Oz Memorial This Afternoon

The Minnesota men's cross country team opens the 2012 season this afternoon with the Oz Memorial Run at the Les Bolstad Golf Course. The Gopher men kick off the event with a 6K race at 4:30 PM before a 6K follow-up by the Minnesota women's team at 5 PM. 

Six teams will compete in the both races-- Drake, Minnesota State, Mankato, Minnesota Duluth, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, and the Gophers. Approximately 80 runners including six Gophers are expected to compete in Minnesota's first competition of the season. 144 are expected to run the women's race.

The preliminary line-up for Minnesota men will be redshirt freshman Alex Brend, sophomore Jeffrey Cottrell, sophomore Blayne Dulian, senior Nick Hutton, redshirt freshman Christian Skaret and junior Erik Truedson. 

The Oz Memorial Run is named after Gary Osborn, the longtime Drake women's track and field and cross country coach who died in 2000. Osborn was a longtime friend of Minnesota women's head coach Gary Wilson.