Oklahoma State Cross Country Must Overcome Big 12 Rival to Defend National Title

If the Big 12 Championships showed the Oklahoma State men’s cross-country team anything it’s that a national title defense means beating the new Big 12 champion.

Denis Kipngetich of Oklahoma State. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Defending national championships is never easy, no matter the sport. The Oklahoma State men’s cross-country team knows who they’re chasing now.

The Cowboys — who won last year’s national title and return key members of that team _ did not win the Big 12 Championships on their home course on Saturday. Instead, it was Colorado that won the title, taking it by scoring 36 points to the Cowboys’ 38 points. The five fastest runners comprise the score, with their finishes adding up to the final total.

So while it mattered that senior Denis Kipngetich won his first career Big 12 cross country title with an impressive finish on the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course, the larger prize eluded the team — but gave them fresh motivation for the NCAA Championships later this month in Terre Haute, Ind.

Why OSU Lost Big 12 Title

NCAA track champion Brian Musau. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cowboys had an impressive day on the eight-kilometer course, led by Kipngetich’s 23:05.7. All five runners earned All-Big 12 honors. Brian Musau followed Kipngetich in third place with a time of 23:08.0 while Adisu Guadie was eighth with a time of 23:22.7. Jacob Deacon was 12th with a time of 23:33.1 while Laban Kipkemboi was 14th with a time of 23:34.8.

It was the closest finish between first and second place in six years in Big 12 competition because the Buffaloes were just a little bit better, which bodes well for a compelling finish at the NCAA Championships.

Colorado had six runners in the Top 15, which comprised the All-Big 12 team. So that final finish was thrown out for team scoring purposes. Colorado’s Dominic Serem finished right behind Kipngetich and just ahead of Musau. Meshack Kipruto finished just behind Musau. Based on those finishes, OSU had a slight edge at 4-6.

Guadie finished eighth and Colorado’s Jack Graffeo was right behind him in ninth place. OSU still held a slim lead on points, 12-15

But this is where the Buffs won. Isaiah Givens was 10th and Jake Liebert was 11th to round out the Buffs’ scoring before Deacon finished in 12th place. With Kipkemboi finishing in 14th, that cluster of finishes in the Top 15 handed the Buffs the win.

Kipngetich continued OSU’s dominance in the top spot individually. He was the fifth consecutive individual title for the Cowboys, with Alex Maier winning the championship in 2022 and Brian Musau winning three straight titles from 2023-25.

OSU will get another crack at Colorado at nationals.

On the women’s side, OSU was third behind BYU and West Virginia. OSU had two of the top four individual finishers with Billah Jepkirui finishing second with a time of 19:38.0 and Maureen Rutoh in fourth with a time of 19:40.1. Victoria Lagat, Gentry Turner and Autumn Michalski in 28th, 44th and 46th, respectively.