University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, September 29
Les Bolstad Course
12:15 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Roy Griak Invitational
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
No. 23 Gophers to Return Home for Griak Invitational
9/25/2018 3:35:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Minnesota hosts the 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Course this Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 23 University of Minnesota women's cross country team returns home to host the 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Course on Saturday. The Jack Johnson Division I Women's Gold Competition is at 12:15 p.m., and the meet begins with the Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon Competition (Division II and Division III) at 9:30 a.m.
About the Roy Griak Invitational
The 2018 Roy Griak Invitational is this Saturday at Les Bolstad Course. One of the largest meets in the country, the Griak includes six collegiate races and four high school races. The Division I races follow the Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon Race (DII & III) and Jo Rider Men's Maroon Race (DII & III) with the Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold (DI) Race scheduled for 11:10 a.m. followed by the Jack Johnson Women's Gold (DI) Race at 12:15 p.m. Four high school races follow in the afternoon.
Along with the Gophers, the field for the Jack Johnson Women's Gold (DI) Race includes four other teams returning from last year's field: South Dakota (fifth), South Dakota State (14th), North Dakota State (15th), and Drake (17th). Newcomers Cal Baptist, Cal State Fullerton, Creighton, Harvard, Montana State, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, Rice, and Western Illinois round out this year's field. Among this year's 14 teams, Minnesota is the only team to have previously won the Women's Gold Race team title.
2017 Roy Griak Invitational Rewind
Minnesota placed three runners in the top 15 and had all five scoring runners among the top 30 to secure a podium finish in third place at the 2017 Roy Griak Invitational. The Gophers' top three runners finished within eight seconds and four places of one another. Madeline Strandemo led the Gophers in 10th place overall in 21:47.1 followed by Bethany Hasz on Strandemo's heels in 21:51.6 for 11th. Megan Hasz came in 13th in 21:54.2. Bailey Ness (22:25.1) and Courtney Alama (22:32.6) came in 24th and 27th, respectively, to round out Minnesota's scoring runners in a field of 188 finishers at the 32nd annual Griak Invitational, where runners faced temperatures near 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Last Time Out: Battle in Beantown
Minnesota placed fourth in the team standings led by top-five individual finishes from runner-up Bethany Hasz and fifth-place finisher Megan Hasz at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown 5K race last week. Bethany Hasz clocked a 5K time of 17:17 as the runner-up in a field of 216 finishers; she was just seven seconds behind individual champion Abbey Wheeler of Providence, who won in 17:10. Megan Hasz finished in 17:21, and Patty O'Brien rounded out Minnesota's top three finishers in 43rd place overall in 18:04. The Gophers' next five runners finished within seven seconds of one another as Olivia Hummel (18:10) and Elyse Prescott (18:12) were Minnesota's fourth and fifth runners, finishing 55th and 57th, respectively. Abby Kohut-Jackson (18:13), Anastasia Korzenowski (18:17), and Jaycie Thomsen (18:17) were the next three Gophers.
Ole Miss took home the team title with 102 points ahead of runner-up Georgia Tech with 105 points. Utah (161), No. 24 Minnesota (162), and No. 27 Dartmouth (168) completed the top five teams, finishing within seven points of one another.
Gophers Climb to No. 23 in USTFCCCA Poll
The Gophers climbed one place to No. 23 in the nation according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Week Three National Coaches' Poll after opening the season at No. 24. The Big Ten Conference has six teams ranked among the nation's top 30 in No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 10 Michigan, No. 13 Penn state, No. 15 Michigan State, No. 19 Indiana, and No. 23 Minnesota, and Ohio State received three votes this week as well. There were no changes to the top-five teams in the Midwest Region Week Three rankings where Iowa State remained the top team, followed by Minnesota, Oklahoma State, South Dakota, and Northwestern. The week four national poll is set to be released Tuesday, Oct. 2.
Gophers Make Debuts
Gophers Maria Eastman and Olivia Hummel made their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this season, and redshirt freshmen Bit Klecker, Anastasia Korzenowski, Molly Roach, Sophie Schmitz, Tate Sweeney, and Jaycie Thomsen all competed in uniform for the first time in their careers at the Oz Memorial. Gopher rookies Libby Halbmaier, Taylor Krone, Becca Langer, and Courtney West have all raced unattached as well.
Gophers Celebrate Track & Field Stadium Grand Opening
The University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics celebrated a new era of track and field with the grand opening of the University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium on Monday, Sept. 17. Located in the heart of the new Athletes Village area, this facility will become synonymous with track & field excellence in the Midwest. It will not only provide a first-class experience for the Gophers, but it will also provide a wonderful venue for the state's largest amateur meets and a Minnesota option for USA Track & Field to place its marquee events in the Upper Midwest.
The University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium gives Minnesota its first opportunity in more than 15 years to host home outdoor meets, including Big Ten and NCAA competition. The facility features a nine-lane track with the Beynon 2000 surface, full-field event hosting capabilities, versatile configuration, fully enclosed, heated warm-up and cool down areas, and grandstands with the capacity to host major competitions.
Who is Back?
The Gophers return four of their seven runners from the 2017 NCAA Championship in Megan Hasz, Abby Kohut-Jackson, Bethany Hasz, and Elyse Prescott along with alternates Patty O'Brien and Zetta Mason. Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz return after earning NCAA all-region and All-Big Ten honors last season.
Who is New?
Five rookies join the Gophers this season in Libby Halbmaier (Minnetonka, Minn.), Elena Hayday (Bloomington, Minn.), Taylor Krone (Anoka, Minn.), Becca Langer (Waukesha, Wis.), and Courtney West (Dodge Center, Minn.). Junior Maria Berg (New Prague, Minn.) is another newcomer for the Maroon & Gold after she transferred to the University of Minnesota after competing for Minnesota Duluth in both cross country and track & field as a freshman during the 2016-17 season and competing in cross country during the 2017 season.
Seven redshirt freshmen are making their debuts racing in uniform for the Gophers after competing unattached last fall: Sam Baer (St. Louis Park, Minn.), Bit Klecker (Hopkins, Minn.), Anastasia Korzenowski (Chanhassen, Minn.), Molly Roach (Bloomington, Minn.), Sophie Schmitz (Willmar, Minn.), Tate Sweeney (Edina, Minn.), and Jaycie Thomsen (Maple Grove, Minn.). Redshirt sophomores Kayla Baker (Cloquet, Minn.), Maria Eastman (Victoria Minn.), and Olivia Hummel (Woodbury, Minn.) are also making their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this fall.
Six Gophers Serving as Captains
Molly Eastman, Abby Lange, Patty O'Brien, Paige Peschel, Elyse Prescott, and Kelsey Sather are leading the Gophers as captains this fall. O'Brien and Peschel return to Minnesota's leadership group as fifth-year seniors and second-year captains joined by fellow fifth-year senior Eastman. Lange and Sather are both redshirt juniors for the Gophers, and Prescott rounds out Minnesota's six captains as she enters her junior season.
Home Meets
Minnesota hosts six home meets at Les Bolstad Course this fall: Intrasquad 5K (Aug. 31), Oz Memorial Run (Sept. 7), 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 29), Jack's Twilight Run (Oct. 19), and Rocky's Run (Nov. 4).
Up Next: Three-Meet Week
Minnesota is off from competition next weekend. When the Gophers return to action, the team will split up for three meets, the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Ill., on Friday, Oct. 12 followed by NCAA Pre-Nationals in Madison, Wis., and the Tori Neubauer Invitational in La Crosse, Wis., on Saturday, Oct. 13.
###
About the Roy Griak Invitational
The 2018 Roy Griak Invitational is this Saturday at Les Bolstad Course. One of the largest meets in the country, the Griak includes six collegiate races and four high school races. The Division I races follow the Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon Race (DII & III) and Jo Rider Men's Maroon Race (DII & III) with the Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold (DI) Race scheduled for 11:10 a.m. followed by the Jack Johnson Women's Gold (DI) Race at 12:15 p.m. Four high school races follow in the afternoon.
Along with the Gophers, the field for the Jack Johnson Women's Gold (DI) Race includes four other teams returning from last year's field: South Dakota (fifth), South Dakota State (14th), North Dakota State (15th), and Drake (17th). Newcomers Cal Baptist, Cal State Fullerton, Creighton, Harvard, Montana State, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, Rice, and Western Illinois round out this year's field. Among this year's 14 teams, Minnesota is the only team to have previously won the Women's Gold Race team title.
2017 Roy Griak Invitational Rewind
Minnesota placed three runners in the top 15 and had all five scoring runners among the top 30 to secure a podium finish in third place at the 2017 Roy Griak Invitational. The Gophers' top three runners finished within eight seconds and four places of one another. Madeline Strandemo led the Gophers in 10th place overall in 21:47.1 followed by Bethany Hasz on Strandemo's heels in 21:51.6 for 11th. Megan Hasz came in 13th in 21:54.2. Bailey Ness (22:25.1) and Courtney Alama (22:32.6) came in 24th and 27th, respectively, to round out Minnesota's scoring runners in a field of 188 finishers at the 32nd annual Griak Invitational, where runners faced temperatures near 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Last Time Out: Battle in Beantown
Minnesota placed fourth in the team standings led by top-five individual finishes from runner-up Bethany Hasz and fifth-place finisher Megan Hasz at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown 5K race last week. Bethany Hasz clocked a 5K time of 17:17 as the runner-up in a field of 216 finishers; she was just seven seconds behind individual champion Abbey Wheeler of Providence, who won in 17:10. Megan Hasz finished in 17:21, and Patty O'Brien rounded out Minnesota's top three finishers in 43rd place overall in 18:04. The Gophers' next five runners finished within seven seconds of one another as Olivia Hummel (18:10) and Elyse Prescott (18:12) were Minnesota's fourth and fifth runners, finishing 55th and 57th, respectively. Abby Kohut-Jackson (18:13), Anastasia Korzenowski (18:17), and Jaycie Thomsen (18:17) were the next three Gophers.
Ole Miss took home the team title with 102 points ahead of runner-up Georgia Tech with 105 points. Utah (161), No. 24 Minnesota (162), and No. 27 Dartmouth (168) completed the top five teams, finishing within seven points of one another.
Gophers Climb to No. 23 in USTFCCCA Poll
The Gophers climbed one place to No. 23 in the nation according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Week Three National Coaches' Poll after opening the season at No. 24. The Big Ten Conference has six teams ranked among the nation's top 30 in No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 10 Michigan, No. 13 Penn state, No. 15 Michigan State, No. 19 Indiana, and No. 23 Minnesota, and Ohio State received three votes this week as well. There were no changes to the top-five teams in the Midwest Region Week Three rankings where Iowa State remained the top team, followed by Minnesota, Oklahoma State, South Dakota, and Northwestern. The week four national poll is set to be released Tuesday, Oct. 2.
Gophers Make Debuts
Gophers Maria Eastman and Olivia Hummel made their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this season, and redshirt freshmen Bit Klecker, Anastasia Korzenowski, Molly Roach, Sophie Schmitz, Tate Sweeney, and Jaycie Thomsen all competed in uniform for the first time in their careers at the Oz Memorial. Gopher rookies Libby Halbmaier, Taylor Krone, Becca Langer, and Courtney West have all raced unattached as well.
Gophers Celebrate Track & Field Stadium Grand Opening
The University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics celebrated a new era of track and field with the grand opening of the University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium on Monday, Sept. 17. Located in the heart of the new Athletes Village area, this facility will become synonymous with track & field excellence in the Midwest. It will not only provide a first-class experience for the Gophers, but it will also provide a wonderful venue for the state's largest amateur meets and a Minnesota option for USA Track & Field to place its marquee events in the Upper Midwest.
The University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium gives Minnesota its first opportunity in more than 15 years to host home outdoor meets, including Big Ten and NCAA competition. The facility features a nine-lane track with the Beynon 2000 surface, full-field event hosting capabilities, versatile configuration, fully enclosed, heated warm-up and cool down areas, and grandstands with the capacity to host major competitions.
Who is Back?
The Gophers return four of their seven runners from the 2017 NCAA Championship in Megan Hasz, Abby Kohut-Jackson, Bethany Hasz, and Elyse Prescott along with alternates Patty O'Brien and Zetta Mason. Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz return after earning NCAA all-region and All-Big Ten honors last season.
Who is New?
Five rookies join the Gophers this season in Libby Halbmaier (Minnetonka, Minn.), Elena Hayday (Bloomington, Minn.), Taylor Krone (Anoka, Minn.), Becca Langer (Waukesha, Wis.), and Courtney West (Dodge Center, Minn.). Junior Maria Berg (New Prague, Minn.) is another newcomer for the Maroon & Gold after she transferred to the University of Minnesota after competing for Minnesota Duluth in both cross country and track & field as a freshman during the 2016-17 season and competing in cross country during the 2017 season.
Seven redshirt freshmen are making their debuts racing in uniform for the Gophers after competing unattached last fall: Sam Baer (St. Louis Park, Minn.), Bit Klecker (Hopkins, Minn.), Anastasia Korzenowski (Chanhassen, Minn.), Molly Roach (Bloomington, Minn.), Sophie Schmitz (Willmar, Minn.), Tate Sweeney (Edina, Minn.), and Jaycie Thomsen (Maple Grove, Minn.). Redshirt sophomores Kayla Baker (Cloquet, Minn.), Maria Eastman (Victoria Minn.), and Olivia Hummel (Woodbury, Minn.) are also making their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this fall.
Six Gophers Serving as Captains
Molly Eastman, Abby Lange, Patty O'Brien, Paige Peschel, Elyse Prescott, and Kelsey Sather are leading the Gophers as captains this fall. O'Brien and Peschel return to Minnesota's leadership group as fifth-year seniors and second-year captains joined by fellow fifth-year senior Eastman. Lange and Sather are both redshirt juniors for the Gophers, and Prescott rounds out Minnesota's six captains as she enters her junior season.
Home Meets
Minnesota hosts six home meets at Les Bolstad Course this fall: Intrasquad 5K (Aug. 31), Oz Memorial Run (Sept. 7), 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 29), Jack's Twilight Run (Oct. 19), and Rocky's Run (Nov. 4).
Up Next: Three-Meet Week
Minnesota is off from competition next weekend. When the Gophers return to action, the team will split up for three meets, the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Ill., on Friday, Oct. 12 followed by NCAA Pre-Nationals in Madison, Wis., and the Tori Neubauer Invitational in La Crosse, Wis., on Saturday, Oct. 13.
###
Support Women's Cross Country
Support the University of Minnesota Women's Cross Country program. Your support helps our student-athletes succeed athletically, academically, and socially. It takes just seconds to make a monthly or one-time donation. Thank you for your support! Give Now
Follow Minnesota Women's Cross Country
2025 Griak Invitational Hype
Friday, September 19
Cinematic Recap: 2025 Oz Memorial
Tuesday, September 02
Cinematic Recap: 2024 NCAA Championships
Monday, November 25
NCAA Championship Send Off
Thursday, November 21