FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. - Junior Reed Fischer (Minnetonka, Minn.) led the Drake University cross country teams with an 11th-place finish at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational, Saturday, Sept. 26.
The all-day cross country extravaganza, now in its 30th year, is one of the biggest meets in the country with 10 races featuring high school, Division I, II and III student-athletes.
Fischer finished 11th in the 208 runner field in the men's Gold Division 8-kilometer race with a time of 25:13.4, more than half a minute faster than his previous 8k best. His finish was just 21 seconds off the winning pace, set by Colorado State's Jefferson Abbey.
“Reed ran a smart race and placed very well in a nationally competitive field,” said Drake head coach Dan Hostager.
Griffin Jaworski (Winter Park, Fla.), a graduate transfer from Auburn, made his Drake debut with a 103rd-place finish and a time of 26:47.3.
“We were a little short-handed on the men's side,” Hostager said. “But the guys gave great efforts that will pay off in the weeks to come. It was great that Griffin was able to get in his first race as a Bulldog and there weren't many freshmen that finished ahead of Josh Yeager."
Emma Huston (Des Moines, Iowa) led the women's team again with a 43rd-place finish in the 243-runner field thanks to a 6-kilometer time of 22:36.5. Her finish was nearly a two-minute improvement on her time at the Griak Invitational last season.
“The women had some great efforts against some of the top teams in the nation,” Hostager said. “They competed well and were able to beat some regionally ranked teams. Their race fitness level is just starting to come around so we're excited about the bigger meets ahead."
Krista Maguire (Wausau, Wis.) was the second Bulldog across the line in the women's race in 136th place with a time of 23:53.3.
As a team, the men – running just five runners – finished 20th out of 23 teams with 520 points. Michigan State won the event with 74 points. The women's squad was 22nd out of 26 teams in the deep field with 562 points. Boise State cruised to the women's team title with 37 points.
2015 Roy Griak Invitational – Men's Gold Division – 8 kilometers
Drake Individual Results – 208 runners
11. Reed Fischer, 25:13.4
103. Griffin Jaworski, 26:47.3
150. Josh Yeager, 27:30.2
159. Ali Jandal, 27:42.6
180. Chris Kaminski, 28:24.7
2015 Roy Griak Invitational – Women's Gold Division – 6 kilometers
Drake Individual Results – 243 runners
43. Emma Huston, 22:36.5
136. Krista Maguire, 23:53.3
152. Taylor Scholl, 24:07.5
153. Cassie Aerts, 24:07.6
173. Bailee Cofer, 24:29.1
207. Meghan Kearney, 25:19.5
219. Laura Gann, 25:50.4
