Head Coach:

Dave Smith (9th Year)

 

Last Year:

3rd Big 12

3rd Midwest Region

No NCAA 

 

Probable Top Five:

SR Monika Juodeskaite (2:13 800m; 4:19 1500m; 9:10 3k; 16:00 5k; 23rd NCAA XC '13; 41st '12)

SR Natalja Piliusina (2:01 800m; 4:09 1500m; NCAA 1500m Champ '13)

SO Ida Oesteraas (9:50 3k; 6:48 2k Steeple)

SO Gintare Zenkeviciute (9:49 3k; 16:39 5k)

SO Kristine Helle (9:32 3k; 16:33 5k; 34:19 10k; 18th Big 12 XC '13)

 

Impact Freshman/Recruits:

Ida Oesteraas - Verdal, Norway (9:50 3k; 6:48 2k Steeple; Multiple Euro Jr XC)

Abbie Hetherington - Carlisle, UK (4:26 1500m; 4th UK McCain XC Challenge; 2nd UK School 1500m)

Jennifer Celis -  Hotchkiss, CO (4:58 1600m; 2:11 800m; 4th Colorado State XC '13)

Last year, Coach Dave Smith had 9 international girls on his roster from Canada, Romania, Lithuania, Norway and Great Britain. He had about the same number of Texans. Unfortunately, that massive women’s roster did not convert into a trip to the NCAA Championships. Coach Smith will certainly correct that this year. His team is led by one of the top competitors in the NCAA, Lituanian Star Monika Juodeskaite. She has great middle distance speed on the track (2:13/4:19), but her strength can be noted with a 23rd finish place finish at NCAA's last year.
 

Fellow Lithuanian Natalja Piliusina is favored to be Dave Smith's number two girl this season. The 2013 NCAA Champ in the 1500m will show some great leadership with that great post-season experience and will have the younger girls looking up to her to be a consistent high placing finisher off Monika's shoulder. 

The best cross country runner of the three new girls is Ida Oesteraas of Verdahl, Norway. She has won 5 straight Norwegian cross country championships in her age group, and was chosen as the top young Norwegian distance runner in 2011. She also has European cross experience which will help her in her transition to the NCAA scene.

Brit Abbie Hetherington, hailing from Carlisle, England, is from the same home town as OSU men’s standout, Tom Farrell. She has nice track credentials with her second in the United Kingdom schools’ 1500. She has also been a standout cross talent in her part of England. Smith has also had a lot of success obtaining LOI’s from Colorado runners of late. He got a good one in Jennifer Celis who was 4th in the Colorado State meet last year. We also can't forget Caileigh Glenn who is returning off a redshirt year with PR's of 2:10/4:22 on the track. If those track times will translate onto the grass, Coach Smith could have some great depth to work with come November.

 

Having that said, perhaps the wild card is another Norwegian, sophomore Kristine Helle, who has enough strength to handle 6k with some ease. She has run 35:36 for 10k, which is the U-20 Norwegian record and was 18th in last year’s Big 12 conference meet.

Not as good as their men yet, but the best competitor in his picture, may be Coach Smith himself. He will get this women’s program on a par with his men. Just give him time.

#23 Texas Men
#24 Villanova Women