Big 12 Women's Race Preview
Big 12 Women's Race Preview
The Big 12 Championship will be live on FloTrack on Saturday, October 29. We preview the women's race below; the women run at 10 AM CT on Saturday.
The Big 12 Championship will be live on FloTrack on Saturday, October 29. We preview the women's race below, which starts at 10 AM CT in Lubbock, Texas. Read the men's preview here!
TEAM
Saucony Flo50 teams: No. 12 Baylor, No. 16 Iowa State, No. 23 Oklahoma State
Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State are the favorites to clash for the title in Lubbock.
Baylor is coming off a massive fifth-place showing at the Nuttycombe XC Invite, 25 spots better than 2015. The Bears first four athletes crossed the finish in the top 31, including two in the top 15. Their potential downfall? Their fifth scorer was one minute behind their fourth and in 142nd place.
Iowa State won titles from 2011-14 before Oklahomas State snapped its streak last fall. The Cyclones return nearly everyone from last year's team and were actually winning at the 3K split in 2015. They were 81 points behind Baylor in Wisconsin, but look out for the Cyclones' Bethanie Brown. In her first 6K since the 2014 NCAA Championships, she placed 87th at Wisconsin. The 2013 All-American is back in the lineup and could be a huge factor for this program.
The Oklahoma State women had a huge 2015, winning their first ever Big 12 Championship and placing seventh in the NCAA championship. So far this fall, the Cowgirls have not competed like that 2015 dream team: They didn't win their home Cowboy Jamboree; they lost to Penn State and Mississippi at the Penn State Open; and top returner Natalie baker (41st at NCAAs) was 153rd in State College. Oklahoma State will debut Kaela Edwards on Saturday, but how much of an impact will the middle distance stud make? The Cowgirls have the pieces to win, they just haven't showed them yet.
Related: Watch the Oklahoma State Women in this week's WORKOUT WEDNESDAY!
INDIVIDUALS
Saucony Flo50 individuals: No. 21 Sharon Lokedi (Kansas), No. 22 Maggie Montoya (Baylor)
Other potential players: Erin Hooker, Perez Rotich (Iowa State), Sandi Raines (Texas), Kaela Edwards, Aurora Dybedokken (Oklahoma State)
An Iowa State woman has won back-to-back Big 12 individual titles since Olympian Marielle Hall of Texas won the XC title in 2013.
Conference meets are a funny thing. No. 21 Sharon Lokedi of Kansas was only 11th in the Big 12 in 2015, but she went on to finish 10th at the NCAA championships, 25 places behind of the next Big 12 finisher.
Lokedi is back, and although her XC season has been rockier than last fall--she tried to hang in with Michigan's Erin Finn at Pre-Nats before finishing 10th--she's earned her way to contender status. She was sixth in the NCAA indoor 5K and sixth in the 10K.
Lokedi will have her hands full, however. The Iowa State duo of Perez Rotich (2015 champion) and Erin Hooker (runner-up) are back. Although Rotich came in 51st at Wisconsin, Hooker was 14th, her best Wisco finish yet. If the Cyclones debut freshman Branna MacDougall (who set the Canadian junior record of 15:48 this summer in track!), there's another contender for the title. And by the looks of MacDougall retweeting Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard, it's looking like she will debut.
Sandi Raines of Texas has several Big 12 track titles, but she has yet to finish higher than 23rd at the XC championship. Raines was sixth at the Penn State XC Open behind some really good athletes, her best XC finish ever. If she's trending up, she should be in the mix on Saturday.
Maggie Montoya has two solid big meet performances under her belt this fall--fourth at Notre Dame and 11th at Wisconsin. She has steadily improved her Big 12 finishes over her Baylor career (from 20th to seventh to fifth) and has impressive wheels (4:18 1500, 15:44 5K). What makes her more dangerous this year could be a teammate at her side. Lindsey Bradley has been a wonderful addition to the team after transferring from Washington. She was 15th at Wisconsin, a massive improvement from her 105th-place showing for the Huskies in 2015.
NCAA champion Kaela Edwards of OSU will make her season debut for the Cowgirls after competing in the Olympic Trials this summer. Edwards had a massive XC season last fall, placing fourth in the Big 12 and 70th in the NCAA. Prior to 2015, Edwards raced sparingly for Oklahoma State. Her teammate Aurora Dybedokken finished runner-up in the NCAA 5K last spring and broke her PB by over one minute. She was only 10th at Penn State, but conference meets can bring out the best in anybody. Dybedokken and Edwards definitely have a target on their backs.
Watch the 2016 Big 12 XC Championship LIVE on 10/29 starting at 10:00am CT with the women's race, and finishing up after the 11:00am CT men's race!
On TV: Now available on Roku & Apple TV 4
TEAM
Saucony Flo50 teams: No. 12 Baylor, No. 16 Iowa State, No. 23 Oklahoma State
Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State are the favorites to clash for the title in Lubbock.
Baylor is coming off a massive fifth-place showing at the Nuttycombe XC Invite, 25 spots better than 2015. The Bears first four athletes crossed the finish in the top 31, including two in the top 15. Their potential downfall? Their fifth scorer was one minute behind their fourth and in 142nd place.
Iowa State won titles from 2011-14 before Oklahomas State snapped its streak last fall. The Cyclones return nearly everyone from last year's team and were actually winning at the 3K split in 2015. They were 81 points behind Baylor in Wisconsin, but look out for the Cyclones' Bethanie Brown. In her first 6K since the 2014 NCAA Championships, she placed 87th at Wisconsin. The 2013 All-American is back in the lineup and could be a huge factor for this program.
The Oklahoma State women had a huge 2015, winning their first ever Big 12 Championship and placing seventh in the NCAA championship. So far this fall, the Cowgirls have not competed like that 2015 dream team: They didn't win their home Cowboy Jamboree; they lost to Penn State and Mississippi at the Penn State Open; and top returner Natalie baker (41st at NCAAs) was 153rd in State College. Oklahoma State will debut Kaela Edwards on Saturday, but how much of an impact will the middle distance stud make? The Cowgirls have the pieces to win, they just haven't showed them yet.
Related: Watch the Oklahoma State Women in this week's WORKOUT WEDNESDAY!
INDIVIDUALS
Saucony Flo50 individuals: No. 21 Sharon Lokedi (Kansas), No. 22 Maggie Montoya (Baylor)
Other potential players: Erin Hooker, Perez Rotich (Iowa State), Sandi Raines (Texas), Kaela Edwards, Aurora Dybedokken (Oklahoma State)
An Iowa State woman has won back-to-back Big 12 individual titles since Olympian Marielle Hall of Texas won the XC title in 2013.
Conference meets are a funny thing. No. 21 Sharon Lokedi of Kansas was only 11th in the Big 12 in 2015, but she went on to finish 10th at the NCAA championships, 25 places behind of the next Big 12 finisher.
Lokedi is back, and although her XC season has been rockier than last fall--she tried to hang in with Michigan's Erin Finn at Pre-Nats before finishing 10th--she's earned her way to contender status. She was sixth in the NCAA indoor 5K and sixth in the 10K.
Lokedi will have her hands full, however. The Iowa State duo of Perez Rotich (2015 champion) and Erin Hooker (runner-up) are back. Although Rotich came in 51st at Wisconsin, Hooker was 14th, her best Wisco finish yet. If the Cyclones debut freshman Branna MacDougall (who set the Canadian junior record of 15:48 this summer in track!), there's another contender for the title. And by the looks of MacDougall retweeting Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard, it's looking like she will debut.
Women's team beat 9 ranked teams and still was not at full strength. Next month should be exciting for both teams. https://t.co/PPx4u96xux
— Jamie Pollard (@IASTATEAD) October 14, 2016
Sandi Raines of Texas has several Big 12 track titles, but she has yet to finish higher than 23rd at the XC championship. Raines was sixth at the Penn State XC Open behind some really good athletes, her best XC finish ever. If she's trending up, she should be in the mix on Saturday.
Maggie Montoya has two solid big meet performances under her belt this fall--fourth at Notre Dame and 11th at Wisconsin. She has steadily improved her Big 12 finishes over her Baylor career (from 20th to seventh to fifth) and has impressive wheels (4:18 1500, 15:44 5K). What makes her more dangerous this year could be a teammate at her side. Lindsey Bradley has been a wonderful addition to the team after transferring from Washington. She was 15th at Wisconsin, a massive improvement from her 105th-place showing for the Huskies in 2015.
NCAA champion Kaela Edwards of OSU will make her season debut for the Cowgirls after competing in the Olympic Trials this summer. Edwards had a massive XC season last fall, placing fourth in the Big 12 and 70th in the NCAA. Prior to 2015, Edwards raced sparingly for Oklahoma State. Her teammate Aurora Dybedokken finished runner-up in the NCAA 5K last spring and broke her PB by over one minute. She was only 10th at Penn State, but conference meets can bring out the best in anybody. Dybedokken and Edwards definitely have a target on their backs.
Watch the 2016 Big 12 XC Championship LIVE on 10/29 starting at 10:00am CT with the women's race, and finishing up after the 11:00am CT men's race!
How to Watch
STREAMING: Available only on FloTrack - $20 monthly or $150 yearly. Yearly FloPRO access is to ALL FloSports sites. SIGN UP HEREOn TV: Now available on Roku & Apple TV 4
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