MARQUETTE, Mich. After competing in the Phoenix Open, the Northern Michigan cross country team will travel this weekend to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to compete in the Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota. The race is set to start at 1:15 p.m. ET on Friday, September 19th.
The Wildcats have now cracked the Midwest's top-10, ranking 10th in the latest edition of the USTFCCCA Regional Rankings.
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Follow @NMU_Track_Field and @NMU_Wildcats on X for updates leading up to and during the race.
Friday, September 19th- at Roy Griak Invitational at 1:15 p.m. ET
Live Results
Last Time Out
It was quite the strong start to the season for the Northern Michigan cross country team, as they finished in second place at the Phoenix Open hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on September 6.
The Wildcats were well-represented in the top-10 with two finishers. Senior
Madi Szymanski led the way with a time of 22:14.8, finishing in 5th place. Not far behind, in her first collegiate race, was freshman
Ashley Choponis, finishing in 7th with an impressive debut time of 22:31.8.
Just outside the top-10 were
Lamar Gordon crossing at 22:39.5 in 11th and
Sophia Potter right behind her in 12th, crossing the finish line at 22:45.0.
NMU had seven additional runners in the top 60 who all finished under 24 minutes. Overall, it was a strong team effort that led NMU to an impressive finish in its first invitational of the year. NMU finished just behind the invitational winner, St. Thomas.
Important to note, it was
Madi Szymanski's first race back from her season-ending injury last season. Coach Ryan mentioned how excited she was for Madi to be back and start the season on the right foot.
Previously at the Roy Griak Invitational:
NMU participated in the Roy Griak Invitational in 2024 and finished 8th out of 24 teams in a tournament of over 300 runners.
NMU had 4 runners in the top 50. They were led by
Madi Szymanski with a time of 23:41.0 to take 20th place. Trailing close behind Szymanski was sophomore
Dani Van Lente, who placed 26th with a time of 24:00.5.
Lamar Gordon also cracked the top-50 with a time of 24:29.9.
Augustana ended up winning the tournament, with the University of Mary finishing as runners-up.
A Word from Jenny Ryan
"And then that group that was behind her (
Madi Szymanski) has moved up, which is really great. We have a couple of freshmen who are right in the mix too, which is also exciting. We have a few freshmen, a few juniors, and a few sophomores who are all right in there competing.
