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The Stride Report has confirmed that Oklahoma State rookie superstar, Natalie Cook, is out for the 2023 outdoor track season. The Texas native has sustained a navicular stress reaction in her foot, an official diagnosis which followed shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Cook's first year with the Cowgirls has gone, for the most part, exceptionally well. The former high school phenom stunned the nation in the fall when she secured an individual victory at the Cowboy Jamboree. She would later place 7th overall at the NCAA XC Championships.
Shortly after her fall campaign, Cook ventured to Boston University in December. There, she toed the line for an indoor 5000 meter race, ultimately running an incredible mark of 15:24. That time allowed Cook to become the new American U20 indoor 5k record holder.
Leading up to the indoor national meet, the Oklahoma State freshman would only toe the line for one more race since her season debut (the Husky Classic 3k). However, she would not actually finish a race until the NCAA Indoor Championships where she finished 16th overall in the women's 5k.
Following the indoor national meet, Cook acknowledged her limited winter campaign via an Instagram post, citing a "flare up" in her foot.
One week later, she has been ruled out for the 2023 spring season.
Cook isn't the first star-caliber runner to end an indoor track season with an injury that would stop her from competing on the outdoor oval. Last year, Virginia Tech standout Lindsey Butler was sidelined for the entirety of the 2022 spring season due to a similar injury in her foot.