The 2010 Big 12 Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30, in Stillwater, Okla. Oklahoma State University will host the event for the second time in Big 12 history, having also hosted in 1997. Admission is free to the public.
The championships will begin with the women's 6,000-meter run at 10 a.m. CT, followed by the men's 8,000 meter event at 11:00 a.m., at the OSU Cross Country Course. The top women's and men's team are crowned league champions, while the top 15 individuals in each race earn All-Big 12 honors. The top newcomer in each race will earn Newcomer of the Year accolades.
The Oklahoma State men and the Texas Tech women were crowned the 2009 Big 12 Cross Country Champions for the second-consecutive time. In 2008, OSU ended the 12-year win streak held by Colorado, becoming the second men's team to win a Big 12 team title. TTU was the third women's squad to win the event.
In the latest NCAA Division I national rankings, the Big 12 had four men's teams and five women's squads ranked in the top 30. No. 2 Oklahoma State leads the league on the men's side, followed by No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 9 Colorado and No. 30 Texas. In the women's rankings, No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 7 Colorado, No. 11 Iowa State, No. 15 Texas and No. 27 Oklahoma State placed in the poll.
Headlining the women's field is Colorado's Allie McLaughlin, the 2009 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. McLaughlin led the Big 12 field at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships last season, placing fifth with a time of 20:01.1. During the regular season, CU's Laura Tremblay earned Big 12 Cross Country Runner of the Week accolades twice, while Laura Crofford (NU), Kaitie Vanatta (MU), Aliphine Tuliamuk (ISU) and Mia Behm (UT) earned weekly honors once each. Vanatta and Tremblay placed 11th and 15th in the 2009 Big 12 Championships last season.
On the men's side, OSU junior Colby Lowe is the top returner from the 2009 postseason, as he placed third at the Big 12 Championships and 10th at the NCAA Championships. Two of Lowe's fellow Cowboys, Tom Ferrell and Girma Mecheso, earned Big 12 Runner of the Week honors. Joe Bosshard (CU), Will Nation (UT), Silas Kemoi (TTU) and David Adams (NU) also earned weekly accolades during the regular season.
Video highlights and full results will be made available following the races via the conference web site at Big12Sports.com.