University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, September 19
Minneapolis, Minn.
10:00 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
39th Roy Griak Invitational
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Men's Cross Country
Distance
/ Women's Cross Country
Distance
/ Women's Cross Country
Distance
/ Women's Cross Country
Distance
/ Women's Cross Country
39th Roy Griak Invitational Ready for Friday
9/18/2025 11:11:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
The two-day event starts on Friday with the college competitions and ends Saturday with high school races.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Roy Griak Invitational returns for its 39th year on Friday, Sept. 19 as the University of Minnesota hosts one of the nation's elite cross country competitions at Les Bolstad Golf Course.
The two-day event begins with the Men's Gold (DI) 8K race at 10:00 a.m. CT followed by the Women's Gold (DI) 6K race at 10:45 a.m. CT. The race will be live streamed via RunnerSpace. Trevor Fulkerson and Ben Blankenship will be the primary broadcast team with post-race interviews integrated. Fans can also follow along live at Wayzata Timing.
Participating Division I Men's Teams
Cal Baptist, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Pacific, South Dakota, South Dakota State, St. Thomas and Wyoming
Participating Division I Women's Teams
Cal Baptist, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Pacific, South Dakota, South Dakota State, St. Thomas, Wyoming.
Roy Griak Invitational Friday Schedule (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)
A cross country coaching legend and a leader at the University of Minnesota for more than five decades, Roy Griak's greatest contribution to the sport may be the competition that bears his name. The Roy Griak Invitational not only stands as one of the nation's premiere cross country meets, it also honors Coach Griak and his immeasurable contributions to the sport and the University of Minnesota. Since its beginning in 1986, the event has grown from two Division I races in its inaugural form to now boasting 10 races for Division I, Division II, Division III and high school student-athletes and programs.
A former letter winner for the Gophers, Griak, who passed away on July 9, 2015, served the University of Minnesota for more than 50 years as a member of the men's track & field and cross country coaching staff and remained devoted to his alma mater for his entire life.
ROEMER, JONES NAMED BIG TEN RUNNERS TO WATCH
Redshirt junior Izzy Roemer and redshirt sophomore Aidan Jones were named the cross country team's Runners to Watch by the Big Ten, the conference office announced on August 20.
Roemer, a Chanhassen, Minn. native, returns after a stellar 2024 cross country campaign where she was named All-Midwest Region and put down the 15th-fastest 6K time in school history (20:10.5) at the Big Ten Championships. Roemer's time at Big Tens went down as the fifth-fastest by a Gopher at the conference meet and also put down the seventh-fastest Midwest Regional time by a Gopher at 20:18.1. In 2024 Roemer also aided Minnesota's 18th-place team finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships (149th overall, 20:49.2) as well as a team win at the 2024 Roy Griak Invitational (19th, 22:08.7).
Out of Minneapolis, Jones had a strong start to his Gopher career as a redshirt freshman in 2024 and looks to build on that in his third year at the 'U'. In cross country last season Jones posted lifetime bests in the 5K (16:34.9), 8K (23:38.1) and 10K (30:12.5). Jones came on late last season and excelled at the Big Ten Championships (8K) where he was Minnesota's second-best finisher in 48th and followed that performance with a 29th-place finish in his first NCAA Midwest Regional (10K), which was first among the Gopher lineup.
WOMEN REMAIN IN NATION'S TOP 20
The University of Minnesota women's cross country team stands as the No. 20 ranked team in the country by the USTFCCCA. Ali Weimer, Izzy Roemer, Isabelle Schmitz and Nadia Phillips all finished inside Minnesota's top seven at the 2024 NCAA Championships and returned to the roster in 2025.
Among Big Ten teams the Maroon and Gold are the sixth-highest ranked women's team in the first USTFCCCA rankings.
COACH HOPKINS PRE-MEET INTERVIEWS
Coach Hopkins met with various members of the media to discuss the upcoming Roy Griak Invitational.
DYE STAT INTERVIEW
GO GOPHER PODCAST
GRIAK TICKETS ON SALE
Skip the wait on race day and purchase tickets for the Roy Griak Invitational online at GopherSports.com. General admission tickets can be purchased online and at the entrance gate on race day.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & Gold will send a majority of the squad to the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, Ill., on October 3. Another portion of the team will compete at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational in Eau Claire, Wis., which is also held on October 3.
The two-day event begins with the Men's Gold (DI) 8K race at 10:00 a.m. CT followed by the Women's Gold (DI) 6K race at 10:45 a.m. CT. The race will be live streamed via RunnerSpace. Trevor Fulkerson and Ben Blankenship will be the primary broadcast team with post-race interviews integrated. Fans can also follow along live at Wayzata Timing.
Participating Division I Men's Teams
Cal Baptist, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Pacific, South Dakota, South Dakota State, St. Thomas and Wyoming
Participating Division I Women's Teams
Cal Baptist, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Pacific, South Dakota, South Dakota State, St. Thomas, Wyoming.
Roy Griak Invitational Friday Schedule (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)
- 10:00 AM - Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold (Division I) Competition
10:45 AM - Jack Johnson Women's Gold (Division I) Competition
11:30 AM - Jo Rider Men's Maroon Race (Division II & III) Competition
12:15 PM - Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon Race (Division II & III) Competition
- 9:00 AM - Lefty Wright Boys Maroon Competition
- 9:45 AM - High School Girls Maroon Competition
- 10:30 AM – High School Boys Championship Race
- 11:15 AM – High School Girls Championship Race
- 12:00 PM – High School Boys Gopher Competition
- 12:45 PM – High School Girls Gopher Competition
- 1:30 PM - Larry Zirgibel Boy's Gold Competition
- 2:15 PM - Gary Wilson Girls Gold Competition
A cross country coaching legend and a leader at the University of Minnesota for more than five decades, Roy Griak's greatest contribution to the sport may be the competition that bears his name. The Roy Griak Invitational not only stands as one of the nation's premiere cross country meets, it also honors Coach Griak and his immeasurable contributions to the sport and the University of Minnesota. Since its beginning in 1986, the event has grown from two Division I races in its inaugural form to now boasting 10 races for Division I, Division II, Division III and high school student-athletes and programs.
A former letter winner for the Gophers, Griak, who passed away on July 9, 2015, served the University of Minnesota for more than 50 years as a member of the men's track & field and cross country coaching staff and remained devoted to his alma mater for his entire life.
ROEMER, JONES NAMED BIG TEN RUNNERS TO WATCH
Redshirt junior Izzy Roemer and redshirt sophomore Aidan Jones were named the cross country team's Runners to Watch by the Big Ten, the conference office announced on August 20.
Roemer, a Chanhassen, Minn. native, returns after a stellar 2024 cross country campaign where she was named All-Midwest Region and put down the 15th-fastest 6K time in school history (20:10.5) at the Big Ten Championships. Roemer's time at Big Tens went down as the fifth-fastest by a Gopher at the conference meet and also put down the seventh-fastest Midwest Regional time by a Gopher at 20:18.1. In 2024 Roemer also aided Minnesota's 18th-place team finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships (149th overall, 20:49.2) as well as a team win at the 2024 Roy Griak Invitational (19th, 22:08.7).
Out of Minneapolis, Jones had a strong start to his Gopher career as a redshirt freshman in 2024 and looks to build on that in his third year at the 'U'. In cross country last season Jones posted lifetime bests in the 5K (16:34.9), 8K (23:38.1) and 10K (30:12.5). Jones came on late last season and excelled at the Big Ten Championships (8K) where he was Minnesota's second-best finisher in 48th and followed that performance with a 29th-place finish in his first NCAA Midwest Regional (10K), which was first among the Gopher lineup.
WOMEN REMAIN IN NATION'S TOP 20
The University of Minnesota women's cross country team stands as the No. 20 ranked team in the country by the USTFCCCA. Ali Weimer, Izzy Roemer, Isabelle Schmitz and Nadia Phillips all finished inside Minnesota's top seven at the 2024 NCAA Championships and returned to the roster in 2025.
Among Big Ten teams the Maroon and Gold are the sixth-highest ranked women's team in the first USTFCCCA rankings.
COACH HOPKINS PRE-MEET INTERVIEWS
Coach Hopkins met with various members of the media to discuss the upcoming Roy Griak Invitational.
DYE STAT INTERVIEW
GO GOPHER PODCAST
GRIAK TICKETS ON SALE
Skip the wait on race day and purchase tickets for the Roy Griak Invitational online at GopherSports.com. General admission tickets can be purchased online and at the entrance gate on race day.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & Gold will send a majority of the squad to the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, Ill., on October 3. Another portion of the team will compete at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational in Eau Claire, Wis., which is also held on October 3.
Cinematic Recap: 2024 NCAA Regional
Sunday, November 17
Oz Memorial Highlights
Sunday, September 01
Big Ten Championship Highlights
Tuesday, November 07
Griak Invite Course Tour
Friday, September 22