dsu athletics news
dsu athletics pages
DSU runners compete in annual Roy Griak meet Saturday morning
September 22, 2011
THIS WEEK: Dakota State travels to Minneapolis, Minn. Saturday for the 26th annual Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota. The women's race gets started at 9:30 a.m. with the men's start at approximately 11:20 a.m.
ROY GRIAK MEET: Annually, the Roy Griak event draws runners from all levels - from high school to NCAA Division I. The women's will run 6,000-meters, while men's race consists of 8,000-meters course. The Roy Griak Invitational will be expecting more 1,000 runners this weekend.
TROJANS IN LAST YEAR'S ROY GRIAK: DSU men's placed 11th as a team out of 28 teams with 326 points. Andy Coy placed 28th in 26 minutes and 34.6 seconds. Matt Fideler ran a time of 26:37.4 for a 31st place finish. The Trojan women's had three runners competed in the meet last year. Stephanie Warnke was 52nd in 25:24.8.
LAST TIME OUT: Dakota State men's team defended its annual home meet last Saturday. The Trojans tied for first place with the University of Sioux Falls with 33 points. DSU placed four men's runners in the top 15, led by Matt Fideler with a second place finish with a time of 26:22. Michael Hoffman placed fourth in 26:55. Nic Penning was ninth (27:53), Kace Groff 14th (28:57), John Bintliff 19th (29:21) and Jacob Cassutt 20th (29:49). The Trojan women's team placed third with 75 points. Stephanie Warnke captured a third-place finish in 19:19. Claire Beck finished 20th (23:16), Paula Kapperman 21st (23:41), Sara Schultz 23rd (23:46), Amber Wiebenga 24th (24:03) and Summer Bronson 26th (24:46).
INDEPENDENT RANKINGS: DSU men's team ranks third in the weekly independent's rankings. The Trojans women's team ranks fifth.
COACHES' CORNER: Buzz Stevenson returns back to head cross country coach this fall. He has been involved in sports since his high school days in Ipswich, S.D. and has been a coach and teacher for 45 years. While at DSU, Stevenson has garnered 14 South Dakota-Iowa Conference Coach of the Year titles and two NAIA Great Plains Athletic Region Cross Country Coach of the Year awards. Stevenson has accumulated 14 SDIC championships and his athletes have produced 57 All-American honors. Anthony Drealan is in his first year as an assistant coach in cross country. He competed for the Trojans cross country and track teams. He holds numerous school records and was a two-time NAIA All-American athlete. Drealan also helped DSU win its first-ever Dakota Athletic Conference championship in cross country during the fall of 2009.
WHO'S RUNNING: Buzz Stevenson will run the athletes listed below on Saturday:
Men Women
John Bintliff Sara Schultz
Jacob Cassutt Stephanie Warnke
Andy Coy Amber Wiebenga
Matt Fideler
Kace Groff
Michael Hoffman
Nic Penning
Josh Scott
UP NEXT: Dakota State will take a week off before returning back to action on Saturday, Oct. 8. The Trojans compete in the Briar Cliff Invitational in McCook Lake, S.D. The women's race starts at 10 a.m. with the men's race to follow at 10:45 a.m.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
