ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy cross country teams head to the Land of 10,000 Lakes as Navy takes part in the 38th Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in Minneapolis, Minn. The Men's Gold (DI) 8K race begins at 11:00 a.m. ET followed by the Women's Gold (DI) 6K race at 11:45 a.m. ET.
 
The races will be live streamed via B1G+ and RunnerSpace. Fans can also follow along live at PTTiming.com.
 
Meet Participants – Men's Division I
American, Cal, Colorado State, High Point, Minnesota, Navy, North Dakota, North Dakota State, North Texas, Ohio, Ohio State, Santa Clara, South Dakota State, St. Thomas (Minn.), Utah Valley, Wyoming, Youngstown State
 
Meet Participants – Women's Division I
American, California, Colorado State (RV), Minnesota, Montana State, Navy, North Dakota, North Dakota State, North Texas, Ohio, Ohio State, San Diego State, Santa Clara, South Dakota State, St. Thomas (Minn.), No. 25 Utah Valley, Wyoming
 
Roy Griak Invitational
A cross country coaching legend and a leader at the University of Minnesota for more than five decades, Roy Griak's greatest contribution to the sport may be the competition that bears his name. The Roy Griak Invitational not only stands as one of the nation's premiere cross country meets, it also honors Coach Griak and his immeasurable contributions to the sport and the University of Minnesota. Since its beginning in 1986, the event has grown from two Division I races in its inaugural form to now boasting 10 races for Division I, Division II, Division III and high school student-athletes and programs.
 
A former letter winner for the Gophers, Griak, who passed away on July 9, 2015, served the University of Minnesota for more than 50 years as a member of the men's track & field and cross country coaching staff and remained devoted to his alma mater for his entire life.
 
Men's Duo Claims Weekly Honors
Murphy Smith and James Partlow were named Patriot League Runner and Rookie of the Week, respectively, the conference office announced on Wednesday morning. Additionally, Smith was selected as the NAAA Athlete of the Week presented by Northrop Grumman.
 
Led by Smith's second-place individual finish, the duo was both among Navy's top five runners to help lead the Midshipmen to a seventh-place team finish in the men's 5.2-mile race at the annual Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational hosted by Penn State last Friday morning at the Penn State Golf Courses.
 
Smith finished a half a second back of individual medalist Sam Lawler of Syracuse to finish second overall with a time of 24:56.0. Partlow was the top performing freshman for the Midshipmen, clocking a time of 26:17.5 to finish fifth among Navy runners.
 
Last Time Out (MEN)
Murphy Smith finished a half a second back of individual medalist Sam Lawler of Syracuse to finish second overall with a time of 24:56.0 and lead Navy to a seventh-place team finish in the men's 5.2-mile race at the annual Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational.
Jackson Nguyen (25:26.1) was second among the Midshipmen distance runners, taking 15th overall with Logan Flament (26:00.5) and Luke Nester (26:02.5) coming in third and fourth among the Mids. James Partlow (26:17.5) rounded out Navy's top five, while Owen Ahten (26:32.5) and Sean Miller (26:34.4) closed out the Mids' counters in the race.
 
Last Time Out (WOMEN)
The women's team notched a 10th-place finish in the collegiate 6K at the Spiked Shoe Invite. Alex Wercinski paced the team with a 21:38.7 in her first competition of the season.
 
Wercinski finished 55th overall in the field of 209 runners that completed the race. The senior opened the race in 129th-place through the first checkpoint, but moved up 19 spots to 110th at the 3,100m mark. Wercinski continued to climb in the standings passing 28 runners on her way to 82nd with 1,200 meters to go. She was able to pass 27 more competitors, crossing the finish line in 55th with a time of 21:38.7.
 
Olivia Lutkevich (21:41.8) and Sophie Compton (21:45.1) finished back-to-back in the 6K race. Mia-Claire Kezal (21:47.5) crossed the finish line just behind Lutkevich and Compton. Samantha Woodworth (22:06.4) and Lexi Ensor (22:06.7) finished in order to come in fifth and sixth among Navy runners. Madeline Palmisciano closed out the Mids' top seven with a time of 22:15.7.
 
Up Next
The Midshipmen will have a week off from competition before Navy returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa.