University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota to Host 2014 Roy Griak Invitational
9/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
| 2014 Roy Griak Invitational | |||||||||||
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 | ||||||||||
| Location | Les Bolstad Cross Country Course, Falcon Heights, Minn. | ||||||||||
| Distance | College Women: 6K | College Men: 8K | ||||||||||
| Live Coverage | Flotrack Live Stream | ||||||||||
| Social Media | @GopherWCCTF | @GopherMCCTF | #Griak2014 | ||||||||||
| Schedule & Results | 2014 Roy Griak Invitational | ||||||||||
Sept. 24, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS - The Golden Gophers are set to host the 29th annual Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Cross Country Course this Saturday. The Gopher women will compete in the Jack Johnson Women's Gold Division I Race at 1:10 p.m.
One of the largest meets in the country, the Griak Invitational includes six collegiate races and four high school races. The meet begins with the Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon Division III race at 9 a.m. this Saturday.
About the 2014 Jack Johnson Women's Gold Division I Race
The 2014 Women's Gold Race will feature runners from 37 teams nation-wide in a six-kilometer race. Six teams that competed in the 2013 NCAA Championships and three conference champions will be in attendance.
Four of the top five teams from last year's Griak return for this year's race. Team runner-up Michigan State (72 points), Butler (94 points), Minnesota (104 points) and Iowa State (119) are eager for another shot at the race.
Golden Gophers at the Griak
Minnesota's top three returners from last year's Griak are redshirt juniors Liz Berkholtz (24th), Becca Dyson (49th) and Kaila Urick (51st). Redshirt senior Ashlie Decker (117th) ran unattached last year, but she will rejoin the Gophers in uniform for the fifth Griak competition of her college career; Decker placed 18th overall at the 2012 meet.
Last Time Out: Gophers Win BYU Autumn Classic
Five Gophers finished in the top 10, led by overall runner-up Becca Dyson, to lead the Gophers to the team title at the BYU Autumn Classic on Sept. 13. Minnesota responded well to an early-season test, competing on the road for the first time in 2014 while racing at altitude in Provo, Utah.
Dyson completed the three-mile course in 18:02.9, followed by fellow redshirt juniors Kaila Urick in 18:13.5 (fifth) and Liz Berkholtz in 18:15.7 (seventh). Redshirt freshman Danielle Anderson (18:21.1) and redshirt senior Ashlie Decker (18:25.4) rounded out the top 10 overall finishers in ninth and 10th, respectively.
2013 Roy Griak Invitational Rewind
Last year, Arizona won the Women's Gold Race team title with 48 points. The champions were followed by Michigan State (72 points), Butler (94 points), Minnesota (104 points) and Iowa State (119) in the top five. Shelby Houlihan of Arizona State was the individual champion with a time of 20:35.45.
Seniors Laura Docherty and Katie Moraczewski led the Gophers to their fourth-place finish. Docherty came in 11th in 21:11, and Moraczewski was just 10 seconds behind in 15th place (21:21).
USTFCCCA Ranks Gophers No. 28
The Golden Gophers are ranked No. 28 in the nation according to the most recent national rankings from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Several top-30 teams are set to compete at the Griak this weekend, including No. 3 Michigan State, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 11 Butler, No. 20 Boise State, No. 22 Vanderbilt and No. 30 North Carolina. Among those teams receiving votes and competing at the Griak are Arizona State (15), Weber State (19), Baylor (5), BYU (6) and Texas A&M (2).
Up Next: UW-Eau Claire Blugold Invite and SDSU Classic
Next week, the Gophers will race at the UW-Eau Claire Blugold Invite on Friday, Oct. 3 and the SDSU Classic on Saturday, Oct. 4. Last year, the Gophers won the team title at both meets and claimed the top 10 places at the SDSU Classic.
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Players Mentioned
