ST. PAUL, Minn. - The CSP men's and women's cross-country teams are preparing to compete in the Roy Griak Invitational on Friday. The men's 8K race will begin at 11:30 a.m. and the women's 6K race is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. at Les Bolstad Golf Course on the campus of the University of Minnesota. 

This will be the team's only meet of the season in the Twin Cities metro area. The Golden Bears last competed two weeks ago at the Augie Twilight. 

MEET INFO

The Roy Griak Invitational is named after the legendary Minnesota men's cross-country coach who led the team from 1963-1996. 2014 marked the 51st year of service that Roy Griak gave to the team before he passed away in 2015. 

The Jo Rider Men's Maroon 8K Race and the Suzy Wilson Women's 6K Race will each feature Division II and III competition. Division I competition starts at 10 a.m., and high school competition will follow CSP's races in the afternoon. The course features many rolling hills and grassy terrains. Fans can find information about parking, tickets, and the live broadcast in the meet information link above.

LAST SEASON

Last season, the men's cross-country team placed 18th out of 32 teams at Roy Griak. Emmett Faltesek was CSP's top runner at the race placing 67th out of 460 runners with a time of 27:10.3, which was the 10th fastest time by a CSP runner at the course. 

Matt Krummel finished 75th improving by 15.8 seconds from the year before. Matthew Helser placed 101st with a time of 27:31.2. Indiana Wesleyan won the race and Augustana was the top NSIC team as they placed fourth. 

The Concordia women finished 33rd out of 37 teams. Madison Bryant led the team placing 201st out of 391 runners running a time of 26:09.6 in the 6K race. Anna Sajdak placed 237th with a time of 25:40.1 and Tess Houglum placed 249th at 26:55.4. 

Augustana won the team race and was followed by UMary in second place. Concordia finished one spot behind Jamestown in last season's race. 

LAST TIME OUT

The Golden Bears competed under the lights on Friday, Sept. 6 at the Augie Twilight. The men placed 13th out of 30 teams and the women placed 18th out of 20 teams. 

Will Sacay led the men's squad placing 42nd with a time of 19:37.24 in the four-mile race, which was the second-fastest time in school history. Faltesek wasn't far behind in 44th with a time of 19:38.81, the third-fastest time in school history.

Matt Krummel placed 67th with the fifth-fastest four-mile race in school history at 20:04.80. Andrew Alexander finished 107th with the eighth-fastest four-mile race in school history. Josh Krummel placed 134th with a time of 20:47.94.

Bryant led the women placing 104th with a time of 19:52.96 in the 5K race. This was the third-fastest time by a CSP runner at Yankton Trails. Sajdak was close behind with a time of 20:00.28, which was a 70.78-second improvement from 2023. 

Kelsey Thelen placed 138th with a time of 20:22.38, a 2:48.12 improvement from 2023. Nyadio Chan placed 158th with a time of 20:38.11 and Tess Houglum took 194th with a time of 21:33.87.

Every runner on both teams posted a personal best time. The time split between the first runner and the fifth runner was the best ever for CSP at the Augie Twilight. 

The Golden Bear men finished ahead of other NSIC competition in Wayne State, Minnesota Crookston and Southwest Minnesota State. Augustana was the highest NSIC team placing fourth. On the women's side, Augustana took third place for the highest NSIC finish.