GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota will visit Minneapolis for the Roy Griak Invitational this Friday. The men's 8K race will kick off the meet at 10 a.m., followed by the women's 6K around 10:45 a.m.

Live results of the meet will be provided by PT Timing. The meet will also be streamed on B1G+.

Both UND Teams Ranked in USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Rankings
In the latest USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Rankings, both UND teams are ranked. This marks the first time since the final Midwest Regional Rankings last season that both teams are ranked in the polls.

North Dakota's men entered the season at No. 13 in the preseason regional poll and have moved up to No. 12. The 12-spot is the best any UND men's team has ranked in the poll since moving up to Division I in 2008.

The UND women also moved into the poll this week as the No. 14 team in the region. NoDak was not ranked in the preseason poll and it is the first time the women sit in the top 15 of the poll since ending last year at No. 13.

Last Time Out
North Dakota ran at the Dragon Twilight at Minnesota State Moorhead last Friday and won both team titles. UND captured the women's 5K title with 15 points, while the Fighting Hawk men were victorious in the 6K with 17 points.

Eliana Malnourie, later named the Summit League Women's Cross Country Peak Performer of the Week for the second week in a row, led the Fighting Hawks in the 5K and beat the meet record in the process, finishing third with a personal-best time of 17:34.6. She beat the meet record of 17:47.3, which was set by Jaiden Schutte of UMary in 2018. Malnourie was able to break the meet record by finishing third because Yonca Kutluk and Jadyn Keeler finished first and second as unattached athletes.

Naja Weiler, competing in her first collegiate 5K was right behind Malnourie and placed fourth in 17:38.4. Weiler's time would have also broken the meet record. Weiler was trailed by Olivia Correale, also competing in her first collegiate race, and took fifth in 18:03.8. Frida Giersdorff finished just outside the top five and placed sixth with a PR of 18:09.8. The final Fighting Hawks scoring at the meet in the 5K were Elle Sondag in seventh (18:16.5), Olivia Krafty placing eighth (18:26.6) and Gabrielle Wahl taking ninth (18:37.8). Sondag, Krafty and Wahl each also posted new personal bests.

Ian Busche was the runner-up in the men's 6K with a PR time of 17:52.8. Aleksa Milanovic and Matej Hrebacka were right behind Busche and placed third (17:58.4) and fourth (17:58.7), respectively. Jonas Weschle and Louis-Lys Fanucchi, both competing in their first collegiate races as Fighting Hawks, took sixth (18:04.2) and eighth (18:14.1). Eric Weiss was also in the top 10 and finished ninth with a personal-best time of 18:23.4. Cian Nagle was the final Hawk to score at the meet and took 12th in 18:26.5.

Hawks to Watch
At the beginning of the season, the Summit League announced the annual preseason poll, along with the names of four UND student-athletes who were named Athletes to Watch in the Summit League this season. Both North Dakota teams were tabbed to finish fourth in the preseason poll. The Hawks named Athletes to Watch were Frida Giersdorff, Eliana Malnourie, Ian Busche and Aleksa Milanovic.

Giersdorff finished 26th in the 6K at the Summit League Championships last season with a time of 22:32.0. She also ran in the 6K at the NCAA Midwest Regional and finished 147th in 23:08.9 to help the Fighting Hawks to their best regional finish in UND's Division I history. Giersdorff opened her collegiate running career at the Ron Pynn Classic last September and finished fifth with a 5K time of 19:14.6. She also clocked a season-best 5K time of 19:06.9 at the SDSU to take 28th and posted a season-best time of 22:11.5 in the 6K at the Paul Short Run to take 159th.

Malnourie was one spot shy of all-conference status at the Summit League Championships last season, taking 15th with a 6K time of 21:56.1. She was also 84th in the 6K at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a time of 22:15.9 to help North Dakota to its best regional finish in UND's Division I history. Malnourie opened the year at the Ron Pynn Classic and finished third in the 5K with a time of 18:34.2. She also placed fifth at the SDSU Classic with a 5K time of 18:08.5 and crossed the finish line 126th at the Paul Short Run in a 6K time of 21:57.6.

Busche clocked an 8K time of 26:00.0 at the Summit League Championships to take 32nd last season. He also crossed the finish line 139th at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a 10K time of 33:09.4 to help the Hawks to their best regional finish in Division I history. Busche began the year at the Ron Pynn Classic and placed sixth with a 6K time of 19:17.2 and was 23rd with a season-best time of 25:56.5 in the 8K at the SDSU Classic.

Milanovic finished 23rd in the 8K at the Summit League Championships with a time of 25:37.3. He also helped NoDak to its best regional finish in school history and had a 10K time of 33:51.4 and finished 166th at the NCAA Midwest Regional. He opened the season at the Ron Pynn Classic and placed third with a 6K time of 18:53.9 and clocked a season-best time of 25:13.6 in the 8K at the SDSU Classic to finish 14th. At the Paul Short Run, Milanovic took 174th with an 8K of 25:32.5.

On Tap
The Fighting Hawks will have next weekend off before traveling to Brookings for the SDSU Classic on Friday, Oct. 4.