Friday, September 24
St. Paul, MN
University of Tennessee
at
Roy Griak Invitational
Cross Country Preview: 35th Roy Griak Invitational
September 23, 2021 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee cross country teams are back in action this weekend, traveling to St. Paul, Minnesota, for the 35th Roy Griak Invitational, hosted by Minnesota.
The meet begins Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET with the Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold race, followed by the Jack Johnson Women's Gold competition. The meet will be run at the Les Bolstad Golf Course with the men running an 8K and the women running a 6K.
WHO'S RUNNING
Tennessee will field a squad of 10 men and eight women for the respective races. See below for a breakdown of Tennessee's entries.
Men's 8K – 11:30 a.m. ET
Women's 6K – 12:15 p.m. ET
COMPETITION
Men's Programs
BYU, Georgia Tech, Grand Canyon, Illinois-Chicago, Iowa State, Liberty, Michigan State, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Pepperdine, Portland State, Santa Clara, South Dakota, South Dakota State, St. Thomas, Tennessee, UC San Diego, Wyoming.
Women's Programs
Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Illinois-Chicago, Iowa State, Liberty, Michigan State, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Pepperdine, Portland State, Santa Clara, South Dakota, South Dakota State, St. Thomas, Tennessee, UC San Diego, Wyoming.
RANKED OPPONENTS
Six nationally ranked teams will take part in the Roy Griak Invitational Friday, including the 10th-ranked host Minnesota women. Also, in the women's race, the Lady Vols will face off against No. 6 Michigan State and No. 30 Iowa State. The men's race boasts No. 3 BYU, No. 10 Iowa State and No. 26 Michigan State.
ABOUT ROY GRIAK
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 eight 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.
UP NEXT
Tennessee's next competition comes Oct. 15 at the Florida State Invitational / Pre-Nationals meet. That will be UT's final regular season race before the SEC Championships on Oct. 29.
The meet begins Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET with the Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold race, followed by the Jack Johnson Women's Gold competition. The meet will be run at the Les Bolstad Golf Course with the men running an 8K and the women running a 6K.
WHO'S RUNNING
Tennessee will field a squad of 10 men and eight women for the respective races. See below for a breakdown of Tennessee's entries.
Men's 8K – 11:30 a.m. ET
- Fuji Anday
- Canaan Anderson
- Riley Buchholz
- Alex Crigger
- Will Cronin
- Tom Gardiner
- Conner Hawkins
- Eli Nahom
- Tim Thacker
- Karl Thiessen
Women's 6K – 12:15 p.m. ET
- Brooke Dixon
- Jasmine Fehr
- Kayla Gholar
- Olivia Janke
- Sydney Seymour
- Rachel Sutliff
- Katie Thronson
- Callie Tucker
COMPETITION
Men's Programs
BYU, Georgia Tech, Grand Canyon, Illinois-Chicago, Iowa State, Liberty, Michigan State, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Pepperdine, Portland State, Santa Clara, South Dakota, South Dakota State, St. Thomas, Tennessee, UC San Diego, Wyoming.
Women's Programs
Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Illinois-Chicago, Iowa State, Liberty, Michigan State, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Pepperdine, Portland State, Santa Clara, South Dakota, South Dakota State, St. Thomas, Tennessee, UC San Diego, Wyoming.
RANKED OPPONENTS
Six nationally ranked teams will take part in the Roy Griak Invitational Friday, including the 10th-ranked host Minnesota women. Also, in the women's race, the Lady Vols will face off against No. 6 Michigan State and No. 30 Iowa State. The men's race boasts No. 3 BYU, No. 10 Iowa State and No. 26 Michigan State.
ABOUT ROY GRIAK
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 eight 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.
UP NEXT
Tennessee's next competition comes Oct. 15 at the Florida State Invitational / Pre-Nationals meet. That will be UT's final regular season race before the SEC Championships on Oct. 29.
Players Mentioned
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