Falcon Heights, Minn. – North Dakota cross country competed against some of the top teams in the country at the 35^th Roy Griak Invitational on Friday morning in the wind and light rain.  In the women's race, senior Ellyssa Peterson led the charge for the Hawks with a 38^th place finish, covering the 6-kilometer course in 22:11 an improvement of 41 places and sixty-eight seconds from the 2019 meet.  Peterson was the third runner from The Summit League across the finish line. 
 
True freshman and Ron Pynn Classic champion Jadyn Keeler finished 67^th overall in a time of 22:39 in her first collegiate 6 kilometer effort. 
 
As a team the previously unbeaten North Dakota women ran their first 6-kilometer race of the season finishing in 17^th overall, one spot behind Nevada who is ranked 14^th in the Mountain Region.   More than half of the 21 teams in the field came in ranked in their respective region. 
 
In the men's 8K, third year sophomore Luke Labatte steadily moved up throughout the race to finish 75th in 26:00, a nineteen second improvement from the 2019 meet in what was his second ever collegiate 8K. 
 
The Fighting Hawks men finished 20^th. 
 
North Dakota's next race is the Arturo Burrios Invitational on Saturday, October 16^th in College Station, Tex. at Watts Cross Country Course. 
 
North Dakota women's Individual finishers, 6K
38.  Ellyssa Peterson, 22:11
67.  Jadyn Keeler, 22:39
118.  McKenzie Burian, 23:31
136.  Conny Wohlfahrt, 23:42
138.  Eliana Malnourie, 23:45
179.  Greta McLagan, 24:32
206.  Abby McNeil, 25:17
207.  Mikayla Weiss, 25:20
211.  Michaela Oosthuizen, 25:28
 
 
North Dakota men's Individual finishers, 8K
66.  Luke Labatte, 26:00
105.  Justin Jelaca, 26:25
142.  Patrick Kipkemboi, 26:50
157.  Alec Nelson, 27:02
172.  Ben Scheller, 27:19
200.  Zach Long, 27:44
214.  Zak King, 28:46