2016 Roy Griak XC InvitationalSep 20, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
2016 Roy Griak Invitational: Division I Preview
2016 Roy Griak Invitational: Division I Preview
UPDATE: Boise State athletics announced that No. 1 Allie Ostrander will not open up her season at Roy Griak. Our original preview is below.The 2016 Roy Gria
UPDATE: Boise State athletics announced that No. 1 Allie Ostrander will not open up her season at Roy Griak. Our original preview is below.
The 2016 Roy Griak Invitational will finally bring top-ranked cross country teams together in one of the first opportunities for NCAA squads to earn Kolas points during the season. The women's race will be a particularly high-caliber showdown between six of the Saucony Flo50's top 16 projected All-Americans and six of the top 20 ranked teams in the country.
Study up on the Division I competition below that's set to go down LIVE on FloTrack this Saturday, September 24, starting with the men's race at 12:20 p.m. CT and the women's race at 1:35 p.m. CT.
In the individual battle, No. 1-ranked Allie Ostrander will face No. 2 Erin Finn, No. 5 Rachele Schulist, No. 6 Brenna Peloquin, No. 7 Allie Buchalski, and No. 16 Alexis Wiersma over the notoriously tough Roy Griak course. In the team battle, No. 4 Michigan, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 10 Boise State, No. 17 Penn State, No. 18 Iowa State, and No. 20 San Francisco will face off in the first competitive showdown of the season.
Ostrander returns to cross country after an eighth-place finish in the 5K at the United States Olympic Trials. The outdoor personal best performance (15:24) surprised Ostrander, who was returning from an injury and only had five weeks of training under her belt. Watch the interview below:
The Boise State sophomore shocked the cross country world when she finished runner-up to Molly Seidel at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships. Now that Seidel done with her eligibility, Ostrander is the clear favorite heading into the fall.
Her biggest competitor for a NCAA title is Finn, who leads the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines this weekend. Finn also redshirted the outdoor season, but finished runner-up to Seidel in the 5K and 3K at the NCAA Indoor Championships last winter. Finn proved her resilience in a tough racing situation when she lost both shoes at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships, but still managed to finish 19th overall.
FloTrack caught up with Finn in last week's On the Run Podcast to hear about her goals for her final cross country season.
In addition to Ostrander and Finn, four more of the top 16 projected All-Americans will toe the line on Saturday.
No. 9 Michigan State's leaders, No. 5 Rachele Schulist and No. 16 Alexis Wiersma, lead a senior-heavy squad of Spartans aiming to replicate the success of the 2014 NCAA championship team. Schulist returned from injury this spring, and Wiersma stepped up to the plate in her absence last fall to earn her first All-American honor. With both returning healthy, they could combine for a dangerous duo.
Ostrander's teammate, No. 6-ranked Brenna Peloquin is returning from one of the most outstanding freshman seasons of anyone in the NCAA. She finished ninth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, and placed eighth in the 10K and 5K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to bring her All-American honors to three at just 18 years old.
No. 7 Allie Buchalski of Furman will also race. She has the potential to earn the honor of being the most improved athlete in the field. In 2014, Buchalski finished 156th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. In 2015, she returned to the championship with an impressive seventh-place finish -- her first All-American honor of her career.
With six top-ranked individuals and six ranked teams, the Division I women's race is set to begin the cross country season as a must-watch showdown.
The men's Division I race features the talent of seven Saucony Flo50-ranked teams, highlighted by the debut of the No. 10-ranked Colorado State squad. Colorado State will face No. 16 Furman, No. 19 Boise State, No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 20 Portland, No. 23 Michigan, and No. 25 Michigan State.
The Rams experienced a breakthrough last fall after some All-American performances from Jefferson Abbey and Jerrell Mock, who finished 13th and 19th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Both runners backed up their cross country breakthroughs when they recorded All-American performances on the track -- sixth in the NCAA indoor 3K for Abbey, and 14th in the NCAA indoor 5K for Mock. Abbey burst onto the scene at last year's Roy Griak with a then-surprising victory over the 8K course. Should Abbey repeat, it will no longer be a surprise. Watch last year's interview below:
Furman, Boise State, Oklahoma, Portland, Michigan and Michigan State will be out to topple the higher-ranked team and establish dominance in the Kolas points system. Along with the ranked teams, the Division I men's race will boast debuts from No. 21 Dylan LaFond of Illinois and No. 24 Joel Reichow of South Dakota State. LaFond is returning from competing in the steeplechase at the Olympic Trials, and Reichow is returning from a breakthrough 2015 cross country season that saw a 36th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Catch these college showdowns LIVE on FloTrack, starting with the men's race Saturday at 12:20 p.m. CT and the women's race at 1:35 p.m. CT. Stay tuned for a complete breakdown of the high school competition.
The 2016 Roy Griak Invitational will finally bring top-ranked cross country teams together in one of the first opportunities for NCAA squads to earn Kolas points during the season. The women's race will be a particularly high-caliber showdown between six of the Saucony Flo50's top 16 projected All-Americans and six of the top 20 ranked teams in the country.
Study up on the Division I competition below that's set to go down LIVE on FloTrack this Saturday, September 24, starting with the men's race at 12:20 p.m. CT and the women's race at 1:35 p.m. CT.
Division I Women's Race
In the individual battle, No. 1-ranked Allie Ostrander will face No. 2 Erin Finn, No. 5 Rachele Schulist, No. 6 Brenna Peloquin, No. 7 Allie Buchalski, and No. 16 Alexis Wiersma over the notoriously tough Roy Griak course. In the team battle, No. 4 Michigan, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 10 Boise State, No. 17 Penn State, No. 18 Iowa State, and No. 20 San Francisco will face off in the first competitive showdown of the season.
Ostrander returns to cross country after an eighth-place finish in the 5K at the United States Olympic Trials. The outdoor personal best performance (15:24) surprised Ostrander, who was returning from an injury and only had five weeks of training under her belt. Watch the interview below:
The Boise State sophomore shocked the cross country world when she finished runner-up to Molly Seidel at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships. Now that Seidel done with her eligibility, Ostrander is the clear favorite heading into the fall.
Her biggest competitor for a NCAA title is Finn, who leads the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines this weekend. Finn also redshirted the outdoor season, but finished runner-up to Seidel in the 5K and 3K at the NCAA Indoor Championships last winter. Finn proved her resilience in a tough racing situation when she lost both shoes at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships, but still managed to finish 19th overall.
FloTrack caught up with Finn in last week's On the Run Podcast to hear about her goals for her final cross country season.
In addition to Ostrander and Finn, four more of the top 16 projected All-Americans will toe the line on Saturday.
No. 9 Michigan State's leaders, No. 5 Rachele Schulist and No. 16 Alexis Wiersma, lead a senior-heavy squad of Spartans aiming to replicate the success of the 2014 NCAA championship team. Schulist returned from injury this spring, and Wiersma stepped up to the plate in her absence last fall to earn her first All-American honor. With both returning healthy, they could combine for a dangerous duo.
Ostrander's teammate, No. 6-ranked Brenna Peloquin is returning from one of the most outstanding freshman seasons of anyone in the NCAA. She finished ninth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, and placed eighth in the 10K and 5K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to bring her All-American honors to three at just 18 years old.
No. 7 Allie Buchalski of Furman will also race. She has the potential to earn the honor of being the most improved athlete in the field. In 2014, Buchalski finished 156th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. In 2015, she returned to the championship with an impressive seventh-place finish -- her first All-American honor of her career.
With six top-ranked individuals and six ranked teams, the Division I women's race is set to begin the cross country season as a must-watch showdown.
Division I Men's Race
The men's Division I race features the talent of seven Saucony Flo50-ranked teams, highlighted by the debut of the No. 10-ranked Colorado State squad. Colorado State will face No. 16 Furman, No. 19 Boise State, No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 20 Portland, No. 23 Michigan, and No. 25 Michigan State.
The Rams experienced a breakthrough last fall after some All-American performances from Jefferson Abbey and Jerrell Mock, who finished 13th and 19th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Both runners backed up their cross country breakthroughs when they recorded All-American performances on the track -- sixth in the NCAA indoor 3K for Abbey, and 14th in the NCAA indoor 5K for Mock. Abbey burst onto the scene at last year's Roy Griak with a then-surprising victory over the 8K course. Should Abbey repeat, it will no longer be a surprise. Watch last year's interview below:
Furman, Boise State, Oklahoma, Portland, Michigan and Michigan State will be out to topple the higher-ranked team and establish dominance in the Kolas points system. Along with the ranked teams, the Division I men's race will boast debuts from No. 21 Dylan LaFond of Illinois and No. 24 Joel Reichow of South Dakota State. LaFond is returning from competing in the steeplechase at the Olympic Trials, and Reichow is returning from a breakthrough 2015 cross country season that saw a 36th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Catch these college showdowns LIVE on FloTrack, starting with the men's race Saturday at 12:20 p.m. CT and the women's race at 1:35 p.m. CT. Stay tuned for a complete breakdown of the high school competition.