SDSU READY FOR ROY GRIAK INVITE

MEET 3: South Dakota State at Roy Griak Invitational

When	Friday, Sept. 22 \| Men @ 10 a.m. \| Women @ 10:45 a.m.
Where	Les Bolstad Golf Course \| St. Paul, Minnesota
TV	None
Results	Live Results
Meet Notes	Meet Information Page
Social Media	Twitter \| #LastPlay

BROOKINGS, SD – The South Dakota State cross country team will head out of state to St. Paul, MN for the 37^th annual Roy Griak Invitational at the Les Bolstad Golf Course on Friday morning.

Competition begins at 10 a.m. with the Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold race (8k). The Jack Johnson Women's Gold race (6k) will begin at 10:45 a.m.

Regional Division I teams as well as league opponents are expected to also participate in the elite meet with a frequently loaded field of athletes.

LAST TIME OUT:
MEN
South Dakota State freshman Carson Noecker won his second straight—and second ever—collegiate meet as the Jackrabbit men won the Jay Dirksen 8k at the SDSU Classic on Friday night.

Noecker, in his first ever collegiate 8k race, ran a 24:28.4 to take first place as teammate Josh Becker finished right behind him in second with a 24:39.7.

Jackson Dutcher made his 8k debut with a time of 25:10.7 for 12^th place, Cody Larson ran a 25:17.2 for 17^th and Will Lohr took 19^th with a time of 25:18.1 in his first SDSU 8k race.

Also competing for the Jackrabbits were Christian Noble (29^th, 26:11.3, 8k debut), Cashton Johnson (33^rd, 26:28.2, 8k debut) and Luke Johnson (42^nd, 26:47.7, 8k debut).

South Dakota State won the men's race with 51 points in the final team standings, edging North Dakota's 52 points for second place and North Dakota State's 56 points for third place.

SDSU Alumni (92 points), Augustana (138 points), Unattached NDSU (163 points), Northern State (193 points) and South Dakota (199 points) rounded out the scoring teams.

WOMEN
Senior Leah (Hansen) Hisken won the women's 5k as six Jackrabbit women placed in the top 20 to take second place overall at the SDSU Classic on Friday night.

Hisken clocked a 17:46.3 to take the crown, finishing a full 11 seconds ahead of the next competing athlete. Mya Kizer also claimed a top-10 spot as she ran a personal best 18:14.3 for eighth place.

Jessica Lutmer came 11^th with her personal best clocking of 18:23.2, Claire Beckman ran a 18:34.8 for 13^th and Caitlin Bright rounded out SDSU's scoring runners with her 16^th place finish in 18:38.6.

Grace Waage was also in the top 20 as she took 19^th in a personal best time of 18:42.4. Sierra Watterud clocked a PR of 18:47.5 for 23^rd, Emma Gonzalez finished 37^th in 19:35.5 and Jenna Soine ran a 19:39.2 for a PR and 40^th place.

Nina Dawson (46^th, 19:57.5), Kadense Dooley (47^th, 20:03.6), Emma Ecker (48^th, 20:07.9), Hannah Neusch (61^st, 21:17.6) and Hannah Spoden (64^th, 21:54.8) all also competed for the yellow and blue.

The SDSU women finished second in the team standings with 46 points as North Dakota State took the top spot with 41 points. South Dakota was third with 61 points, North Dakota came fourth with 112 points, Augustana scored 131 points for fifth place and Northern State earned 158 points for sixth.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Week one Division I cross country rankings decided by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association were announced Aug. 29^th with the Jackrabbit men jumping four spots to 11^th in the Midwest region while the women fell three spots to 13^th.

SDSU MEN PICKED FIRST, WOMEN SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL: The SDSU men were chosen to continue their streak of Summit League championship titles while the women were picked second following a 2022 season that saw a record seventh-straight title for the men and second place finish for the women.

2023 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
1. South Dakota State (4) - 34
2. North Dakota State (3) - 33
3. North Dakota - 25
T-4. South Dakota - 19
T-4. St. Thomas - 19
6. Oral Roberts - 9
7. Kansas City - 8

2023 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
1. North Dakota State (3) - 45
2. South Dakota State (4) - 42
3. North Dakota (1) - 38
4. South Dakota - 29
5. St. Thomas - 22
6. Omaha - 21
7. Kansas City - 17
8. Oral Roberts - 10

ATHLETES TO WATCH: Four Jackrabbits –two men and two women—were recognized as Summit League Preseason Athletes to Watch.

Josh Becker, South Dakota State
Jr. | Osseo, Wis.

Captured sixth at the 2022 League Championships, good for first team All-League honors
Clocked an 8K time of 24:36.6 at the Weiss-Crockett Invitational
Finished third at the Augustana Twilight with a four-mile time of 19:19.8

Daniel Burkhalter, South Dakota State
Sr. | Prairie City, S.D.

Took second place at the Augustana Twilight with a four-mile time of 19:18.4
Clocked a season-best 8K time of 24:27.5 at the Weiss-Crockett Invitational
Earned first team All-League honors at the 2022 League Championships with a fifth-place finish
Placed 27th at the NCAA Midwest Regional running the 10K in a personal-best time of 30:09.7

Leah (Hansen) Hisken, South Dakota State
Sr. | Willmar, Minn.

First athlete to take home three consecutive Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year honors (2020, 2021, 2022)
Earned her third consecutive League individual title and Championship MVP honor while helping the Jacks to a runner-up finish in the team standings at the 2022 League Championships
Placed 19^th at the 2022 NCAA Midwest Regional with a time of 20:40.0
Top-20 finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional helped pace the Jacks to 10th place in the team standings, the highest finish for an SDSU team in the Division I era

Mya Kizer, South Dakota State
Jr. | Hammond, Wis.

Earned second team All-League honors with an 11th-place finish at the 2022 League Championships
Had a season-best 6K race at the Bradley Pink Classic with a time of 21:21.4
Finished second at the SDSU Classic in a time of 18:22.7 and ran a season-best 5K at the Augustana Twilight (18:15.1)

UP NEXT: SDSU will hit the road to North Sioux City, SD for the Briar Cliff Invitational on Oct. 7 with races set to start at 10 a.m.

-GoJacks.com-

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Players Mentioned

Josh Becker

Claire Beckman

Caitlin Bright

Daniel Burkhalter

Nina Dawson

Kadense Dooley

Jackson Dutcher

Emma Ecker

Emma Gonzalez

Leah Hisken

Cashton Johnson

Luke Johnson

Mya Kizer

Cody Larson

Jessica Lutmer

Hannah Neusch

Christian Noble

Carson Noecker

Jenna Soine

Hannah Spoden

Grace Waage

Sierra Watterud

South Dakota State University Athletics