By: Garrett Zatlin
The BIG 12 has been an underrated conference. They continue to send teams to nationals (good ones at that) and produce some of the best individuals in the nation. There is more to this conference than just Oklahoma State.
Starting out with the individuals, Cerake Geberkidane is my man to win it. Like Tiernan, Cerake hasn't had much substantial competition this season besides his teammates. However, he is undefeated this season and has run some great times. He has shown excellent fitness and seems to be the new leader on this team. We haven't seen much of Nowak (or Clarkson) this season who ran one race unattached and that is it. Of course, it's tough to really gauge where those guys are at considering they stay on the DL the entire regular season. The Oklahoma duo of Doughty and Burcham have been on fire lately with outstanding performances at Wisconsin and Panorama. They have been consistently doing well. However, Nowak and Cerake are simply too established and have shown that they can beat the best. The only scenario I see a Sooner in the top-2 is if the race becomes tactical and Burcham uses his miler speed for a strong finish.
This is pretty easy. Oklahoma State is a powerhouse team and they continue to be one this season. They've got the talent and they've got the coaching staff. They will grab the win easily while Oklahoma settles for the second spot. Oklahoma has made outstanding strides this season, but not enough to take down a power house like OSU. As for the others, Texas has been pretty consistent and Baylor is underrated. Give these squads another year and they could surprise many.
Individuals*
1. Cerake Geberkidane, Sophomore, Oklahoma State
2. Craig Nowak, Junior, Oklahoma State
3. Brandon Doughty, Senior, Oklahoma
4. Jacob Burcham, Junior, Oklahoma
5. Vegard Oelstad, Junior, Oklahoma State
6. Fabian Clarkson, Senior, Oklahoma State
7. Jacob Morgan, Junior, Kansas
8. Eric Anderson, Sophomore, Baylor
9. Brady Turnbull, Senior, Texas
10. JR Hardy, Senior, Baylor
*This is under the assumption Nowak and Clarkson are entered to run at this meet.
Teams
1. Oklahoma State
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Baylor
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