University of Minnesota Athletics
2014 Griak Invitational Recaps
9/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Sept. 27, 2014
Roy Griak Invitational Results Central | Men's Gold Recap | Women's Gold Recap
Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon III Recap
UW-La Crosse senior Laura Mead won the opening race of the 2014 Roy Griak Invitational on a sunny, warm Saturday morning, crossing the finish line at Les Bolstad Course in 22:39.9.
The Women's Maroon III champion improved on an eighth-place finish a year ago and defeated runner-up Erin Statz (22:53.6) of St. Thomas and third-place finisher Kimber Meyer (23:16.2) of Macalester.
"I feel like the race went a little slower than we expected," Mead said. "Usually there is a pack that goes out hard. My plan was to sit on the back of that pack and then take off during the third or fourth kilometer, and I went right at about 3.5."
Mead paced UW-La Crosse to the 2014 Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon III team title as the Eagles posted 60 points with three runners in the top 10. Junior Ellen Smith (ninth) and senior Rebecca Zych (10th) also secured top-10 finishes. The Eagles' 60 points is the lowest-ever team total in the Women's Maroon III race. St. Thomas came in second with 69 team points.
Women's Maroon II Recap
Minnesota Duluth sophomore Samantha Rivard took home the individual title and led the Bulldogs to the team title in the Women's Maroon II race. Rivard clocked a time of 22:02.8 to secure a nearly 11-second victory over runner-up Sasha Hovind of Northern State (22:13.4).
"Before the race, my teammates and I were talking about going for the course record held by Runa Falch [at 21:34.3], and I just kind of said let's see how it feels," Rivard said. "We went off right where we wanted to be. My teammate Breanna [Colbenson] was with me for the first mile.
"I was happy with the race. I managed to stay at the top, and my time was ok. From a team perspective, I was astonished how strong we were this week. Everyone was super pumped up and motivated today, and we were all on top of our game."
In total, three Bulldogs finished in the top 10 as Breanna Colbenson finished eighth and Emilee Trost took ninth. Minnesota Duluth (74 points) edged out 2013 Women's Maroon II team champion Augustana (S.D.). The Vikings finished second in the team standings with 97 points, and Northern Michigan (115 points) rounded out the top three teams.
Men's Maroon III Recap
UW-La Crosse picked up its second team title of the day as the Eagles won the Men's Maroon III team crown after their women's team won the Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon III title earlier in the day.
The Eagles earned three top 10 finishes and secured the team crown with 43 points. UW-Oshkosh finished second in the team standings with 46 points, and Wartburg was third (82 points). UW-La Crosse's team victory marked their fifth title since the Men's Maroon III Race was founded in 2007.
UW-Oshkosh junior Jordan Carpenter won the individual title in the Men's Maroon III Race, pacing the field in 25:56.2. He edged runner-up Alex Ciesielski, a UW-La Crosse senior, by 10 seconds (26:06.5).
"This is my first major victory in cross country, so it's very meaningful," Carpenter said. "I just love this race. We come here every year and have traditionally done well. It's just an awesome experience."
Men's Maroon II Recap
UW-Parkside secured the Men's Maroon II Race team title with a nine-point win over team runner-up Augustana (S.D.). The Rangers earned 90 points with three top-20 finishes and were led by senior Evan Lewandowski in fifth overall. Indiana Wesleyan took third in the team standings with 189 points.
Meanwhile, Regina's Matt Johnson took home the individual crown, finishing in 25:32.1 just ahead of runner-up Paul Yak of Augustana (running unattached). Yak also finished as the Men's Maroon II runner-up a year ago. MSU-Billings junior Robert Peterson was third in 25:42.2.
"The race played into the way I planned," Johnson said. "It worked out. I felt good today. Hopefully it sets up good things to come."
Larry Zirgebel H.S. Boys Gold Competition
Wayzata won its second-straight Griak team title as all five of the Trojans' scoring runners finished in the top 27. Seniors Connor Olson and Ian Eklin secured top-10 finishes as Olson was fifth overall in 16:15 and Eklin took 10th (16:30). Wayzata scored 80 points to beat out team runner-up Sioux Falls Lincoln (149 points) and third-place Saugus (Calif.) with 158 points.
Senior Olin Hacker of Madison West High School took home the individual title in the Larry Zirgebel H.S. Boys Gold Competition, clocking a 15:35.8 for the 5K course. He narrowly edged second-place finisher Thomas Pollard, a senior from Gilberg (Iowa), in 15:36.2.
Gary Wilson H.S. Girls Gold Competition
Saugus (Calif.) swept the individual and team titles in the Gary Wilson High School Girls Gold Competition at the 2014 Griak Invitational. Led by individual champion Samantha Ortega, Saugus posted 75 points en route to the team championship. Wayzata was the team runner-up with 157 points.
Ortega finished in 18:14 to lead the nearly 400-runner field. Saugus also received top-20 finishes from freshman Mariah Castillo (seventh, 19:06) and senior Ashley Heys (16th, 19:30). Behind Ortega, Bemidji senior Jenna Truedson was the high school girls gold runner-up in 18:39.
H.S. Boys Maroon Competition
Lakeville North High School edged Brandon Valley for the team title in the High School Boys Maroon Competition. Lakeville North posted 165 points, led by Luke Anderson in 17th place (17:41). Meanwhile, Jacob Hegland placed seventh overall to lead Brandon Valley (174 points). Notre Dame Academy rounded out the top three teams with 209 points.
St. Paul Academy Summit senior Mike Destache won the individual title in the Boys Maroon race, clocking a time of 17:00 to edge runner-up Collin Kiley, a junior from Roseville Area High School, in 17:02.
H.S. Girls Maroon Competition
River Falls senior Annie Frisbie won the individual title in the Girls Maroon race, cruising to a 12-second victory over runner-up Morgan Florsheim, a junior from Shorewood. Frisbie covered the 5K course in 18:50, marking the fastest Girls Maroon winner since 2011. Florsheim came in second in 19:02, followed by eighth grader Sarah Olson of Blaine in third (19:52).
In the team standings, Notre Dame Academy won its second-straight Girls Maroon title by scoring 101 points with three runners in the top 20. Sophomore Maria Ehlinger was the team's top finisher, taking 11th overall in 20:28. Notre Dame Academy finished ahead of team runner-up Brandon Valley (135 points). The win marked Notre Dame Academy's third-straight Griak title after the team took home the 2013 Maroon title and 2012 Gold title.
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Players Mentioned
