Jacks' XC Added PR's Competing in Roy Griak

Saturday, September 29

Minneapolis, MN

11 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Roy Griak Invitational

Photo by: Dennis Hubbard

9/29/2018 2:46:00 PM | Cross Country, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Performance List: MXC 2018 Performance List: WXC 2018 Results: Men 8k Gold (DI)Results: Women 6k Gold (DI)

A total of seven PR's among Jackrabbits led to a four-place finish for the men and a ninth-place finish for the women

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. - The South Dakota State cross country teams added numerous Roy Griak personal-best marks that led to the men placing fourth (132 points) and the women finishing ninth (196 points) on the tough Les Bolstad Golf Course.

MEN
The men finished ahead of all Summit League competition (10th - NDSU, 12th - USD, 14th - UND, 15th - WIU) and beat regionally ranked Montana State (Mountain Region: No. 12) by having five Jackrabbits in the top 45 out of 152 total runners.

Junior Chase Cayo was the first Jack, and Summit League runner across the finish line in Falcon Heights, Minn. (14th, 25:01.1). The St. Michael, Minn. native, added a Griak PR in his first race of the season, which is better than his 2017 mark by 30.9 seconds (his 2017 mark was the fastest mark among active SDSU runners).

Sophomore Micah Mather was just 4.9 seconds behind Cayo for an 17th-place finish (25:06.0), which trims his 8k personal-best mark by 30.7 seconds (previously set in the 2018 Woody Greeno Invite). It's his second 8k PR reset of the season while trimming his place-finish of 55th in last year's meet to a top 20 finish. He edged out Minnesota's Jack Manderscheid by 0.1 seconds to make the finish.

Senior Kyle Burdick also notched his first race mark of the season at the Griak (22nd, 25:10.9), trimming his best at the meet by 42.3 seconds and tying his best place-finish of 22nd overall (was 22nd in the 2017 meet).

Sophomore Gabe Peters was the fourth Jackrabbit to cross the line on Saturday, recording 38th overall (25:35.8) and a Griak personal-best mark.

Freshmen Joseph Minor-Williams (T-44th, 25:41.0), Thomas Breuckman (57th, 25:58.3), and Ben Olson (81st, 26:27.1) added 8k personal-best marks in their first Roy Griak competition in a Jackrabbit uniform. All three of them trimmed their Woody Greeno Invite marks by - one minute (Minor-Williams), 59.3 seconds (Breuckman) and 16 seconds (Olson).

Redshirt freshmen Michael Schwinghamer (70th, 26:13.7) and Alexander Auch (104th, 26:49.5), along with sophomore Evan Fick (26:30.9), notched their first Roy Griak marks in their second year on the team.

Juniors Lukas Nelson (60th, 26:03.0), Sam Ivanecky (91st, 26:36.9) and Chandler Klawitter (105th, 26:51.2), along with sophomore Jacob Wilts (119th, 27:21.1) all recorded season-best marks in the 8k on the early season. Ivanecky, Klawitter, and Wilts notched Griak personal-best marks as well.

WOMEN
As for the women, the team beat Midwest regionally ranked Northern Iowa (No. 9, 10th place - 256 points) and Summit League foes - North Dakota (11th - 290) and Western Illinois (13th - 379) to grab ninth overall (196).

Senior Rachel King led the Jackrabbit squad for the second meet in a row - notching a season-best and a Griak personal-best, being the second Summit League runner to cross the finish line (ninth, 21:41.7). She beat her Woody Greeno Invite 6k mark by 18.7 seconds and her Griak previous-best by 1:49.2 minutes. The St. Michael, Minn. native also beat Emily Donnay's mark from 2015 (22:51.3) to have the fastest mark among active Jackrabbits at the Griak.

Junior Emily Donnay recorded a 30th-place finish (22:17.1) behind King to record her best at the Griak - beating her 2015 mark by 34.2 seconds. It is her best 6k of the season, beating the Woody Greeno mark by 24.1 seconds.

Sophomore Anna Donnay was right behind her older sister to be the third Jackrabbit across the line for a 46th-place finish (22:32.2) - adding both a season-best (by three seconds) and personal-best at the Griak (by 1:03.6).

Seniors Mackenzie Schell (67th, 23:01.1) and Emily Berzonsky (82nd, 23:23.1) notched Griak-bests with Berzonsky also topping her Woody Greeno Invite mark for a new season-best mark.

Junior Anna Fasen notched her second PR reset in the 6k by getting under 24 minutes for the first time in her career (86th, 23:27.3). She knocked off 37 seconds from the Woody Greeno and 54.2 seconds off her previous-best set in 2016.

Juniors Jamie Schweiss (92nd, 23:35.0) and Emma Nelson (110th, 24:04.4) notched season-best marks in the 6k while also resetting their Griak personal-best marks. Junior Kendra Dykstra (112th, 24:10.2) also notched a Griak best.

Freshmen Ellie Friesen (75th, 23:12.1), Bailey Dergan (141st, 25:26.7), Jessica Christoffer (25:26.9), Elise Emmick (143rd, 25:31.6), and Tori Glazier (144th, 25:34.2) all notched their first marks at the Les Bolstad Golf Course as Jackrabbits. Christoffer and Emmick notched personal-best marks in the 6k, beating their Woody Greeno marks.

UP NEXT
The team will have a weekend off (Oct. 6) before some of the Jackrabbits travel to Verona, Wis. to compete on the 2018 NCAA Championship site at the Pre-National Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin, while another group will travel to Grand Forks, N.D. to compete at North Dakota's Ron Pynn Classic on Hobo Day weekend (Oct. 13).

It is the second consecutive year that the South Dakota State cross country teams will split like this on Hobo Day weekend.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the South Dakota State cross country teams, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksTFXC) and Instagram (@GoJacksTFXC), and like us on Facebook (/GoJacksTFXC).

?? Micah Mather with the FINISH! #GoJacks | #Griak2018 https://t.co/HV4ropzi4F
— SDSU Track/XC (@GoJacksTFXC) September 30, 2018

- Mather edging out Minnesota's runner for the 17th-place finish and notching a personal-best mark.

INDIVIDUAL JACKRABBIT RESULTS
MEN: 4TH (132) - Four PR's
14. Cayo, Chase (25:01.1) - Griak PR
17. Mather, Micah (25:06.0) - PR
22. Burdick, Kyle (25:10.9) - Griak PR
38. Peters, Gabe (25:35.8) - Griak PR
T-44. Minor-Williams, Joseph (25:41.0) - PR
57. Breuckman, Thomas (25:58.3) - PR
60. Nelson, Lukas (26:03.0) - SB
70. Schwinghamer, Michael (26:13.7) - First Griak
81. Olson, Ben (26:27.1) - PR
83. Fick, Evan (26:30.9) - First Griak
91. Ivanecky, Sam (26:36.9) - SB, Griak PR
104. Auch, Alexander (26:49.5) - First Griak
105. Klawitter, Chandler (26:51.2) - SB, Griak PR
119. Wilts, Jacob (27:21.1) - SB, Griak PR
151. Munsterman, Ray (29:58.1)

WOMEN 9TH (196) - Three PR's
9. King, Rachel (21:41.7) - SB, Griak PR
30. Donnay, Emily (22:17.1) - SB, Griak PR
46. Donnay, Anna (22:32.2) - SB, Griak PR
67. Schell, Mackenzie (23:01.1) - Griak PR
75. Friesen, Ellie (23:12.1) - First Griak
82. Berzonsky, Emily (23:23.1) - SB, Griak PR
86. Fasen, Anna (23:27.3) - PR
92. Schweiss, Jamie (23:35.0) - SB, Griak PR
110. Nelson, Emma (24:04.4) - SB, Griak PR
112. Dykstra, Kendra (24:10.2) - Griak PR
141. Dergan, Bailey (25:26.7) - First Griak
142. Christoffer, Jessica (25:26.9) - First Griak, PR
143. Emmick, Elise (25:31.6) - First Griak, PR
144. Glazier, Tori (25:34.2) - First Griak

-GoJacks.com-