Cross country looks to compete at Roy Griak Invitational
A challenge awaits the Central Michigan men’s and women’s cross country teams this weekend.
The 25th annual Roy Griak Invitational, scheduled for today in Minneapolis, Minn., has been known to host some of the top programs in the country, giving CMU an opportunity to benefit while running against some stiff competition.
The women will run a 6k race at 1:10 p.m., while the men will be compete in an 8k at 12:20 p.m.
There will be 28 other teams competing in the invitational.
Willie Randolph, CMU director of cross country/track and field, said the strategy for the invitational is to make sure the team runs much better as a pack.
“We have to go against the best to be the best,” he said. “We have been trying to get them to make a name for themselves.”
During the week, as the team prepared for the meet, Randolph stressed the need for both teams to understand one another and stay aggressive in their running styles.
The meet marks the first time this season where the top seven runners will compete for the men and women’s teams.
The men’s team is comprised of Cory Arnold, Jason Drudge, Zach Tranter, Chris Pankow, Nathan Huff, Chris Lotz and Jeremy Kiley.
Running for the women are Raeanne Lohner, Krista Parks, Danielle Dakroub, Kylee Kubacki, Holly Anderson, Sarah Squires and Brittany Dixon.
Anderson said the women have been working more as a team of late and looks at the meet as a challenge. “(We’re looking to) get some good experience against some bigger teams,” Anderson said.
Some of the teams competing alongside CMU in the women’s gold race include Duke, Minnesota, Penn State, Baylor and New Mexico.
“It’s all about confidence,” said junior Wade Buchs. “ To prepare, it’s all about knowing that you can compete and having trust in your training.”
Two freshmen, including Huff and Parks, have also proved their worth and will get their chance to compete in the meet.
