner-up finish at the 2006 NAIA Championships. In 2007, he served as the Virginia Intermonts interim head coach and had several All-Americans. He also assisted in three consecutive NAIA Cross Country National titles, and served as the interim head coach at the 2007 NAIA Outdoor Championships, where the team finished sixth. Flaquer is the son of Pedro Grajales, a two-time Olympian in the 400 meters and a previous coach for the Colombian national team. The national stadium in his hometown of Cali is named in his honor. Flaquer, a native of Samson, Ala., graduated from Virginia Intermont College in 2007 with a degree in health and physical education. Diego Flaquer is in his third year as the Oklahoma State sprints coach.

Mixon joins the coaching staff after spending the last two and a half years as a graduate assistant manager with the Oklahoma State cross country and track and field program. During that span, Mixon was part of a staff that saw the Cowgirls finish 15th at the 2014 indoor championships, a performance that stands as the second-highest in program history. Prior to serving as a graduate assistant manager, Mixon spent five seasons as a member of the Oklahoma States womens cross country and track and field squad. During her athletic career with the Cowgirls, she accumulated Academic All-Big 12 honors on five different occasions, in addition to delivering an All-Big 12 performance in the indoor 1,000 meters in 2010. Mixon currently holds the eighth-best 6,000 meter time in school history. A native of Coalgate, Okla., Mixon received a bachelors degree in health education and promotion in 2011 before going on to earn masters degrees in exercise science and health care administration.

Lockhart joined the Oklahoma State coaching staff in the role of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator just prior to the start of the 2008 cross country season.   Lockhart played a pivotal role in the Cowboys success during the 2014-15 seasons as he coached Chad Noelle to an NCAA title.    Matthew Fayers, Vegard Oelstad and Noelle each ran three sub-four minute miles during the indoor season, and Lockhart's middle distance athletescombined for four Big 12 titles across both indoor and outdoor campaigns in 2015.   Lockharts time in Stillwater has been flooded with success, as the Cowboys won the 2009, 2010 and 2012 NCAA cross country team titles to go with seven Big 12 cross country team championships and six Midwest Regional titles. The only time from 2009-12 where the Cowboys didnt win the national title, 2011, they took second. Additionally, German Fernandez, Natalja Piliusina and Chad Noelle won NCAA 1,500 meter championships in 2009, 2013 and 2015, respectively, and Fernandez (2008 and 2011), Ryan Vail (2009), Girma Mecheso (2010) and Kirubel Erassa (2014) were crowned as Big 12 individual cross country champions. Since Lockhart joined the Oklahoma State staff, Oklahoma State runners have combined to earn 87 All-America honors and 58 Big 12 individual championships. Lockhart was key in attracting one of the countrys top recruiting classes in 2010, as that group included Nike indoor nationals 5,000 meter champion Kirubel Erassa and two-time Gatorade Washington runner of the year Shane Moskowitz. A standout distance runner at the University of Wisconsin and former national high school athlete of the year, Lockhart came to Stillwater from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as an assistant coach for the Sooners track and field/cross country program in 2007. As a runner, Lockhart helped Wisconsin win a national cross country championship in 2005 after finishing runner-up three consecutive years. He was also part of 11 Big Ten championship-winning cross country, indoor track and outdoor track teams. Twice an NCAA All-American at Wisconsin, Lockhart earned the honor once each in cross country and outdoor track (10,000-meter run). He was twice named to the All-Big Ten Conference Cross Country Team. Bursting onto the scene as one of the nations most talented high school distance runners, Lockhart was a member of Team USA at the 2002 World Cross Country Championships and was named a Nike Athlete of the Year after winning the two-mile run at the Nike Indoor Nationals and two-mile run at the Adidas Outdoor Classic.  Lockhart was runner-up at the 2001 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships and won 19 state titles in Virginia, including a record four in cross country. Lockhart, a native of Winchester, Va., graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2007. Bobby Lockhart joined the Oklahoma State coaching staff in the role of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator just prior to the start of the 2008 cross country season.

Smith Coaching History 1997-98    Washington            Volunteer Assistant 1998-02    Texas Tech             Head Cross Country Coach Assistant Track & Field Coach 2002-05     Oklahoma State    Mens Assistant Coach 2006-pres. Oklahoma State    Mens Cross Country Head Coach 2008-pres. Oklahoma State    Mens Track & Field Head Coach 2009-pres. Oklahoma State    Director of XC/Track and Field; Mens & Womens Head Coach Biography Dave Smith is truly at the top of his profession, and is only getting better. The Oklahoma State head coach was honored as the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Mens Division I Cross Country National Coach of the Year in 2009, 2010 and again in 2012. That is the highest honor awarded to a cross country coach. He was voted by his peers as Big 12 Mens Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. He also coached the Cowgirls to their first Big 12 cross country championship last season and was named the 2015 Big 12 Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, capping a stretch of six seasons of top-four finishes for the Cowgirls at the conference meet. He also recently served as the mens distance coach for Team USA during its stay at the 2014 World Junior Championships and the USA coach for the Great North Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland. Smith led OSU to three NCAA team cross country championships in four years (2009, 2010, 2012) to go with eight straight Big 12 team titles from 2008-15 and has coached five different Cowboy runners to six Big 12 cross country individual championships. The Cowboys have finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in every year but one under Smith. Additionally, the Pokes placed in the top 25 at the 2009 outdoor track and field meet for the first time since 1985 in his first year as head track and field coach. Most recently, the 2015-16 season saw the women's program reach new heights under Smith's guidance. Last year's Cowgirls finished seventh at the NCAA Cross Country Championships - their heighest since 1989 - and pulled off their best finishes ever at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 10th and 12th, respectively. Additionally, the 2015-16 Cowgirl season included a national championship from Kaela Edwards in the indoor mile, a Midwest Region cross country championship, a best-ever 107-point, second-place finish at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, NCAA runner-up finishes from Chase Ealy (outdoor shot put) and Aurora Dybedokken (outdoor 5,000m), additional impressive All-America performances from Ingeborg Loevnes (fourth in 3,000m steeplechase), Savannah Camacho (fourth in indoor 800m) and Ealey (sixth indoor shot put), several Big 12 individual titles and a third-place finish for the USTFCCCA Program of the Year award. The men's program also had a notable year last season, with another Big 12 cross country title, Josh Thompson named 2016 Midwest Region Indoor Athlete of the Year, Nick Miller named 2016 Midwest Region Outdoor Athlete of the Year, All-America performances from John Teeters (fifth in the outdoor 100m and fourth in indoor 60m) and the men's distance medley relay team (fifth place) and numerous individual Big 12 titles. Smith led the Cowboys to back-to-back top 10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2013 and 2014. The Cowboys eighth-place finish in 2013 was OSUs highest finish since 1984, followed by a sixth-place finish in 2014 which was OSUs second-highest team finish in school history behind a second-place finish in 1965. In addition to another Big 12 mens cross country championship, Smiths 2014-15 year included an individual cross country conference champion in Kirubel Erassa, an indivudual NCAA champion in Chad Noelle (outdoor 1,500 meters), a pair of NCAA runner-ups and a total of 15 All-America honors for the mens and womens teams. Smiths recent efforts have included a resurgence of the track program as a whole. Oklahoma State has been known for its elite distance program for years, but Smith has expanded OSUs vision to include elite throwers and sprinters as well. John Teeters and Nick Miller have provided the most evidence of all-around success, with Teeters earning four All-America honors, including a national runner-up finish in the 60-meters, and Miller earning a total of seven All-America honors in the weight and hammer throws with one NCAA title in the hammer throw. Miller has also earned elite international success, claiming gold at the 2015 Sainsbury British Championships, taking gold at the European Championships and reaching the final at the 2015 IAAF World Championships. Miller will also compete for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where he will be joined by Smith pupils Shadrack Kipchirchir (USA - 10k), Tom Farrell (Great Britain - 5k) and Ingeborg Loevnes (Norway - steeplechase).   The 2013-14 cross country/track & field season can easily be considered the best in school history, as Smith coached  the Cowboys to a third-place place finish at the NCAA Cross Country championships, a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Additionally, Smiths squad won Big 12 titles in cross country and indoor track & field and had a third-place conference finish in outdoors, helping the team to a second-place finish for the USTFCCCAs Program of the Year award. Smith has coached 129 All-Americans and 101 Big 12 champions. As the head coach for both squads at OSU, he has coached 86 Big 12 champions and 439 All-Big 12 performers. To put that figure into perspective, Oklahoma State had only 13 total All-Americans from 2000-06. German Fernandez won the 2009 NCAA title in the 1,500 meters and was the Big 12 individual cross country champion in both 2008 and 2011. He swept all of the Big 12s major awards as a freshman, claiming the conferences male athlete of the year honors during both the indoor and outdoor seasons to go with his 2008 cross country crown. Ryan Vail was the 2009 Big 12 individual cross country champion and was a five-time All-American under Smith. John Kosgei was the 2010 NCAA runner-up in the 10,000 meters and was honored as the 2010 Big 12 Outdoor Performer of the Year after winning the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters at the conference meet. Girma Mecheso won the 2010 Big 12 individual cross country title and was one of five cross country All-Americans coached by Smith in 2010. Chad Noelle took home the 2015 NCAA title in the 1,500-meter run to become the 15th Cowboy in school history wo win an outdoor championship. In 2016, Kaela Edwards won an NCAA title in the indoor mile and to become the fourth Cowgirl to ever in an NCAA title. Nick Miller won the hammer throw title in the outdoor season in 2016 as well to give Smith four individual national championships in addition to his three cross country team titles.  That success has rolled over into the classroom as well. In addition to winning the NCAA cross country title in both 2009 and 2012, Smiths Cowboys were honored as the USTFCCCA Scholar Team of the Year for their excellence in the classroom both seasons. Under Smiths watch, Oklahoma State cross country has been recognized as an all-academic team by the USTFCCCA eight times. In 2013, the OSU track and field teams combined for 12 USTFCCCA All-Academic individuals, and both the mens and womens teams had the highest GPAs in the Big 12. Ryan Vail was an ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American in both 2008 and 2009 to become the first repeat Academic All-American in OSU track history. In the Big 12, OSU has had 160 first-team Academic All-Conference honorees in track and field since Smith took over the women's team as well in 2009. Smith arrived in Stillwater in 2002 and served as an assistant coach under Dick Weis for four years before being elevated to head mens cross country coach in 2006. Upon Weis retirement following the 2008 cross country season, Smith was promoted to head mens track coach and in the summer of 2009, Smith assumed control of both the Cowboy and Cowgirl programs under the title of director of cross country and track and field. Having placed 10th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2006, third in 2007 and eighth in 2008, the Cowboys entered the 2009 cross country season as a proven commodity and were considered a possible threat to reigning NCAA champion Oregon and traditional power Stanford. OSU spent the entire season ranked in the top five nationally, but was not ranked No. 1 at any point during the campaign. However, the Pokes toppled Oregon by 16 points at the NCAA Championships and overwhelmed top-ranked Stanford by a whopping 227 points to put an exclamation point on their NCAA title season.   Smiths strategy going into the race was to let his senior captain Vail lead the way. Through the first 3,000 meters, OSU was in third place, six points ahead of the Cardinal. At the midway point, OSU created some separation between itself and the rest of the field, with Vail leading the posse of Cowboy runners. Through 8,000 meters, OSU held a comfortable lead over second-place Oregon. From that point, the Pokes made their final surge to seal the victory. When the smoke cleared, OSU crowned four All-Americans en route to winning the title, with Vail finishing seventh, sophomore Colby Lowe eighth, Kosgei 11th and sophomore Girma Mecheso 24th. For his efforts, Smith was honored as the USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year. It was a different refrain in 2010, as the distance-running community had already developed a familiarity with Oklahoma State as the top dog. That said, Smith and the Cowboys still managed to turn heads by destroying the NCAA competition, racking up the fourth-largest margin of victory in the history of the NCAA Championships in defeating the field by a whopping 120 points. All five Oklahoma State scorers earned All-America recognition at the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships, led by the trio of Mecheso, Fernandez and Lowe, who finished seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. Tom Farrell was 29th and Johnathan Stublaski was 36th. Perhaps the scariest part of the Cowboys domination of the 2010 NCAA Championships is the fact that Smith actually utilized a conservative strategy in dropping Farrell back in the field. Farrell had run side-by-side with Mecheso, Fernandez and Lowe during the season, but Smiths NCAA strategy was to have Farrell stay back in the field and then make his move at the end in a manner that would help the team in case any other squad threatened. In 2012, OSU went back and forth with Wisconsin all year at the No. 1 and No. 2 national rankings. The Cowboys took the No. 1 ranking to the NCAA meet, and ran like it, decimating the competition and winning the national title by 63 points over second-place Wisconsin. It was OSUs third team NCAA title in four years. Tom Farrell, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Girma Mecheso and Joseph Manilafasha took home All-America honors. During the 2009 outdoor season Smiths first as head coach the Cowboys placed 25th in the final team standings and Fernandez won the 1,500 meter title. OSUs team finish was the best for a Cowboy team in 24 years and Fernandez became the Pokes first NCAA champion since Paul Larkins in 1986. Additionally, Vail earned All-America honors in the 5,000 meters. In the 2013 indoor season, OSU spent most of its time smashing school records. It started at the Razorback Invitational, when Farrell, Kirubel Erassa, Fabian Clarkson and Shane Moskowitz ran sub-four minute miles at the same meet, something that had never been done in NCAA history. It ended with the Cowboys taking eighth place at the NCAA meet, a feat that had not been accomplished since 1984. Seven Cowboys combined for nine All-America honors--the most in OSU indoor history. The Cowboys took home the Big 12 Indoor title again two years later in a dramatic 1.5-point win over Texas. The Pokes won five individual Big 12 titles en route to the team victory with Josh Thompson winning two titles. OSU scored 27 points in the 3,000-meter final, including 10 points from event champion Craig Nowak, to take the lead back from Texas with one event remaining. In the 400-meter relay, the Cowboys finished fifth to scored four points to secure their second team title in three seasons.  Since Smith took over the womens program in 2009, he has already coached the Cowgirls to 32 All-America honors and 26 individual Big 12 championships, led by NCAA champion, eight-time All-American and nine-time Big 12 champion Natalja Piliusina, who also set seven school records during her time in Stillwater. Piliusina paved the way for a new era of Cowgirl track and field and cross country that has since finished runner-up in the 2016 Big 12 Indoor Championships, and finished in the top-10 at an NCAA Cross Country Championships and Indoor Championships, and 12th at the 2016 Outdoor Championships.  To put those numbers into perspective, the Oklahoma State womens program had tallied five All-Americans and seven Big 12 champions from 2004-09. Kaela Edwards added to OSU's trophy case when she won the fourth NCAA Indoor title in Cowgirl history at the 2016 Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. Edwards is also one of two Cowgirls since 2014 to finish runner-up nationally in the 800-meter run with Savannah Camacho.  The 2016 season was by far the most successful in OSU history for the Cowgirls, having finished third in the USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings with top-12 finishes at each NCAA Championships during the season.  Ingeborg Loevnes and Natalie Baker were the two Cowgirl leaders during the cross country season, helping OSU to a perfect regular season and its first Big 12 title and Midwest Region Title. Loevnes took home an All-America honor and the Cowgrils finished seventh at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The Cowgirls carried the momentum from the historic cross country season into a great 2016 indoor season that was capped off with a 10th place finish and Edwards' title. Camacho also scored in the 800 and Chase Ealey in the shot put helped the Cowgirls to their best finish in school history. Loevnes, Edwards and Ealey were at it again during the outdoor season along with Aurora Dybedokken who finished runner-up in the 5,000-meter final at the NCAA Championships a month after showing off her range and winning the Big 12's 1,500-meter title. Ealey also finished runner-up at the NCAA Championships in the shot put, and earned her 11th and 12th All-Big 12 honor to cement her place in the OSU history books. Loevnes finished fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Edwards took sixth in the 1,500-meter final, battling through a nagging injury. Overall the Cowgirls finished 12th for their highest outdoor finish in school history. Under Smiths watch, the Oklahoma State womens cross country team placed fourth at the 2010 Big 12 Championships and was 17th at the 2010 NCAA Championships. Both of those showings were the best for the Cowgirls since 2005. Smith came to Stillwater from Texas Tech, where he was the head mens and womens cross country coach, as well as assistant track coach from 1998-2002. Prior to his stint at Tech, Smith was a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Washington track and cross country programs from 1997-1998. He was also the head coach of Club Northwest womens cross country and track those same years. Athletes that Smith coached prior to his arrival at Oklahoma State won two NCAA Championships, 10 All-American awards, 11 Big 12 Championships, and a World University Games gold medal. While competing collegiately at Michigan State, Smith was the Big Ten Conference champion in the 10,000m in 1993 and placed second in the 1,500m that season. He earned All-Big Ten honors four times in cross country and track during his career. Was also an 11-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and three-time Academic All-America selection. Smith also won the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor in 1993. Smith graduated from Michigan State in 1993 with a degree in fisheries and wildlife, and continued his education at the University of Washington, where he earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology in 2000.   Awards and Recognition 2006 USTFCCCA Mens XC Midwest Region Coach of the Year 2007 USTFCCCA Mens XC Midwest Region Coach of the Year 2008 Big 12 Mens XC Coach of the Year 2008 USTFCCCA Mens XC Midwest Region Coach of the Year 2009 Big 12 Mens XC Coach of the Year 2009 USTFCCCA Mens XC Midwest Region Coach of the Year 2009 USTFCCCA Division I Mens XC National Coach of the Year 2010 Big 12 Mens XC Coach of the Year 2010 USTFCCCA Division I Mens XC National Coach of the Year 2011 Big 12 Mens XC Coach of the Year 2011 USTFCCCA Mens XC Midwest Region Coach of the Year 2012 Big 12 Mens XC Coach of the Year 2012 USTFCCCA Division I Mens XC National Coach of the Year 2012 CaptainU Mens College XC Coach of the Year 2013 Big 12 Mens XC Coach of the Year 2013 USTFCCCA Mens XC Midwest Region Coach of the Year 2014 Big 12 Mens Track and Field Indoor Coach of the Year 2014 USTFCCCA Mens MW Region Indoor Coach of the Year 2014 Big 12 Mens XC Coach of the Year 2014 USTFCCCA Mens XC Midwest Region Coach of the Year 2015 Big 12 Women's XC Coach of the Year 2015 USTFCCCA Women's XC Midwest Region Coach of the Year Team Highlights 2006 Mens Cross Country Midwest Region Champions 2006 Mens Cross Country 10th place at NCAAs 2007 Mens Cross Country Midwest Region Champions 2007 Mens Cross Country Third place at NCAAs 2008 Big 12 Mens Cross Country Champions 2008 Mens Cross Country Midwest Region Champions 2008 Mens Cross Country Eighth place at NCAAs 2009 Big 12 Mens Cross Country Champions 2009 Mens Cross Country Midwest Region Champions 2009 NCAA Mens Cross Country Champions 2010 Big 12 Mens Cross Country Champions 2010 NCAA Mens Cross Country Champions 2011 Big 12 Mens Cross Country Champions 2011 Mens Cross Country Midwest Region Champions 2011 NCAA Mens Cross Country Runner-Up 2012 Big 12 Mens Cross Country Champions 2012 Mens Cross Country Midwest Region Co-Champions 2012 NCAA Mens Cross Country Champions 2013 Big 12 Mens Cross Country Champions 2013 Mens Cross Country Midwest Region Champions 2013 Mens Cross Country Third place at NCAAs 2013 Mens Indoor Track & Field Eighth place at NCAAs 2014 Big 12 Mens Indoor Track & Field Champions 2014 Mens Indoor Track & Field Sixth place at NCAAs 2014 Big 12 Mens Cross Country Champions 2014 Mens Cross Country Midwest Region Champions 2014 Mens Cross Country Ninth place at NCAAs 2015 Big 12 Men's Cross Country Champions 2015 Big 12 Women's Cross Country Champions 2015 Men's Cross Country Midwest Region Champions 2015 Women's Cross Country Midwest Region Champions 2015 Women's Cross Country Seventh place at NCAAs 2016 Big 12 Men's Indoor Track & Field Champions 2016 Big 12 Women's Indoor Track and Field Runner-Up 2016 Women's Indoor Track & Field 10th place at NCAAs 2016 Women's Outdoor Track & Field 12th place at NCAAs   NCAA Individual Champions - 7 1999 Womens Indoor 5,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 1999 Womens Outdoor 10,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 2009 Mens Outdoor 1,500 meters - German Fernandez 2013 Womens Outdor 1,500 meters - Natalja Piliusina 2015 Mens Outdoor 1,500 meters - Chad Noelle 2016 Women's Indoor Mile Kaela Edwards 2016 Men's Hammer Throw Nick Miller All-Americans - 126 1999 Womens Indoor 5,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 1999 Womens Outdoor 5,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 1999 Womens Outdoor 10,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 1999 Womens Cross Country - Leigh Daniel 2000 Womens Indoor 3,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 2000 Womens Indoor 5,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 2000  Mens Indoor Mile - Gez Yossef  2001 Womens Outdoor 10,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 2001 Womens Indoor 400 meters - Ngozi Iwu 2002 Indoor 800 meters - Shannon Spaulding 2003 Mens Indoor 5,000 meters Jason Woolhouse 2003 Mens Cross Country - Mindi Pukstas 2004 Mens Indoor Mile Jason Woolhouse 2007 Mens Cross Country David Chirchir 2007 Mens Cross Country Ryan Vail 2008 Mens Outdoor 5,000 meters Ryan Vail 2008 Mens Cross Country John Kosgei 2008 Mens Cross Country Ryan Vail 2009 Mens Outdoor 1,500 meters German Fernandez 2009 Mens Outdoor 5,000 meters Ryan Vail 2009 Mens Cross Country Ryan Vail 2009 Mens Cross Country Colby Lowe 2009 Mens Cross Country John Kosgei 2009 Mens Cross Country Girma Mecheso 2010 Womens Indoor Mile Mihaela Susa 2010 Womens Indoor 5,000 meters Felicity Milton 2010 Mens Indoor 5,000 meters Colby Lowe 2010 Mens Outdoor 10,000 meters John Kosgei 2010 Mens Cross Country - Girma Mecheso 2010 Mens Cross Country - German Fernandez 2010 Mens Cross Country - Colby Lowe 2010 Mens Cross Country - Tom Farrell 2010 Mens Cross Country - Johnathan Stublaski 2011 Mens Indoor 3,000 meters - Tom Farrell 2011 Womens Indoor Mile - Natalja Piliusina 2011 Womens Indoor DMR - Natalja Piliusina 2011 Womens Indoor DMR - Mihaela Bobos 2011 Womens Indoor DMR - Brandi Andrews 2011 Womens Indoor DMR - Mihaela Susa 2011 Mens Outdoor 5,000 meters - Tom Farrell 2011 Mens Outdoor 10,000 meters - Colby Lowe 2011 Womens Outdoor 800 meters - Natalja Piliusina 2011 Womens Outdoor 10,000 meters - Tone Hjalmarsen 2011 Mens Cross Country - Colby Lowe 2011 Mens Cross Country - German Fernandez 2011 Mens Cross Country - Tom Farrell 2012 Mens Indoor Mile - Raul Botezan 2012 Mens Indoor Mile - Kirubel Erassa 2012 Mens Indoor 3,000 meters - Tom Farrell 2012 Mens Indoor 5,000 meters - Shadrack Kipchirchir 2012 Mens Indoor 5,000 meters - Girma Mecheso 2012 Womens Indoor 800 meters - Natalja Piliusina 2012 Mens Outdoor 5,000 meters - Girma Mecheso 2012 Mens Outdoor Steeplechase - Fabian Clarkson 2012 Mens Outdoor 1,500 meters - German Fernandez 2012 Mens Outdoor Hammer Throw - Nick Miller 2012 Womens Outdoor High Jump - Toni Young 2012 Womens Outdoor 1,500 meters - Natalja Piliusina 2012 Womens Outdoor Steeplechase - Kate Kujawa 2012 Mens Cross Country - Girma Mecheso  2012 Mens Cross Country - Tom Farrell 2012 Mens Cross Country - Shadrack Kipchirchir 2012 Mens Cross Country - Joseph Manilafasha 2013 Mens Indoor 3,000 Meters - Kirubel Erassa 2013 Mens Indoor 3,000 Meters - Tom Farrell 2013 Mens Indoor 5,000 Meters - Girma Mecheso 2013 Mens Indoor 5,000 Meters - Shadrack Kipchirchir 2013 Mens Indoor Distance Medley - Tyler Payton 2013 Mens Indoor Distance Medley - Raul Botezan 2013 Mens Indoor Distance Medley - Kirubel Erassa 2013 Mens Indoor Distance Medley - Tom Farrell 2013 Mens Indoor Weight Throw - Nick Miller 2013 Womens Indoor 800 Meters - Natalja Piliusina 2013 Mens Outdoor 5,000 Meters - Kirubel Erassa 2013 Mens Outdoor 10,000 Meters - Girma Mecheso  2013 Mens Outdoor Steeplechase - Fabian Clarkson 2013 Mens Outdoor Hammer Throw - Nick Miller 2013 Womens Outdoor 1,500 Meters - Natalja Piliusina 2013 Mens Cross Country - Tom Farrell 2013 Mens Cross Country - Shadrack Kipchirchir 2013 Womens Cross Country - Monika Juodeskaite 2014 Mens Indoor Weight Throw - Nick Miller 2014 Mens Indoor 200 Meters - Tyreek Hill 2014 Mens Indoor 3,000 Meters - Kirubel Erassa 2014 Mens Indoor DMR - Kirubel Erassa 2014 Mens Indoor DMR - Shane Moskowitz 2014 Mens Indoor DMR - Chad Noelle 2014 Mens Indoor DMR - Tyler Payton 2014 Womens Indoor 800 Meters - Savannah Camacho 2014 Womens Indoor 800 Meters - Kaela Edwards 2014 Mens Outdoor 10,000 Meters - Shadrack Kipchirchir 2014 Mens Outdoor 100 Meters - John Teeters 2014 Mens Outdoor Hammer Throw - Nick Miller 2014 Mens Outdoor 5,000 Meters - Shadrack Kipchirchir 2014 Mens Outdoor 5,000 Meters - Kirubel Erassa 2014 Womens Outdoor 5,000 Meters - Monika Juodeskaite 2014 Mens Cross Country - Craig Nowak 2015 Mens Indoor Weight Throw - Nick Miller 2015 Mens Indoor Mile - Chad Noelle 2015 Mens Indoor 60 meters - John Teeters 2015 Womens Indoor 800 Meters - Kaela Edwards 2015 Mens Indoor 3,000 Meters - Fabian Clarkson 2015 Mens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Fabian Clarkson 2015 Mens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Matthew Fayers 2015 Mens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Vegard Oelstad 2015 Mens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Brandon Singleton 2015 Womens Indoor Mile - Jennifer Celis 2015 Womens Indoor Shot Put - Chase Ealey 2015 Mens Outdoor 1,500 Meters - Chad Noelle 2015 Womens Outdoor 800 Meters - Savannah Camacho 2015 Womens Outdoor 1,500 Meters - Natalja Piliusina 2015 Women's Cross Country Ingeborg Loevnes 2016 Men's Indoor Distance Medley Relay Chad Noelle 2016 Men's Indoor Distance Medley Relay Tre'Tez Kinnaird 2016 Men's Indoor Distance Medley Relay Brandon Singleton 2016 Men's Indoor Distance Medley Relay Josh Thompson 2016 Men's Indoor 60 Meters John Teeters 2016 Women's Indoor 800 Meters Savannah Camacho 2016 Women's Indoor Mile Kaela Edwards 2016 Women's Indoor Shot Put Chase Ealey 2016 Men's Outdoor 100 Meters John Teeters 2016 Men's Outdoor Hammer Throw Nick Miller 2016 Women's Outdoor 1,500 Meters Kaela Edwards 2016 Women's Outdoor 3K Steeplechase Ingeborg Loevnes 2016 Women's Outdoor 5,000 Meters Aurora Dybedokken 2016 Women's Shot Put Chase Ealey Big 12 Performer of the Year - 6 2008 Mens Cross Country - German Fernandez 2009 Mens Indoors - German Fernandez 2009 Mens Outdoors - German Fernandez 2010 Mens Outdoors - John Kosgei 2014 Mens Indoors - Kirubel Erassa 2014 Mens Cross Country - Kirubel Erassa USTFCCCA Midwest Region Athlete of the Year - 8 2009 Mens Indoors - German Fernandez 2009 Mens Outdoors - German Fernandez 2014 Mens Indoors - Kirubel Erassa 2014 Mens Outdoors - Nick Miller 2014 Mens Cross Country - Kirubel Erassa 2016 Men's Indoors Josh Thompson 2016 Women's Indoors Kaela Edwards 2016 Men's Outdoors Nick Miller Big 12 Champions - 101 1999 Womens Indoor 5,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 1999 Womens Outdoor 3,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 1999 Womens Outdoor 5,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 2000 Womens Indoor 3,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 2000 Womens Indoor 5,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 2001 Womens Outdoor 10,000 meters - Leigh Daniel 2001 Mens Indoor Mile - Gez Yossef 2002 Womens Indoor DMR - Katie Lyman 2002 Womens Indoor DMR - Brionne Yosten 2002 Womens Indoor DMR - Licretia Sibley 2002 Womens Indoor DMR - Shannon Spaulding 2003 Mens Indoor Mile Jason Woolhouse 2004 Mens Indoor Mile Jason Woolhouse 2004 Mens Outdoor 1,500 meters Jason Woolhouse 2004 Mens Outdoor 10,000 meters Scott Rantall 2008 Mens Indoor 3,000 meters Ryan Vail 2008 Mens Cross Country German Fernandez 2009 Mens Indoor Mile German Fernandez 2009 Mens Indoor 3,000 meters German Fernandez 2009 Mens Indoor 5,000 meters John Kosgei 2009 Mens Outdoor 1,500 meters German Fernandez 2009 Mens Outdoor 5,000 meters German Fernandez 2009 Mens Outdoor 10,000 meters Ryan Vail 2009 Mens Cross Country Ryan Vail 2010 Mens Indoor 3,000 meters Colby Lowe 2010 Mens Outdoor 1,500 meters Johnathan Stublaski 2010 Mens Outdoor 5,000 meters John Kosgei 2010 Mens Outdoor 10,000 meters John Kosgei 2010 Mens Cross Country - Girma Mecheso 2011 Mens Indoor Mile - German Fernandez 2011 Mens Indoor 3,000 meters - Tom Farrell 2011 Womens Indoor 800 meters - Natalja Piliusina 2011 Womens Indoor Mile - Mihaela Susa 2011 Womens Indoor DMR - Natalja Piliusina 2011 Womens Indoor DMR - Mihaela Bobos 2011 Womens Indoor DMR - Caileigh Glenn 2011 Womens Indoor DMR - Mihaela Susa 2011 Mens Outdoor 1,500 meters - Tom Farrell 2011 Womens Outdoor 800 meters - Natalja Piliusina 2011 Mens Cross Country - German Fernandez 2012 Mens Indoor 5,000 meters - Shadrack Kipchirchir 2012 Womens Indoor 800 meters - Natalja Piliusina 2012 Womens Indoor DMR - Kate Kujawa 2012 Womens Indoor DMR - Caileigh Glenn 2012 Womens Indoor DMR - Mihaela Bobos 2012 Womens Indoor DMR - Natalja Piliusina 2012 Mens Outdoor Hammer Throw - Nick Miller 2012 Womens Outdoor 800 meters - Natalja Piliusina 2013 Mens Indoor Weight Throw - Nick Miller 2013 Womens Indoor 800 Meters - Natalja Piliusina 2013 Mens Outdoor 5,000 Meters - Kirubel Erassa 2013 Mens Outdoor Hammer Throw - Nick Miller 2013 Womens Outdoor 800 Meters - Natalja Piliusina  2014 Mens Indoor 200 Meters - Tyreek Hill 2014 Mens Indoor Mile - Kirubel Erassa 2014 Mens Indoor 3,000 Meters - Kirubel Erassa 2014 Mens Indoor 5,000 Meters - Kirubel Erassa 2014 Mens Indoor Weight Throw - Nick Miller 2014 Womens Indoor 1,000 Meters - Savannah Camacho 2014 Womens Indoor Triple Jump - Viktoriia Sadokhina 2014 Mens Outdoor 1,500 Meters - Chad Noelle 2014 Mens Outdoor Hammer Throw - Nick Miller 2014 Womens Outdoor Triple Jump - Viktoriia Sadokhina 2014 Mens Cross Country - Kirubel Erassa 2015 Mens Indoor Mile - Chad Noelle 2015 Mens Indoor Weight Throw - Nick Miller 2015 Mens Indoor 5,000 Meters - Fabian Clarkson 2015 Mens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Chad Noelle 2015 Mens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Matthew Fayers 2015 Mens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Vegard Oelstad 2015 Mens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Brandon Singleton 2015 Womens Indoor 1,000 Meters - Kaela Edwards 2015 Womens Indoor 800 Meters - Clara Nichols 2015 Womens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Jennifer Celis 2015 Womens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Stephanie Ferrante 2015 Womens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Clara Nichols 2015 Womens Indoor Distance Medley Relay - Kaela Edwards 2015 Mens Outdoor 5,000 Meters - Kirubel Erassa 2015 Mens Outdoor 10,000 Meters - Kirubel Erassa 2015 Mens Outdoor 1,500 Meters - Chad Noelle 2015 Womens Outdoor 800 Meters - Savannah Camacho 2015 Womens Outdoor 1,500 Meters - Natalja Piliusina 2015 Men's Cross Country Vegard Oelstad 2016 Men's Indoor 800 Meters Tre'Tez Kinnaird 2016 Men's Indoor 1,000 Meters Josh Thompson 2016 Men's Indoor Mile Josh Thompson 2016 Men's Indoor 3,000 Meters Craig Nowak 2016 Men's Indoor 5,000 Meters Cerake Geberkidane 2016 Women's Indoor Distance Medley Relay Savannah Camacho 2016 Women's Indoor Distance Medley Relay Danielle Coleman 2016 Women's Indoor Distance Medley Relay Clara Nichols 2016 Women's Indoor Distance Medley Relay Jennifer Celis 2016 Women's Indoor 1,000 Meters Kaela Edwards 2016 Women's Indoor Mile Kaela Edwards 2016 Women's Indoor 3,000 Meters Ingeborg Loevnes 2016 Men's Outdoor 1,500 Meters Craig Nowak 2016 Men's Outdoor 5,000 Meters Cerake Geberkidane 2016 Men's Outdoor 10,000 Meters Cerake Geberkidane 2016 Men's Outdoor Hammer Throw Nick Miller 2016 Women's Outdoor 1,500 Meters Aurora Dybedokken 2016 Women's Outdoor 3K Steeplechase Ingeborg Loevnes   Big 12 Newcomer of the Year - 8 2006 Mens Cross Country Daniel Watts 2007 Mens Cross Country David Chirchir 2008 Mens Cross Country German Fernandez 2009 Mens Indoors German Fernandez 2009 Mens Outdoors German Fernandez 2010 Mens Cross Country  Tom Farrell 2011 Womens Cross Country  Monika Juodeskaite 2015 Men's Cross Country Josh Thompson 2015 Women's Cross Country Ingeborg Loevnes Big 12 Freshman of the Year - 1 2014 Mens Indoors - Tyreek Hill 2015 Men's Outdoors - Cerake Geberkidane Dave Smith is truly at the top of his profession, and is only getting better. The Oklahoma State head coach was honored as the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Mens Division I Cross Country National Coach of the Year in 2009, 2010 and again in 2012. That is the highest honor awarded to a cross country coach. He was voted by his peers as Big 12 Mens Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. He also coached the Cowgirls to their first Big 12 cross country championship last season and was named the 2015 Big 12 Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, capping a stretch of six seasons of top-four finishes for the Cowgirls at the conference meet. He also recently served as the mens distance coach for Team USA during its stay at the 2014 World Junior Championships and the USA coach for the Great North Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland. Smith led OSU to three NCAA team cross country championships in four years (2009, 2010, 2012) to go with eight straight Big 12 team titles from 2008-15 and has coached five different Cowboy runners to six Big 12 cross country individual championships. The Cowboys have finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in every year but one under Smith. Additionally, the Pokes placed in the top 25 at the 2009 outdoor track and field meet for the first time since 1985 in his first year as head track and field coach. Most recently, the 2015-16 season saw the women's program reach new heights under Smith's guidance. Last year's Cowgirls finished seventh at the NCAA Cross Country Championships - their heighest since 1989 - and pulled off their best finishes ever at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 10th and 12th, respectively. Additionally, the 2015-16 Cowgirl season included a national championship from Kaela Edwards in the indoor mile, a Midwest Region cross country championship, a best-ever 107-point, second-place finish at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, NCAA runner-up finishes from Chase Ealy (outdoor shot put) and Aurora Dybedokken (outdoor 5,000m), additional impressive All-America performances from Ingeborg Loevnes (fourth in 3,000m steeplechase), Savannah Camacho (fourth in indoor 800m) and Ealey (sixth indoor shot put), several Big 12 individual titles and a third-place finish for the USTFCCCA Program of the Year award. The men's program also had a notable year last season, with another Big 12 cross country title, Josh Thompson named 2016 Midwest Region Indoor Athlete of the Year, Nick Miller named 2016 Midwest Region Outdoor Athlete of the Year, All-America performances from John Teeters (fifth in the outdoor 100m and fourth in indoor 60m) and the men's distance medley relay team (fifth place) and numerous individual Big 12 titles. Smith led the Cowboys to back-to-back top 10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2013 and 2014. The Cowboys eighth-place finish in 2013 was OSUs highest finish since 1984, followed by a sixth-place finish in 2014 which was OSUs second-highest team finish in school history behind a second-place finish in 1965. In addition to another Big 12 mens cross country championship, Smiths 2014-15 year included an individual cross country conference champion in Kirubel Erassa, an indivudual NCAA champion in Chad Noelle (outdoor 1,500 meters), a pair of NCAA runner-ups and a total of 15 All-America honors for the mens and womens teams. Smiths recent efforts have included a resurgence of the track program as a whole. Oklahoma State has been known for its elite distance program for years, but Smith has expanded OSUs vision to include elite throwers and sprinters as well. John Teeters and Nick Miller have provided the most evidence of all-around success, with Teeters earning four All-America honors, including a national runner-up finish in the 60-meters, and Miller earning a total of seven All-America honors in the weight and hammer throws with one NCAA title in the hammer throw. Miller has also earned elite international success, claiming gold at the 2015 Sainsbury British Championships, taking gold at the European Championships and reaching the final at the 2015 IAAF World Championships. Miller will also compete for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where he will be joined by Smith pupils Shadrack Kipchirchir (USA - 10k), Tom Farrell (Great Britain - 5k) and Ingeborg Loevnes (Norway - steeplechase).   The 2013-14 cross country/track & field season can easily be considered the best in school history, as Smith coached  the Cowboys to a third-place place finish at the NCAA Cross Country championships, a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Additionally, Smiths squad won Big 12 titles in cross country and indoor track & field and had a third-place conference finish in outdoors, helping the team to a second-place finish for the USTFCCCAs Program of the Year award. Smith has coached 129 All-Americans and 101 Big 12 champions. As the head coach for both squads at OSU, he has coached 86 Big 12 champions and 439 All-Big 12 performers. To put that figure into perspective, Oklahoma State had only 13 total All-Americans from 2000-06. German Fernandez won the 2009 NCAA title in the 1,500 meters and was the Big 12 individual cross country champion in both 2008 and 2011. He swept all of the Big 12s major awards as a freshman, claiming the conferences male athlete of the year honors during both the indoor and outdoor seasons to go with his 2008 cross country crown. Ryan Vail was the 2009 Big 12 individual cross country champion and was a five-time All-American under Smith. John Kosgei was the 2010 NCAA runner-up in the 10,000 meters and was honored as the 2010 Big 12 Outdoor Performer of the Year after winning the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters at the conference meet. Girma Mecheso won the 2010 Big 12 individual cross country title and was one of five cross country All-Americans coached by Smith in 2010. Chad Noelle took home the 2015 NCAA title in the 1,500-meter run to become the 15th Cowboy in school history wo win an outdoor championship. In 2016, Kaela Edwards won an NCAA title in the indoor mile and to become the fourth Cowgirl to ever in an NCAA title. Nick Miller won the hammer throw title in the outdoor season in 2016 as well to give Smith four individual national championships in addition to his three cross country team titles.  That success has rolled over into the classroom as well. In addition to winning the NCAA cross country title in both 2009 and 2012, Smiths Cowboys were honored as the USTFCCCA Scholar Team of the Year for their excellence in the classroom both seasons. Under Smiths watch, Oklahoma State cross country has been recognized as an all-academic team by the USTFCCCA eight times. In 2013, the OSU track and field teams combined for 12 USTFCCCA All-Academic individuals, and both the mens and womens teams had the highest GPAs in the Big 12. Ryan Vail was an ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American in both 2008 and 2009 to become the first repeat Academic All-American in OSU track history. In the Big 12, OSU has had 160 first-team Academic All-Conference honorees in track and field since Smith took over the women's team as well in 2009. Smith arrived in Stillwater in 2002 and served as an assistant coach under Dick Weis for four years before being elevated to head mens cross country coach in 2006. Upon Weis retirement following the 2008 cross country season, Smith was promoted to head mens track coach and in the summer of 2009, Smith assumed control of both the Cowboy and Cowgirl programs under the title of director of cross country and track and field. Having placed 10th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2006, third in 2007 and eighth in 2008, the Cowboys entered the 2009 cross country season as a proven commodity and were considered a possible threat to reigning NCAA champion Oregon and traditional power Stanford. OSU spent the entire season ranked in the top five nationally, but was not ranked No. 1 at any point during the campaign. However, the Pokes toppled Oregon by 16 points at the NCAA Championships and overwhelmed top-ranked Stanford by a whopping 227 points to put an exclamation point on their NCAA title season.   Smiths strategy going into the race was to let his senior captain Vail lead the way. Through the first 3,000 meters, OSU was in third place, six points ahead of the Cardinal. At the midway point, OSU created some separation between itself and the rest of the field, with Vail leading the posse of Cowboy runners. Through 8,000 meters, OSU held a comfortable lead over second-place Oregon. From that point, the Pokes made their final surge to seal the victory. When the smoke cleared, OSU crowned four All-Americans en route to winning the title, with Vail finishing seventh, sophomore Colby Lowe eighth, Kosgei 11th and sophomore Girma Mecheso 24th. For his efforts, Smith was honored as the USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year. It was a different refrain in 2010, as the distance-running community had already developed a familiarity with Oklahoma State as the top dog. That said, Smith and the Cowboys still managed to turn heads by destroying the NCAA competition, racking up the fourth-largest margin of victory in the history of the NCAA Championships in defeating the field by a whopping 120 points. All five Oklahoma State scorers earned All-America recognition at the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships, led by the trio of Mecheso, Fernandez and Lowe, who finished seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. Tom Farrell was 29th and Johnathan Stublaski was 36th. Perhaps the scariest part of the Cowboys domination of the 2010 NCAA Championships is the fact that Smith actually utilized a conservative strategy in dropping Farrell back in the field. Farrell had run side-by-side with Mecheso, Fernandez and Lowe during the season, but Smiths NCAA strategy was to have Farrell stay back in the field and then make his move at the end in a manner that would help the team in case any other squad threatened. In 2012, OSU went back and forth with Wisconsin all year at the No. 1 and No. 2 national rankings. The Cowboys took the No. 1 ranking to the NCAA meet, and ran like it, decimating the competition and winning the national title by 63 points over second-place Wisconsin. It was OSUs third team NCAA title in four years. Tom Farrell, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Girma Mecheso and Joseph Manilafasha took home All-America honors. During the 2009 outdoor season Smiths first as head coach the Cowboys placed 25th in the final team standings and Fernandez won the 1,500 meter title. OSUs team finish was the best for a Cowboy team in 24 years and Fernandez became the Pokes first NCAA champion since Paul Larkins in 1986. Additionally, Vail earned All-America honors in the 5,000 meters. In the 2013 indoor season, OSU spent most of its time smashing school records. It started at the Razorback Invitational, when Farrell, Kirubel Erassa, Fabian Clarkson and Shane Moskowitz ran sub-four minute miles at the same meet, something that had never been done in NCAA history. It ended with the Cowboys taking eighth place at the NCAA meet, a feat that had not been accomplished since 1984. Seven Cowboys combined for nine All-America honors--the most in OSU indoor history. The Cowboys took home the Big 12 Indoor title again two years later in a dramatic 1.5-point win over Texas. The Pokes won five individual Big 12 titles en route to the team victory with Josh Thompson winning two titles. OSU scored 27 points in the 3,000-meter final, including 10 points from event champion Craig Nowak, to take the lead back from Texas with one event remaining. In the 400-meter relay, the Cowboys finished fifth to scored four points to secure their second team title in three seasons.  Since Smith took over the womens program in 2009, he has already coached the Cowgirls to 32 All-America honors and 26 individual Big 12 championships, led by NCAA champion, eight-time All-American and nine-time Big 12 champion Natalja Piliusina, who also set seven school records during her time in Stillwater. Piliusina paved the way for a new era of Cowgirl track and field and cross country that has since finished runner-up in the 2016 Big 12 Indoor Championships, and finished in the top-10 at an NCAA Cross Country Championships and Indoor Championships, and 12th at the 2016 Outdoor Championships.  To put those numbers into perspective, the Oklahoma State womens program had tallied five All-Americans and seven Big 12 champions from 2004-09. Kaela Edwards added to OSU's trophy case when she won the fourth NCAA Indoor title in Cowgirl history at the 2016 Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. Edwards is also one of two Cowgirls since 2014 to finish runner-up nationally in the 800-meter run with Savannah Camacho.  The 2016 season was by far the most successful in OSU history for the Cowgirls, having finished third in the USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings with top-12 finishes at each NCAA Championships during the season.  Ingeborg Loevnes and Natalie Baker were the two Cowgirl leaders during the cross country season, helping OSU to a perfect regular season and its first Big 12 title and Midwest Region Title. Loevnes took home an All-America honor and the Cowgrils finished seventh at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The Cowgirls carried the momentum from the historic cross country season into a great 2016 indoor season that was capped off with a 10th place finish and Edwards' title. Camacho also scored in the 800 and Chase Ealey in the shot put helped the Cowgirls to their best finish in school history. Loevnes, Edwards and Ealey were at it again during the outdoor season along with Aurora Dybedokken who finished runner-up in the 5,000-meter final at the NCAA Championships a month after showing off her range and winning the Big 12's 1,500-meter title. Ealey also finished runner-up at the NCAA Championships in the shot put, and earned her 11th and 12th All-Big 12 honor to cement her place in the OSU history books. Loevnes finished fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Edwards took sixth in the 1,500-meter final, battling through a nagging injury. Overall the Cowgirls finished 12th for their highest outdoor finish in school history. Under Smiths watch, the Oklahoma State womens cross country team placed fourth at the 2010 Big 12 Championships and was 17th at the 2010 NCAA Championships. Both of those showings were the best for the Cowgirls since 2005. Smith came to Stillwater from Texas Tech, where he was the head mens and womens cross country coach, as well as assistant track coach from 1998-2002. Prior to his stint at Tech, Smith was a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Washington track and cross country programs from 1997-1998. He was also the head coach of Club Northwest womens cross country and track those same years. Athletes that Smith coached prior to his arrival at Oklahoma State won two NCAA Championships, 10 All-American awards, 11 Big 12 Championships, and a World University Games gold medal. While competing collegiately at Michigan State, Smith was the Big Ten Conference champion in the 10,000m in 1993 and placed second in the 1,500m that season. He earned All-Big Ten honors four times in cross country and track during his career. Was also an 11-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and three-time Academic All-America selection. Smith also won the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor in 1993. Smith graduated from Michigan State in 1993 with a degree in fisheries and wildlife, and continued his education at the University of Washington, where he earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology in 2000.