Dave Smith Talks NCAA Track and Field Championships and House vs. NCAA Settlement

EUGENE, Ore. – Oklahoma State’s Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Dave Smith is in Eugene, Ore. as Smith and his 10 athletes prepare for the start on Wednesday of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Smith is fired up because he has four of his very talented distance runners on the men’s side that have all scored in past NCAA outdoor meets. If they match those and grab some points from long jumper Blair Anderson, Smith feel the men could finish high in the final standings and add some more All-Americans. Smith has a women’s heptathalon qualifier in Annie Molenhouse that is a great story. He is also a leader in the Oklahoma State athletic department and his lead is meaningful as the House vs. NCAA settlement was approved and will now take effect.

Oklahoma State Athletics

Denis Kipngetich winning last year at the NCAA.

First, the track that starts with the men’s prelims and finals on Wednesday. Denis Kipngetich is a returning 2024 first-team All-American in the 10,000 meters finishing third and he runs his event Wednesday. Australian Alex Stitt was a second-team All-American last year and he will run his prelim Wednesday in the 1,500 meters. Blair Anderson was All-Big 12 with a long jump of 7.44 meters and he competes on Wednesday as well. All-Americans Fouad Messaoudi and Brian Musau compete in the 5,000 meters on Friday.

“All but one of our athlete’s has scored at the national championships before and if each of those guys scored the points they scored before then we aregoing to be a top 10 team,” Smith said enthusiatically. “That is pretty exciting and Fouad and Brian have both won national championships indoors and Denis has been third in obth the indoor and the outdoor national championships.”

On the women’s side Isca Chelangat and Kaylie Politza will run their 800 meter prelims on Thursday as the fabulous Oregon track facility. Josephine Mmwaura runs her 10,000 meters that day. On Friday and Saturday, Annie Molenhouse will compete in the heptathalon as there are seven events over those 48 hours. The events are the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter run on day one, and long jump, javelin throw, and 800-meter run on day two.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Annie Molenhouse on hurdles.

Molenhouse is the school record holder in the heptathalon. 

“She is an incredible story,” Smith said. “She walked on her and honestly for the first couple of years I just didn’t see exactly what our multisport coach, Josh Langleysaw in her.”

Langley kept telling Smith and anybody else that would listen that Molenhouse was going to do amazing things. 

“This year she has blossomed and she is our first Big 12 champion in a multi-event in school history. She won the Big 12 and she qualified for the national championship,” Smith said. “She still seems to be getting better every week. She steps in and helps us in a relay, a field event, she does anything she’s asked to do. She is on our 4x4 relay team and she could score at the conference level in multiple single events. We have hopes of her being a first-team All-American.”

Oklahoma State Athletics

Emma Robbins is a threat in the hammer throw.

The last Cowgirl athlete to start competition in Eugene will be Emma Robbins on Saturday in the hammer throw. 

Now, Smith is like all coaches in the athletic department and will be dealing with the onset of the parameters of the House vs. NCAA settlement. He knows the revenue sharing from the estimated $20.5 million each school will be permitted to share and pay their athletes for his sport will be thin. He also realizes why.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Smith said football has to get the top support.

“We have to do whatever we can do to support football,” Smith said. “We have to help football and men’s basketball. Those are the revenue producers and really football. We have to help Coach Gundy and have him do what he has always done. He has kept us in the conversation with the football program and producing revenue so that we can provide opportunities for the athletes in our sports.”

Smith counts himself lucky as a track and field and cross country coach because his sports are NIL friendly.

“Weve always had the opportunity and we’ve had several athletes over the past several years get true NIL,” Smith added. “Nike, Adidas, or Puma, some shoe company says we will give you $30,000 to represent us. We don’t care what school you’re at, we want you to represent us. That is true NIL. We have that market in track, real NIL.”

Taylor Roe and Alex Maier are two that have received lucrative deals and they have carried over now with them in their pro careers.