Roy Griak Invitational (MN)
RESULTS: High School Boys Gold - High School Girls Gold
ON-SITE COVERAGE COMING
Seventh-grader Grace Ping Takes Down National Leader Judy Pendergast; Garek Bielaczyc Cruises
Dear World,
Meet Grace Ping.
The five-foot-even, eighty-pound seventh-grader ran 18:12.2 to win the Girls Gold Race at the Roy Griak Invitational. The Winona Cotter, Minn. runner took down Judy Pendergast of Naperville North, Ill., who is the nation's fastest three mile runner this year with a best of 16:18.
After the race, she said, "I wanted to run a 5:40 mile but I ran a little faster than that."
Just a little. She went through the first mile in 5:27, with Pendergast right behind in 5:28. Pendergast kept pace through 3k (10:27), but Ping never faltered and pulled away in the final stretch to win, 18:12.2 to 18:16.5.
"I felt really good going on the uphill and I felt really good all throughout the race."
Ping holds six age group world records, including a 5:07 mile for 11-year-olds and 18:02 5k for 11-year-olds. She is currently 12 years old.
Pendergast did have some silver lining to the runner-up finish (18:17 official), as her Flo50 No. 24 ranked Naperville North girls appeared at full strength for the first time in a few weeks. They scored 77 points to distance runner-up and No. 21 ranked Edina (142 points), averaging 19:23 on the tough 5k course with a 1:39 top five spread.
The Edina Hornets were led by freshman Maria Rickman in 19th (19:45), as the top five ran within 41 seconds and averaged 19:57.
Saucony Flo50 No. 10 Kate Murphy of Lake Braddock made her season debut after a long summer track season in seventh, running 18:51.7. Murphy's No. 8 ranked Bruins took third, averaging 20:02 with a 2:03 spread. No. 19 ranked Minnetonka finished sixth in the team standings with 228 points, while pre-season No. 10 Wayzata was seventh with 239 points.
Saucony Flo50 No. 12 ranked Garek Bielaczyc of East High School, Utah told the announcer after his win that he ventured out to Minnesota for more competition, but he made short work of the field. The senior split 4:42 for the mile, 9:01 for 3k to finish with a final winning time of 15:36.01 on the challenging course. He is undefeated this year.
Behind Bielaczyc, Jaret Carpenter of Wayzata, Minn. battled Seth Hirsch of Millard West, Neb. in a mad dash to the line, 15:53 to 15:58, for second and third place overall. The effort aided Wayzata to a third place finish and spot as second Minnesota team behind runner-up Edina, a bubble team on the Saucony Flo50.
The Hornets were led by Jack Manderscheid (16:23, sixth overall), as Iowa's Dowling Catholic High School turned the tables and won the overall team title just one week after losing to Edina at the Heartland Invitational.
Ryan Schweizer led Dowling Catholic with a 10th place finish, as the team ran an impressive 27-second spread and 16:55 5k average through their top five.
Saucony Flo50 National XC Rankings: