The 28th annual Roy Griak Invitational highlights the 2013 Minnesota men’s cross country schedule as the Gophers celebrate the legendary coach’s 50th year of service to the athletic department this fall.
Griak, who led Minnesota to three Big Ten cross country titles, served as head coach of the Minnesota men’s cross country from 1963-1996 before handing over the reins to current Director of Men’s Track and Field and Cross Country Steve Plasencia. Griak has remained on staff as an administrative assistant since then while Plasencia is entering his 18th season at the helm of the cross country program.
After opening the season on Sept. 6 with the Oz Memorial in the Twin Cities, the Gophers will look to repeat as team champions at the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 28. The eight-kilometer race, ran at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn., annually features some of the top men’s and women’s cross country teams in the nation. Minnesota celebrated its first-ever team championship at the Griak in 2012 as the Gophers listed five runners in the top 20.
Minnesota follows up the home schedule with a pair of meets on Oct. 19 – a pre-nationals meet in Terre Haute, Ind., and the Jim Drews Invitational in West Salem, Wis.
The 2013 Big Ten Championships will be hosted by Purdue in West Lafayette on Nov. 3 when the Gophers will look to improve on their fifth-place finish a year ago. Minnesota wraps up the regular-season schedule on Nov. 8 at the Fall Finale in Collegeville, Minn.
Iowa State hosts this year’s NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 15 in Ames with the 2013 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship set for Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind. Minnesota has earned the right to compete at the NCAA championship 14 times in Plasencia’s 17-year tenure.
Schedule subject to change.
Women's
The Golden Gopher women's cross country team 2013 schedule includes five home meets. Minnesota will look to extend its streak of eight consecutive NCAA Championships appearances.
The Gophers will kick off their season with an intrasquad meet at Les Bolstad Golf Course (Falcon Heights, Minn.) on Aug. 30 after they return from training camp. The next week, on Sept. 6, Minnesota will host the Oz Memorial in memory of longtime Drake coach Gary Osborn.
The 28th edition of the Roy Griak Invitational, one of the largest one-day meets in the country, will take place Saturday, Sept. 28. The women's Division I race starts at 12:20 p.m.
Minnesota will split the squad on Oct. 4 for the UW-Eau Claire Blugold Invite and South Dakota State Invite, and on Oct. 19 for the Wisconsin Adidas Invite and UW-La Crosse's Tori Neubauer Invite.
The Gophers will host Jack's Twilight Run on Oct. 28 in memory of equipment manager Jack Johnson. The race is open to the public and raises money for charitable causes.
This year's Big Ten Championships host is Purdue. The conference meet takes place Nov. 3.
Minnesota's final home meet of the fall, Rocky's Run, is set for Nov. 10. The open race honors the memory of former Gopher runner Rochelle "Rocky" Racette and raises money for a scholarship in her name.
Minnesota will travel to Ames, Iowa, for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 16, when they will try to earn a trip to Terre Haute, Ind., for the NCAA Championships (Nov. 23).
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