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PREDICTIONS & PREVIEWS: 2023 Griak Invitational

  • Writer: Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
    Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
  • Sep 21, 2023
  • 7 min read

Updated: Sep 22, 2023


While we put the finishing touches on our Virginia Invitational preview, we wanted to bring you a separate meet preview for tomorrow!


The Griak Invitational is often one of the better September-time cross country meets in the NCAA each and every year. And while the fields aren't usually loaded with elite programs, there are still a handful of talented teams that are expected to provide great matchups.


Below, we previewed all four collegiate races and offered our predictions for each of those contests as well. Let's begin, shall we?

Women's Gold Race Preview

The women's "Gold" race at the Griak Invitational isn't expected to be as star-studded as a few other meets, but there should still be a handful of great matchups to watch.


In my eyes, I can realistically see California Baptist, Colorado State and New Mexico all contending for the win this weekend. Yes, despite losing a mass number of top stars, the Lobos should be able to remain in contention. Part of that is because they brought in a handful of top Bradley transfers and retained a low-stick ace in Emma Heckel.


However, it's the California Baptist and Colorado State women who are probably favored for the win more heavily than New Mexico. And funny enough, both of those teams have very similar lineup structures...or at least, we think they do.


The Lancers and the Rams boast very solid upfront scoring options. The former has steeplechase star Greta Karinauskaite as well as lead scorer Yasna Petrova. The latter has two recent breakout distance talents in Sarah Carter and Yasmine Austridge.


Unfortunately for the Rams, they won't have 10k ace Annabel Stafford in their lineup tomorrow, leaving them with a greater need for low-stick scoring.


Admittedly, those two duos don't seem to be dramatically better or worse than each other, although CBU may have a slight edge. But in order to truly differentiate themselves, these teams will need to rely on the backend portions of their lineups to secure the overall victory.


For CBU, that means banking on women like Emilia Mikszuta, Carlota Rodes, Maja Dzialoszewska and Grace McLaughlin. For Colorado State, that means rallying around Emily Chaston, Lauren Neugeboren, Quinn McConnell and Anna Petr.


And yet again, I don't think that those two backend groups are that far apart from each other. In my eyes, McLaughlin (disclaimer: she writes for TSR) and Neugeboren are the two key x-factors who could swing this race in their team's favor.


I expect a very tight battle for the win if these teams are at full strength.


As for New Mexico, they could absolutely win this race. Having a true low-stick in Emma Heckel is huge. However, this team will almost definitely need their 2-3-4-5 runners to race as a pack and limit any backend gaps.


The combination of Nicola Jansen, Tyler Schwartz, Peyton Schieppe and Sarah Eckel theoretically give the Lobos a complete top-five. And if that group is able to replicate their postseason efforts from last fall on Friday, then an upset win is possible, although may not as probable as it is for the above two teams.


Keep an eye out for Boise State. They have a true low-stick and better depth than you'd think. The Utah women, meanwhile, are going to be in a bit of rebuild this fall. They do have a few decent returners and transfers this fall, but we're not 100% sure if Lindsey Peters will be eligible to race over the next few months due to NCAA transfer rules.


Women's Gold Race Predictions


Teams

  1. California Baptist Lancers

  2. New Mexico Lobos

  3. Colorado State Rams

  4. Boise State Broncos

  5. Utah Utes


Individuals

  1. Greta Karinauskaite (California Baptist)

  2. Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

  3. Sarah Carter (Colorado State)

  4. Emma Heckel (New Mexico)

  5. Yasmin Marghini (Boise State)

  6. Yasna Petrova (California Baptist)

  7. Peyton Schieppe (New Mexico)

  8. Grace McLaughlin (California Baptist)

  9. Clara Mayfield (Utah)

  10. Yasmin Austridge (Colorado State)

Men's Gold Race Preview

Buckle up, this is going to be a very interesting race.


The Portland men boast a ton of depth, New Mexico has the best firepower of any other team entered in this field and California Baptist probably holds one of the more balanced lineups.


When it comes to New Mexico, the conversation is pretty simple. If this team's top trio is as lethal as we think that they will be, then how good does the rest of this lineup have to be in order for the Lobos to secure the win?


We don't entirely know just how good the Keleta-Kiprop-Kiplagat trio is going to be on Friday, but we can assume that they'll be in contention for top-10 finishes in Minnesota. It's everyone else -- Jonathan Carmin, Samuel Field and Thomas Termote -- who need to cut-off the scoring fast enough to give this team the overall victory.


And against a program as deep as Portland, that seems like a challenge.


The main question for the Pilots will largely be the opposite of what we asked about for New Mexico. In this case, we're asking, how potent do Portland's top scorers need to be in order to counter what the Lobos have?


We're big fans of Matt Strangio heading into this fall and we think there is a lot of potential for Bradley Peloquin to make improvements as well. Thomas Chaston competed at this meet last year with Colorado State while Jonas Gertsen is rounding back into top form after a great spring campaign on the outdoor oval.


We don't entirely know just how good the low-stick scoring is going to be for Portland, but we feel confident that they can pack the top-20 spots of this race if necessary.


As for California Baptist, they could absolutely win this race, especially after so many of their top men ran great times on the track earlier this year.


Valentin Soca, for instance, dropped an incredible 5000 meter PR of 13:30 this past spring. Meanwhile, both Matias Reynaga and Giedrius Valincius ran in the mid-13:40s for 5000 meters. The Lancers also had Arturs Medveds run 28:45 (10k) on the track earlier this year.


On paper, the CBU men have the personnel and the talent to pull off a win over Portland and New Mexico. However, we still need to see them translate their recent success to the grass. They lost a few key names from their 2022 squad and they don't (seemingly) have as complete of a scoring group as a few others.


Gonzaga should still be a competitive squad this year, especially with Wil Smith still on the team as well as a few other veterans. However, we just don't see nearly enough (proven) firepower on this roster to counter what the other teams in this field could/will have.


It's a similar story for Colorado State. They should still have a respectable squad in 2023, but everyone in this projected lineup will need to make substantial improvements if the Rams are going to return to the point that they were at last year.


Also, keep an eye on Southern Utah. They've got a handful of sneaky-good names. Guys like Noah Jenkins (a true freshman), Santiago Gaitan and Travis Feeny are no-joke talents.


Men's Gold Race Predictions


Teams

  1. Portland Pilots

  2. New Mexico Lobos

  3. California Baptist Lancers

  4. Gonzaga Bulldogs

  5. Colorado State Rams


Individuals

  1. Habtom Samuel Keleta (New Mexico)

  2. Matt Strangio (Portland)

  3. Lukas Kiprop (New Mexico)

  4. Valentin Soca (California Baptist)

  5. Wil Smith (Gonzaga)

  6. Bradley Peloquin (Portland)

  7. Giedrius Valincius (California Baptist)

  8. Evans Kiplagat (New Mexico)

  9. Jonas Gertsen (Portland)

  10. Travis Feeny (Southern Utah)

Women's Maroon Race Predictions

The analysis for the women's "Maroon" race is pretty simple: We don't know what to expect from pretty much any of the teams in this field.


The Augustana women have proven to be midwest juggernauts on the grass. However, they lose a heavy portion of their 2023 lineup, specifically their top low-stick scorers. Half of the lineup that the Vikings field on Friday will likely feature women who never cracked this team's top-seven last fall.


And yet, despite so many unknowns, we have to trust the history and general success of this program in a field like this...right?


Meanwhile, Wayne State loses their top scorer from last fall, but returns everyone else from a lineup that toed the line at the NCAA XC Championships last fall. They should have a ton of scoring support and great depth, although firepower is a bit more of a question mark for the Warriors.


But in a field as large as the Griak Invitational, it's hard to bet against the team that finished in the top-10 at the D2 cross country national meet and still has a ton of scoring options from that same group.


Minnesota State should also prove to be fairly competitive on Friday, especially with low-stick ace MaKenna Thurston headlining their top-seven. This team also has a ton of rising juniors, but they sat at the backend of the Mavericks' lineup last fall.


We would expect the rest of this team to develop and improve, but it's hard to know exactly how much progress we'll see in late September of a new cross country season.


Women's Maroon Race Predictions


Teams

  1. Wayne State (MI) Warriors

  2. Augustana (SD) Vikings

  3. Minnesota State Mavericks


Individuals

  1. MaKenna Thurston (Minnesota State)

  2. Gianna Bomarito (Sonoma State)

  3. Khot Juac (Sioux Falls)

  4. Reagan Justice (Wayne State (MI))

  5. Caroline McMartin (Central College)

Men's Maroon Race Preview

You could convince me that three different teams are in contention to win this race.


The Augustana men, who may be viewed as the favorites on Friday, are traditionally excellent and often hold a lot of great depth. However, they lost three key names from last year's lineup, leaving the Vikings in a minor state of flux as we head into the fall months.


The good news is that this team still has Ryan Hartman and Colten Brand, two men who can offer valuable firepower and low-stick scoring if they're both firing on all cylinders. And with a few other returners, this Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference powerhouse should be able to snag a win.


As for Michigan Tech, it's a slightly different story. They lost their top-two men from last year's national meet, both of whom were All-Americans. But with Samuel Lange primed for a big season and everyone else returning, the Huskies certainly have a shot at the win come Friday.


It's a bit harder to find an avenue where UC-Colorado Springs wins this race, but that possibility still lingers.


Afewerki Zeru is gone and so is Marcus Graham, two key lead scorers for this team throughout last fall. However, the Mountain Lions still return Evan Graff as well as Jagger Zlotoff, two men who were fantastic on the oval this past year.


The only problem? Evan Graff is not listed in the entries.


Truthfully, we don't really know what to expect from this squad. Even so, this UCCS roster is massive and Coach Mark Mirsch is typically able to develop one or two unexpectedly great distance talents each and every year.


Also, keep an eye out on Wayne State. They struggled a bit last year (relative to top national-caliber teams), but they have great firepower. With Ransom Allen, Zac Truman and maybe Tyler Buchanan, the Warriors look great through three runners. Can they put together a complete top-five on Friday?


Men's Maroon Race Predictions


Teams

  1. Augustana (SD) Vikings

  2. Michigan Tech Huskies

  3. UC-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions


Individuals

  1. Ransom Allen (Wayne State (MI))

  2. Ryan Hartman (Augustana (SD))

  3. Zac Truman (Wayne State (MI))

  4. Cody Larson (South Dakota State)

  5. Samuel Lange (Michigan Tech)

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