The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Griak Invitational
Cross Country faces top teams in Minnesota
09.26.2014 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Longhorns head to Roy Griak Invitational
Roy Griak Invitational Homepage
AUSTIN, Texas – Coming off wins last weekend in San Antonio, the Texas men's and women's cross country teams are set to take on some of the top teams in the nation on Saturday at the Roy Griak Invitational. The Longhorns head to Minnesota this weekend for what many in the cross country world consider to be the first big weekend of the season.
This weekend features five meets with a handful of ranked teams facing each other and the Griak Invitational is one of them. Four men's teams currently ranked in the top 30 of the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll will be in competition along with seven ranked women's teams. Three of those women's teams are ranked 11th or better. More than 30 teams overall on each side will be running in Minnesota to boast the largest field by far Texas has faced this season.
"This will be our first true test in a large field," said Coach Brad Herbster. "It will be great to get in front of a national stage and see how we do in a race that is loaded with good teams."
Action is set to get underway at 9 a.m. with Division III races. The Griak Invitational will hold more than 10 races on Saturday with competition for all three NCAA Divisions as well as high school races. This weekend will be the longest races of the season for Texas with the men running 8,000 meters and the women running 6,000 on the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad Golf Course.
The Texas men enter the weekend ranked No. 24 in the latest coaches poll and No. 2 in the South Central Region. Herbster expects to see his Longhorns work as a team on Saturday and hopes to be in the hunt for another victory.
"I'm looking forward to seeing our guys go up against some other ranked teams and see if we can perform well and get a little bit more respect," Herbster said. "If we race well and show what we can do as a team, I think we will head into our next race with a lot of confidence."
The women also are coming off a win in San Antonio last week, and they look to ride that momentum into the Griak Invitational as well. Two teams ranked in the top 10 will be in the field, including Big 12 foe No. 9 Iowa State. After Sandie Raines' victorious debut as a Longhorn last week, Herbster is hoping she along with some of the team's veterans can make an impact on the field and continue building for more strong meets this season.
Fans can follow the action online with live video coverage provided by FloTrack for subscribers to the website's FloPro services. Results will be posted on the Griak Invitational page at gophersports.com following each race. Fans can also interact and follow the meet on Twitter by using the official hashtag of the meet #Griak2014.
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