MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The Minnesota State men's and women's cross-country teams competed in the 40th annual Roy Griak invitational at Fort Snelling today. The women's team placed eighth in the women's 6K with 228 total points, and the men's team finished ninth in the 8K with 227 total points. 

The women's team kicked the day off competing in the Suzy Wilson College 6K, where 24 MSU runners competed. 17 programs participated totaling over 240 total runners. Junior Sophie Baker (New Market, Minn.) continued her strong start to the season, finishing as the Mavericks top finisher with a time of 20:40.5. Baker's performance led to her finishing 19th overall, and third out of all Division II runners. In 2025, Baker finished 94th in the Roy Griak Invitational; her strong performance improved her finishing position by 76 spots. 

Junior Mileena Sullivan (Hibbing, Minn.) was the Mavericks next best finisher, finishing in 48th with a time of 21:20.5. Hayden Anderson (50), Hannah Huza (90) and Jayna Lamping (99) rounded out Minnesota State's top five finishers. The Mavericks finished with 228 total points placing them eighth among all teams, and third out of all Division II teams behind St. Thomas (4th -142 points) and Winona State (6th- 182 points). 

The women's cross-country team will next compete at the NCAA Pre-Nats on October 11 in Lawrence, Kansas. 

The men's team closed out the day by competing in the Jo Rider College 8K, where 17 MSU runners competed. 18 teams competed in the 8K with 215 individual runners. Sophomore Luis Pfister (Ottobeuren, Germany) was once again the top placing Maverick, finishing with a time of 24:25.5, good for a 25th place finish. Pfister was the second highest Division II finisher, continuing a start to the year which has seen him place 1st and 2nd respectively among D2 finishers, in the first two competitions of the year. 

Freshman Tanner Felton (Becker, Minn.) was the next highest Maverick finisher, coming in at 47th with a time of 25:00.1. Jack Kendall (49), Erek Ross (64), and Jaden Miller (72) rounded off the top finishing Mavericks. Luke Scholtes (78), Ephraim Staley (83), Alex Morrison (90), and Dominic Ripperda (96) also finished within the top 100. The men's team finished with 227 total points, placing them ninth among all teams, and second out of Division II teams, trailing only St. Thomas (6th-150 points). 

The Maverick men's cross-country team will also be competing at the NCAA Pre-Nats on October 11 in Lawrence, Kansas.