Davies is best known as a cross country runner after finishing third in the New Zealand National Eight Kilometer Cross Country Championships and a 53rd place finish at the Senior Women’s World Cross Country Championships this past March in Brussels, Belgium.
“Mary is one of the top distance recruits in the Big 12 Conference,” said head coach Rene Sepulveda. “She could make an immediate impact in cross country on the conference and national levels.”
Davies will focus on the 3,000 and 5,000 meter races during the indoor track season and the 10,000 and 5,000 meter races during the outdoor season.
Feb 2005
Davies Selected to Run at the World Cross Country Championships
STILLWATER, Okla. Freshman Mary Davies made the New Zealand national team and was selected to run at the World Cross Country Championships in Lyon, France the weekend of March 18-20.
Davies, the 2004 women’s cross country Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, was selected based on her results in the cross country and track seasons
Davies finished fifth at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships and finished 48th at the NCAA Championships in November.
Aug 2005
Davies delighted at medal award
The Oklahoma State University bachelor of education student was awarded a bronze medal in the 10,000-meter run at the World University Games which is New Zealand’s first on the track at a Summer Universiade to take the Kiwi tally to a record four medals.
May 2006
Davies Captures Title and Sets Big 12 Meet Record in the 10,000 meters
Davies, who entered the race rated as the No.1 10k runner in the conference, proved her ranking by setting a Big 12 meet record in the time of 33:28.68 to give OSU 10 team points.
“(Mary) beat Bolf, who I believe is the most dominant distance runner in the conference,” Cowgirl head coach Rene Sepulveda said. “It’s a great accomplishment for her because Bolf has been amazing all year.”
May 2006
Davies Sets Second Conference Meet Record at Big 12 Outdoor Championships
Waco, Texas Oklahoma State’s Mary Davies set a conference meet record in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase Sunday at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, while claiming three individual titles over the weekend.
After receiving 30 team points from Davies, OSU finished ninth overall for the championships. Defending national champion
Davies, a junior who claimed the 10,000-meter championship Friday, added individual titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 5,000-meter run. Davies became the first athlete in the history of the conference to claim victories in the three long distance events at the meet.“(Mary) has proved to be one of the elite athletes in the country,” Cowgirl head coach Rene Sepulveda said. “It’s nearly impossible to see anyone accomplish what she did this weekend. It was great seeing coaches, fans and other players cheer her on. She should be a strong candidate for Big 12 Athlete of the Year.”
Davies was dominant in the events as she ran a stadium record time of 16:16.54 in the 5k and then set a conference meet record time of 10:09.42 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
“It was a big surprise to me that I performed the way I did,” Davies said. “After winning the first two events that I competed in I had more confidence going into the final event.”
May 2006
Davies Earns Postseason Honors
Oklahoma State’s Mary Davies was named the Big 12 Conference Outdoor Performer of the Year in a vote by the league’s coaches. “(Mary) has brought great exposure to our track and field program,” Cowgirl head coach Rene Sepulveda said. “We are proud to have her a part of our team and the university.”
Davies, a junior from Whangarie, New Zealand won the award after capturing three conference titles (10,000-meter, 5,000-meter and 3,000-meter steeplechase) at last weekend’s Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The talented distance runner became the first student-athlete in the history of the conference to claim victories in the three long distance events at the championships.
Jun 2006
Cowgirls Led By Davies All-American Performance
The Cowgirls and Stanford currently stand in a tie for fifth-place with six points in the team standings.
Davies, who has been the catalyst of the OSU team throughout the outdoor season, earned her second consecutive All-American honor in the 10,000-meter run after collecting the medal at last year’s championships.
“(Mary) has really improved from her eighth-place finish last year,” Cowgirl head coach Rene Sepulveda said. “She is maturing as a competitor.”
Davies ran a solid race as she finished third in a personal record time of 33:08.00.
“(Mary) led for the majority of the second half of the race, which shows that her confidence is growing as a national class runner,” Sepulveda said. “Her speed is getting better and she has been patient with her training.
“She would like a long running career (after college in the marathon), so she understands our long-term training program we developed last year. She is starting to reap the benefits of her hard work and the gradual build-up”
Apr 2009
Mary Davies Qualifies for World Cup Marathon
Marathon rookie Mary Davies in her debut over the 42.2km distance finished eighth in the Vienna Marathon on Sunday. The Houston based runner from Whangarei recorded a time of 2h 42m 39s, just under the selection standard of 2h 43m for the world cup marathon in Berlin in August. Andrea Mayr from Austria won in 2h 30m 43s, from Ethiopians Derbe Godana Gebissa 2h 31m 31s and Hayato-Zeineba Hasso 2h 34m 1s. Gilbert Kipruto Kirwa from Kenya won the race in 2h 8m 21s.
Jun 2009
Davies to join world-class field in Berlin marathon
Northland runner Mary Davies' selection to represent New Zealand in the Marathon World Cup in Berlin in August sees her emerge as one of the country's top-rated marathon runners.
A delighted Davies received the good news by phone on Sunday during at visit to her grandmother's home at One Tree Point.
Along with Davies, Shireen Crumpton and Fiona Docherty - triathlete Bevan Docherty's sister - will also run at the Berlin event, while Michael Aish will represent New Zealand in the men's world championship marathon.
She had planned to break the qualifying standard but as a rookie over the distance was uncertain.
"The first one is hard because you don't know if your body can make it - you don't want to go out too fast because you want to have enough to finish," she said. Davies burst onto the local running scene seven years ago as a 19-year-old, shortly after coming under the guidance of coach Ian Babe.
Just three months later she won gold in the New Zealand under-20 women's road championships and, in the same year, bronze in the senior women's race.
In 2003, Davies was selected to represent New Zealand in the Ekiden Relays, in South Korea, and the World Cross Country Championships, in Belgium.
And in the same year, she showed her potential over longer distances with a record-breaking win in the Kerikeri half marathon, in 1h 15m 19s - a record which still stands.
In 2004, selected to compete in the World University Games in Turkey, Davies won bronze in a gruelling 10,000m, run in a scorching 43C.
By August 2004, Davies had become well known as a runner with huge potential. She was awarded an athletics' scholarship to Oklahoma State University, where she continued competing with considerable success in 5000m, steeplechase and cross country races.
While completing her studies, Davies met Gabriel Sawakuchi, a young Brazilian studying towards a PhD. Since graduating, they have married and continued to live in Houston, where Sawakuchi is completing his post-doctorate research on proton therapies to combat cancer.
Back in New Zealand for a few weeks, the pair intend to settle here in the future, but finding a suitable position for Sawakuchi may determine just when they return.
Aug 2009
| Mary Davies in only her second marathon knocked nearly four minutes off her inaugural time in leading New Zealand to eighth place in the marathon world cup at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin. | |||
Mary Davies in only her second marathon knocked nearly four minutes off her inaugural time in leading New Zealand to eighth place in the marathon world cup at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin. Davies finished 35th in 2h 38m 48s, followed by Fiona Docherty in 41st in 2h 40m 18s and Shireen Crumpton 44th in 2h 41m 31s. Davies, from Whangarei but now based in Houston, was 44th at half way in 1h 17m 11s. Davies said that she still has a lot to learn on running marathons. "My strategy was to start out at 2h 40m pace, that I wanted to do. I think I started with the first group, maybe a bit too soon," said Davies. "I managed to stay with a group of the US runners for a while which helped, still I think I could have done a bit faster - but that's ok," The 26 year old who has a birthday in four days, said that coming from Houston she did not find it too hot. "It was good to run my first championships, the next time I want to place higher, I was hoping to do 2h 32m, so I was a bit disappointed. "I still have a lot to work through on the strategy," she added.  Nov 2009 | |||
