University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Set for 31st Griak Invitational
9/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
| 2016 Roy Griak Invitational | |||||||||||
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 | ||||||||||
| Location | Les Bolstad Golf Course | Falcon Heights, Minn. | ||||||||||
| Griak Links | Meet Home | Results | Tickets | ||||||||||
| Coverage | @GopherMCCTF | USTFCCCA National Results Wall | #Griak2016 | ||||||||||
| Stream | FloTrack | ||||||||||
Sept. 20, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) -- The University of Minnesota men's cross country program returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 24 with the 31st annual Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn.
The Maroon & Gold are set to compete in the Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold Competition at 12:20 p.m. CT on Saturday as one of 10 featured college and high school races. Thirty teams and almost 350 runners are slated to run in the Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold Competition.
Lawrence to Lead Gophers
Redshirt junior Charlie Lawrence has been named team captain for the Maroon & Gold this season after a standout season in 2015. A native of Foley, Minn., Lawrence was an NCAA All-Region honoree last year and factored into the team's scoring in all six races that he competed in. He also set a new personal six-kilometer record (19:06.2) and matched his best finish as a Gopher (fifth) and personal eight-kilometer record (24:15.5).
New Look to Gophers Roster
The University of Minnesota men's cross country roster will boast seven newcomers in 2016 with Hamza Ali, Alec Basten, Owen Hoeft, Jack Manderscheid, Alex Plasencia, Nick Rink and Hunter Staack joining the Maroon & Gold. Eleven of Minnesota's 19 runners this year are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen as the team looks to replace a talented senior class from one year ago that included All-Big Ten and NCAA All-Region selections Adam Zutz and Aaron Bartnik.
Gophers Rewind: 2015 Griak Invitational
Obsa Ali placed 15th at the 2015 Roy Griak Invitational and paced the Gophers to a fifth-place showing with 107 points. A native of Richfield, Minn., Ali clocked a 25:21.5 -- he previously won Griak Invitational high school titles in 2012 and 2013 with Richfield High School. Michigan State returns as the defending team champion while Colorado State boasts the top-two returners in Jefferson Abbey and Jerrell Mock, who finished first and second in 2015.
Blankenship, Mead Shine at Olympics
Gopher alums Ben Blankenship and Hassan Mead didn't disappoint in their Olympic debuts earlier this year in Rio de Janeiro. Blankenship finished eighth in the 1,500 meters (3:51.09) while Mead placed 11th in the 5,000 meters (13:09.81). Both competitors were All-Americans and Big Ten champions for the Gophers and Minnesota Director of Men's Track & Field and Cross Country Steve Plasencia.
Next Up: Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational/Jim Drews Invitational
Minnesota returns to action in mid October with a pair of meets in Wisconsin. The Maroon & Gold will send a contingency to Madison for the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday, Oct. 14 while another group will be in action on Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Jim Drews Invitational in Ettrick.
Gophers to Host Big Ten Championships
The 2016 Big Ten Cross Country Championships come to Les Bolstad Golf Course later this year as the Gophers will host the conference meet on Sunday, Oct. 30. The event marks the first time that Minnesota has hosted the Big Ten meet since 2005.
Players Mentioned
