NDSU Women to Compete Against Nation's Best at Roy Griak Invitational

FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State women's cross country team will compete in the 26th Annual Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 24 against some of the top teams in the country. The six kilometer Division I Women's Gold Race will start at 1:10 p.m. Central at the Les Bolstad Golf Course.

The Bison will be joined by 25 teams, including eight teams ranked in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll. Iowa State is the highest ranked team in the field at No. 9. Defending Griak champion Arizona is No. 10. Washington is No. 11, while Penn State is No. 18 and North Carolina State is No. 21. BYU comes in ranked 25th and Big Ten squads Michigan State and Minnesota are No. 26 and No. 30, respectively.

The Griak will be NDSU's second race of the season and first since the Oz Memorial Run on Sept. 9. Sophomore Heidi Peterson led the team at the Oz Memorial, finishing 17th in 23 minutes 40.85 seconds.

The Bison have not competed at the Roy Griak Invitational since the 2008 season. NDSU placed 13th out of 23 teams and Laura Hermanson was the team's top finisher.

Division I Women's Gold Race Competitors
No. 10 Arizona
Arizona State
Boise State
No. 25 BYU
Cal
Colorado State
Connecticut
Drake
Idaho State
No. 9 Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Long Beach State
No. 26 Michigan State
No. 30 Minnesota
No. 21 North Carolina State
North Dakota State
Northwestern
Oklahoma
No. 18 Penn State
South Carolina
South Dakota State
UNC Charlotte
Vanderbilt
No. 11 Washington
Wisconsin