Sept. 24, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - With senior Deborah Maier winning her 6000-meter race by a comfortable 12 seconds, the unrated Cal women's cross country team made a bold national statement with a first-place tie at the Roy Griak Invitational Saturday, matching No. 8 Iowa State in the team standings and finishing ahead of seven other ranked squads. The Golden Bears' undermanned men's team was ninth.

Maier, a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection and an All-American last fall, stayed near the front over the entire course. She was in second at both the 1,000- and 3,000-meter marks before pulling away at the end and crossing the line in 20:29.2. BYU senior Morgan Haws claimed second in 20:41.5. The victory was Maier's second of the year after easily winning the Sac State Jamboree by over 30 seconds Sept. 10.

"Having Deborah run away from the field was very impressive," head coach Tony Sandoval said. "She was totally under control. Her main concern at the end of the race was where the rest of her teammates were. She's going to be in line for top individual honors. But for her, it's more important for her to get to NCAAs as a team, not as an individual."

Chelsea Reilly was the second Bear to finish with a time of 21:08.5, while Taylor Dutch took 25th in 21:18.2. Kelsey Santisteban (34th, 21:28.5) and Elisa Karhu (50th, 21:45.5) also scored for Cal, while Keena Kohl (91st, 22:11.7) and Heather Cerney (140th, 22:40.1) rounded out the Bears' line-up.

In addition to tying Iowa State, Cal placed ahead of more than a half dozen ranked teams - No. 10 Arizona, No. 11 Washington, No. 18 Penn State, No. 21 North Carolina State, No. 23 BYU, No. 26 Michigan State and No. 30 Minnesota.

"It was a nice breakout for us after the frustration at the end of last year," said Sandoval, who watched the Cal women miss out on an invitation to NCAA nationals last year despite being ranked in the top 30 most of the season. "I thought we ran very, very well as a group. It was a deceiving course with a lot of hills that can affect your pace."

The Golden Bear men were ninth in an equally challenging field and were led by Collin Jarvis, who was 15th and timed in 24:32.0 over 8,000 meters. Maxime Chevee was right behind in 18th at 24:32.9.

"Overall, this was a great week for us and I'm glad we came out to Minnesota," Sandoval said. "We held out a couple of men due to sickness and injury (Cody Schmidt and Chris Walden). That the remaining people stepped up for us while we where shorthanded was tremendous. Maxime and Collin ran together like the seasoned veterans they are."

Other Bears in the race Saturday were J.P Slater (60th, 25:10.1), Simon Schmidt (81st, 25:28.2), Matt Petersen (83rd, 25:28.6) and Bryan Jordan (141st, 26:09.3).

Cal's next competition is Oct. 14 at the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wis.

Roy Griak Invitational
Les Bolstad Golf Course / Minneapolis, Minn.

Women's Results
Team Results: 1. California 128; 1. Iowa State 128; 3. Arizona 131; 4. Michigan State 148; 5. Minnesota 182; 6. Washington 200; 7. Vanderbilt 225; 8. Penn State 250; 9. Connecticut 264; 10. BYU 273; 11. Arizona State 278; 12. Wisconsin 295; 13. Colorado State 316; 14. Kansas 338; 15. North Carolina State 420; 16. Northwestern 427; 17. Boise State 449; 18. Long Beach State 485; 19. Oklahoma 491; 20. Kansas State 509; 21. Charlotte 529; 22. Idaho State 530; 23. North Dakota State 595; 24. South Carolina 719; 25. South Dakota State 797; 26. Drake 836;

Cal Finishers: 1. Deborah Maier 20:29.2; 18. Chelsea Reilly 21:08.5; 25. Taylor Dutch 21:18.2; 34. Kelsey Santisteban 21:28.5; 50. Elisa Karhu 21:45.5; 91. Keena Kohl 22:11.7; 140. Heather Cerney 22:40.1.

Complete Women's Results

Men's Results
Team Results: 1. North Carolina State 96; 2. Portland 114; 3. Minnesota 153; 4. Arizona State 178; 5. Penn State 195; 6. Iowa State 212; 7. Cal Poly 233; 8. Michigan State 246; 9. California 255; 10. Duke 266; 11. Butler 283; 12. Navy 290; 13. Long Beach State 298; 14. Washington 309; 15. Kansas 343; 16. Colorado State 395; 17. Boise State 445; 18. Iowa 482; 19. Arizona 485; 20. Regina 527; 21. South Dakota State 553; 22. Drake 554; 23. North Dakota State 683; 24. Kansas State 704.

Individual Winner: Lawi Lalang (Arizona) 23:15.5. Cal Finishers: 15. Collin Jarvis 24:32.0; 18. Maxime Chevee 24:32.9; 60. J.P. Slater 25:10.1; 81. Simon Schmidt 25:28.2; 83. Matt Petersen 25:28.6; 141. Bryan Jordan 26:09.3

Complete Men's Results