No. 27 Gophers Head to Wisconsin Meets

2014 Wisconsin adidas Invitational
Date	Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 \| 11:45 a.m. CT
Location	Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course; Madison, Wis.
Distance	Men: 8K
Coverage	Meet Central \| Flotrack \| Live Results
2014 Jim Drews Invitational
Date	Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014 \| 11:30 a.m.
Location	Ettrick Golf Club, Ettrick, Wis.
Distance	8K
Coverage	Results \| Course Map

Oct. 15, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) - The No. 27 Minnesota men's cross country program returns to action this weekend with a pair of meets in the state of Wisconsin as the Gophers will run in the 2014 Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Friday and at the 2014 Jim Drews Invitational on Saturday.

Wisconsin adidas Invitational Preview

Thirty-eight men's teams are expected to compete in the sixth annual Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Friday, Oct. 17 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wis. Minnesota, which finished 29th at the event last year, is one of 19 nationally ranked teams anticipated for this year's field with No. 5 Portland, No. 6 Syracuse, No. 7 Stanford and Wisconsin and UCLA (tied for ninth) leading the pack.

Obsa Ali, Aaron Bartnik, Alex Brend, Blayne Dulian, Christian Skaret, Charlie Lawrence and Adam Zutz are expected to run in the eight-kilometer Wisconsin adidas Invitational for the Maroon & Gold.

Jim Drews Invitational Preview

Minnesota will also send a contingency of competitors to the 2014 Jim Drews Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 18. UW-La Crosse hosts the eight-kilometer meet at the Ettrick Golf Club in Ettrick, Wis.

Wayde Hall, Riley Macon, Brad Woodford, Eric Colvin, Matthew Jergenson, Matt Welch, Derek Wiebke and Cole O'Brien are expected to compete at the event.

Last Time Out - Griak Invitational

The Gophers have been off from competition for three weeks, but the team is coming off a third-place finish among a terrific field at the 29th annual Roy Griak Invitational. Just 11 points separated the top four teams at the Griak while Minnesota (149) was just seven points back from team champion Southern Utah (142). Junior Aaron Bartnik led Minnesota in the home eight-kilometer race with an eight-place finish and a time of 27:07.0.

Gophers Pick Up National Recognition

Following the Griak, the Maroon & Gold picked up their first national ranking of the season from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, earning a No. 27 ranking in the Sept. 29 edition of the poll. Minnesota retained its No. 27 ranking in the Oct. 7 poll and will look to improve its position after this weekend when the next poll comes out Oct. 22. The Gophers are also ranked fourth in the Midwest Region by the USTFCCCA, trailing only Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Tulsa, respectively. The Sooners will join Minnesota at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Friday.

Honoring the Past

The 2014 Minnesota men's cross country season includes a pair of notable anniversaries for the Big Ten program. This season marks the 100th anniversary of the team's 1914 Big Ten championship - the second in school history. As part of that championship, Fred Watson won his second-straight individual Big Ten title for the Maroon and Gold. Additionally, Minnesota celebrates the 50th anniversary of its 1964 Big Ten championship this year.

Points from Plasencia

On the break from competitionâ€¦

"That's an odd thing about this sport. When people think you're "off" and you don't see guys competing, that's when they are really getting fit. Then they come out and race when they are ready. The guys' anticipation is built up for this competition, and they're excited to get back out there."

On expectations for the Wisconsin adidas Invitationalâ€¦

"We're expecting this weekend to a very, very competitive and tough field. We counted through last year's field, and 20 of the teams in this competition last year were in the final 31 at the NCAA championships. I would not expect that to be different this year - in fact, they've added a couple more teams to the field. It's definitely a tall orderâ€¦we're going to need to have a good race and maybe need a little race luck too."

Up Next - Big Ten Championships

The championship season looms for the Gophers following this weekend's action as the Maroon & Gold will compete at the 2014 Big Ten Championship in Iowa City, Iowa on Nov. 2. Minnesota finished fourth at the event a year ago with 136 points and return three of the team's five scorers from last year in Adam Zutz (25th, 25:03.1), Alex Brend (36th, 25:17.0) and Christian Skaret (44th, 25:23.3).

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Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Obsa Ali

Aaron Bartnik

Alex Brend

Eric Colvin

Blayne Dulian

Wayde Hall

Matthew Jergenson

Charlie Lawrence

Riley Macon

Cole O'Brien

Christian Skaret

Matt Welch

Derek Wiebke

Brad Woodford

Adam Zutz

Upcoming Events

University of Minnesota Athletics