The path to a national championship starts and ends in Stillwater.
Last week, the OSU cross country programs released its schedule that will include four home meets.
Most importantly, OSU will host the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course on Nov. 19. The course also hosted the national championships in spring of 2020.
The Cowboys and Cowgirls, who earned four All-American honors last year, begin their season on Sept. 1 with the Cowboy Preview. Weeks later, the course will host the 84th annual Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 24. Many of the nation’s top teams and runners will compete at the Weis-Crockett Invitational in Stillwater on Oct. 15 which is the pre-national meet. Several contenders will get a sample of the course before the NCAA championship in November.
The squads will compete in two out of town meets — The Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas, and the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Columbia, Missouri.
A year ago, the Cowboys finished third at the NCAA Championships for the second straight season. Six of the seven runners from that team will return in the fall. All-Americans Isai Rodriguez, Shea Foster and Victor Shitsama are a part of that group. Alex Maier, a 2020 cross country All-American will also return for his senior year.
Taylor Roe leads the Cowgirls after a Big 12 championship season in 2021. Roe finished runner-up at last year’s NCAA Championships. Natalie Cook, the 2021 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, will make her Cowgirls debut.
2022 OSU cross country schedule:
Sept. 1 at 8 a.m. — Cowboy Preview
Sept. 24 at 8 a.m. — Cowboy Jamboree
Oct. 15 at 8 a.m. — Weis-Crockett Invitational
Oct. 28 at 8 a.m. — Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas
Nov. 11 at 8 a.m. — NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Columbia, Missouri
Nov. 19 at 8 a.m. — NCAA Cross Country Championships