This week: The Augustana women's and men's cross country teams open the 2010 campaign this weekend, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for the Roy Griak Invitational. The woomen will start at 9:50 a.m., while the men start at 11:30 a.m.
The Griak: The Roy Griak Invitational is hosted annually by the University of Minnesota at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul, Minn. It features the top teams from around the country across divisions. To visit the official page of this year's Roy Griak Invitational, click
here.
Head Coach Tracy Hellman on the Griak...
We look forward to racing at the Roy Griak Invite. Although this is our first meet, it will give us an opportunity to see where our fitness is at and what areas we need to improve. I fully expect us to perform well against other Division II programs. |
National news: The men are ranked ninth and the women are ranked 11th in the first regular season national rankings released Wednesday by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Vikings had their men's team check in at No. 10 and women at No. 11 in the preseason poll released on Aug. 26. To view this week's complete poll, click
here.
Regionally speaking: The women and men are both ranked No. 4 in the 2010 NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings, released in August by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The rankings are calculated by examining a team's strengths entering the year based on returning and new runners on each squad. Last season, the Vikings men's cross country team finished fifth regionally, while the women took third. Both the Adams State (Colo.) men's and women's teams were selected to finish first in the Central Region. ASC is the two-time national defending squad for both men and women. To view the Central Region rankings, click
here.
Tommy boy: Sophomore
Tom Karbo was selected as the NSIC Preseason Athlete of the Year. Karbo enters 2010 as one of the top runners in the NSIC as he was last year's runner-up at the NSIC Championship. Karbo was also the conference's top finisher at the NCAA Regional as he checked in with a 17th-place finish. The junior from Norway was also the Vikings' second-best finisher at nationals as he grabbed a 54th-place finish. Karbo will not run this Saturday as he was very active in meets this summer.
According to the coaches: Augustana was selected as the preseason favorite for both women's and men's in the NSIC Coaches' Poll. The women received seven first-place votes and 97 points, while the men garnered nine first-place votes and 81 points. The poll was voted on by the conference's head coaches.
| Women's CC Preseason Poll |
| 1. |
Augustana (7) |
97 |
| 2. |
U-Mary (2) |
88 |
|
Minnesota Duluth (2) |
88 |
| 4. |
Minnesota State |
70 |
| 5. |
Winona State |
64 |
| 6. |
St. Cloud State |
48 |
| 7. |
MSU Moorhead |
44 |
| 8. |
Wayne State |
41 |
| 9. |
Northern State |
36 |
| 10. |
Bemidji State |
17 |
| 11. |
Concordia |
12 |
|
first-place votes in ( ) |
|
| Men's CC Preseason Poll |
| 1. |
Augustana (9) |
81 |
| 2. |
Minnesota State (1) |
73 |
| 3. |
St. Cloud State |
63 |
| 4. |
Minnesota Duluth |
52 |
| 5. |
MSU Moorhead |
45 |
| 6. |
Northern State |
39 |
|
Wayne State |
39 |
| 8. |
U-Mary |
33 |
| 9. |
Winona State |
17 |
| 10. |
Concordia |
10 |
|
first-place votes in ( ) |
|
Coaches' corner: Tracy Hellman is back for his 10th season as the head coach of the Augustana cross country program. He was last year's NSIC Cross Country Coach of the Year and led the both men and women to the conference title last season. Hellman is assisted by
Jim Vahrenkamp, Heath Moenck and
Chris Parno.
A look back: Augustana cross country had one of its best seasons in school history in 2009. Both the women and men took the title at the NSIC Championships, and both teams qualified for nationals, too, as the women were third at regionals, while the men were fifth. Nationally, the women placed 13th, while the men were 10th.
Up next: The Vikings will travel to the Tim Young Open hosted by the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D.
Who's running this weekend:
