UWD Sweeps Griak Titles

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

“We came in with the goal to finish first so I am extremely happy about that,” said University of Minnesota Duluth head coach Joanna Warmington after her Bulldogs laid claim to the Roy Griak Invitational’s Maroon Division II championship Saturday morning  — UMD’s second team crown in as many tries this fall. “But at the same time, this was the first chance we got to see some of the top teams from our conference and region and it’s clear top us that there is still some work to be done.”

No. 4-ranked UMD placed four individuals among the top 20 finishers at Saturday’s race, which was held at an unseasonably warm and muggy Les Bolstad Golf Course on the University of Minnesota campus. The Bulldogs’ No. 5  wound up 36th, giving UMD a team score of 74. That was 23 points ahead of Augustana College, a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival, which took runner-up honors in the 35-team event.

All-American sophomore Samantha Rivard captured her second invidual title of the season (and of her career) with a 6,000-meter time of 22:02.8 while sophomore Breanna Colbenson was eighth (22:23.5) and freshman Emi Trost right behind at ninth (22:37.9). Junior Hannah Olson (20th; 23:25.1) and freshman McKenzie Holt (36th; 23:49.4) were the other two scorers for UMD, which also got Top 50 finishes from senior Alexandra Rudin (39th; 23:52.8) and freshman Amber Seidenkranz (42nd; 23:55.1) out of a field of 330 athletes.

The Bulldogs, who have won three of the last six Roy Griak Invitational championships (2009, 2010 and 2014) will next head to South Bend, Ind., this Friday (Oct. 3) for the University of Notre Dame Invitational.