MINNEAPOLIS – The University of minnesota cross country teams are gearing up to host the 39th Roy Griak Invitational this Friday, September 20th, at Les Bolstad Golf Course. The event will feature a competitive field and marks a key early-season test for the Gophers.
The Griak Invitational is a longstanding tradition in collegiate cross country, attracting teams from across the nation.In 2024, Minnesota‘s men’s team secured a team win at the invitational, with Gopher athletes delivering strong individual performances. Notably, James Jones finished 19th in 22:08.7, while Izzy Roemer aided Minnesota’s 18th-place team finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships with a time of 20:49.2. Roemer also holds the fastest Midwest Regional time by a Gopher at 20:18.1.
on the men’s side, redshirt freshman Mekhi Jones is looking to build on a strong 2024 season where he posted lifetime bests in the 5K (16:34.9), 8K (23:38.1), and 10K (30:12.5). He was Minnesota’s second-best finisher at the Big Ten Championships (48th) and led the Gopher lineup at the NCAA Midwest Regional, finishing 29th in the 10K.
The Minnesota women’s team enters the competition ranked No. 20 nationally by the USTFCCCA. Ali Weimer,Izzy Roemer,Isabelle Schmitz,and Nadia Phillips,all of whom finished within Minnesota’s top seven at the 2024 NCAA Championships,are returning athletes for the 2025 season.The Maroon and Gold are the sixth-highest ranked women’s team in the Big Ten.
Coach Hopkins recently discussed the upcoming invitational in interviews with DyeStat (https://www.dyestat.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=videos&video_id=435141) and the Go Gopher Podcast (https://gogopher.podbean.com/e/blood-and-guts/).
Tickets for the Roy Griak Invitational are available for purchase online at https://gophersports.evenue.net/events/GRIAK.
Following the Griak Invitational, the Gophers will split their squad to compete at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, Ill., and the UW-Eau Claire Invitational in Eau Claire, Wis., both on October 3rd.
