Pilots Sweep Competition at Prestigious Roy Griak Invitational
Published by Portland SID on September 24th, 2016
UP Men's Cross Country Tempo Workout in Forest Park Leading Up To Griak 2016 I UP Women's Cross Country Team Training Session Ahead of Roy Griak Invitational
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. --- The University of Portland men's and women's cross country teams had tremendous races Saturday morning, taking first place convincingly in both races at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights. Minn.
"I am so glad that both teams were able to go big today," Portland men's cross country head coach Rob Conner said. "The conditions were very difficult, but our team's determination was unwavering. This was a great first step for both programs."
The No. 19-ranked Pilot men bested a field consisting of eight nationally ranked teams as Portland's five scoring runners all finished in the top 25 individually. Portland had a team score of 69 which was 28 points ahead of second place Iowa State.
The Portland women entered the meet ranked No. 30 nationally and beat out seven other ranked teams, including three top 10 teams in this week's rankings. Three Pilots finished among the top six individuals in the women's race. Portland had a dominant team score of 74, more than 50 points ahead of No. 9 Michigan State in second place.
"The team ran an amazing race, one of the best in program history," Portland women's head coach Ian Solof said. "I am so proud of this group for being tough and showing what they are capable of doing."
Junior Jeff Thies led the way for the Pilot men with a fifth place finish (25:15) in the Merrill Fischbein 8K. Sophomore Nick Hauger, and graduate transfers Tim Ball and Stephen Mulherin finished close behind in 11th (25:24), 12th (25:26), and 16 place (25:32), respectively. Freshman Caleb Webb rounded out the top 25 crossing the finish line at 25:40, while senior Timo Goehler finished just out of the top 25 with a 28th place finish in a time of 25:42. The men beat out No. 14 Boise State, No. 17 Michigan, and co-No.19 ranked Oklahoma.
On the women's side, junior Lauren LaRocco finished third overall in the Jack Johnson 6K with a time of 21:30. Senior Anne Luijten and junior Parkes Kendrick also earned top 10 finishes for the Pilots in fifth (21:57) and sixth place (21:57), respectively. Sophomore Taryn Rawlings recorded a time of 22:26 for 28th place finish and senior Anna Farello closed out the Portland scoring in 32nd place (22:33). The ranked teams that the Pilots beat out included No. 6 Boise State, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 13 Penn State, No. 20 San Francisco, No. 25 Minnesota, and No. 29 Mississippi State.
The Pilots will next be back in action at the Charles Bowles Invite in Salem, Ore. on October 1.
