The Best Races From The 2017 Big 12 Indoor Championships
The Best Races From The 2017 Big 12 Indoor Championships
The 2018 Big 12 Indoor Championships are live on FloTrack. Before you watch the meet this weekend, check out some highlights from last year's competition.
This weekend Ames, Iowa, will play host to the 2018 Big 12 Championship. Like 2017, FloTrack will have live coverage of the meet as teams chase a conference championship and qualifying marks to the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships.
To prepare, let’s look at some of the best moments from last year’s meet.
Watch the 2018 Big 12 Championships live on FloTrack
To review the 2016 edition of the meet (which featured Courtney Okolo, Ronnie Baker, and Ryan Crouser among others) check out this recap.
Men’s 1000m: Josh Thompson Does The Double
For the second year in a row, Oklahoma State’s Josh Thompson won the mile/1000m double at the Big 12 Championships. The 1000m was particularly impressive. About 90 minutes after he won a tactical mile over his teammate Craig Nowak, Thompson moved away effortlessly from the rest of the field to win 2:22.07.
Kain Ellis and Matthew Fayers finished second and third in 2:23.55 and 2:23.85, respectively.
Men’s 5000: Dylan Blankenbaker Kicks Past Hassan Abdi
The Bedlam Series between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State spilled into the men’s 5000m at the 2017 Big 12 Championships. OU’s Dylan Blankenbaker was even with Oklahoma State’s Hassan Abdi in the final straightaway, and neither could shake the other as they approached the finish line.
It looked at first glance that Abdi got the win, but Blankenbaker’s well-timed lean gave him a 0.02 second victory — 14:22.07 to 14:22.09. Blankenbaker’s performance earned him 10 points for the Sooners and kick of the week honors.
Women’s 800m: Kaela Edwards Leaves Her Mark
Before she was showing out on the professional circuit, Kaela Edwards racking up wins at Oklahoma State. In her final indoor conference championships, Edwards ran with the pack for the first portion of the race before blasting away in the final lap. Edwards ran 2:04.77 to finish ahead of Iowa State’s Jasmine Staebler who posted a 2:05.94.
Two weeks later Edwards finished fourth in the mile at the NCAA indoor championships and Staebler took sixth in the 800m. Edwards has moved on to the professional ranks, and Staebler is just a junior at Iowa State. She’s one to keep an eye on this weekend and at the NCAA championships.
Women’s 3000m: Baylor Makes History
With all of the standout individual performances as well as the emphasis on time qualification for nationals, it’s easy to forget about the team race. These are, after all, the conference championships.
Last year, Baylor won the their first women’s title and they clinched it with a stellar performance in the 3000m. Maggie Montoya, who placed third in the 5000m the night before, took the win in 9:14.68. Her teammates Anna West and Lindsey Bradley finished fourth and fifth, respectively. All total Baylor put up 19 points in the event — clinching the conference championship before the 4x400m.