Youngstown State University
Roy Griak Invitational
First Home Meet Headlines Busy Week for Cross Country
9/19/2024 11:37:00 AM | Cross Country
Roy Griak Invitational
Select men's runners will make the trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota on Friday for the 38th annual Roy Griak Invitational. The Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold race is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET).
10 men will compete for the Penguins in the 8K race: Keegan Barnette, Owen Brady, Thomas Caputo, Hunter Christopher, Blaze Fichter, Josh Jones, Tobias Jones, Ryan Meadows, Connor Shingleton, and Sage Vavro.
Brady, Caputo, Christopher, Fichter, Meadows, and Vavro will make their season debuts. Christopher and Meadows are coming off first and second-place finishes respectively at the Horizon League Championships last season. Caputo and Fichter return after each earning Second-Team All-Horizon League honors last season and placing eighth and 11th respectively at last season's Horizon League Championships. Vavro is looking to build off a fantastic freshman campaign in 2023 where he was named Horizon League Freshman of the Year, as well as Second-Team All-League. Brady is also looking to build off a successful freshman campaign where he was a two-time Horizon League Freshman of the Week.
Barnette, Josh Jones, Tobias Jones, and Shingleton will each be competing in their second race of the 2024 season. Tobias Jones led the way for the Penguins men's runners at the Tommy Evans Invitational with a time of 18:45.7, good enough for a 14th-place finish. Shingleton was the next Penguin to cross the finish line with a time of 19:13.7, as he placed 25th overall. Keegan Barnette ran a time of 19:20.6 as he crossed the line in 30th place. Jones crossed the line in 34th place with a time of 19:25.1.
17 men's teams will compete at the invitational: American, California, Colorado State, High Point, Minnesota, Navy, North Dakota, North Dakota State, North Texas, Ohio, Ohio State, Santa Clara, South Dakota State, St. Thomas (Minn.), Utah Valley, Wyoming, and Youngstown State.
YSU Inaugural Alumni Cross Country Meet
Saturday morning marks the first-ever home meet at the Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course in Canfield as Youngstown State is set to host the YSU Inaugural Alumni Cross Country Meet.
The festivities will kick off at approximately 9:25 a.m. when members from the 2023 Horizon League champion Youngstown State Men's Cross-Country team will be given championship rings.
The women's 5K race is slated to begin at 10 a.m., with the men's 8K race following that race at approximately 10:30 a.m.
There will be runners from 12 different schools, plus over 300 unattached runners competing at the course this Saturday.
Men's Preview
Six men will compete for the Penguins in the men's 8K race: Beau Gorby, Zac Haley, William Hanchosky, Thomas Hunyadi, Riley Jackson, and Trenton Shutters.
Hanchosky and Shutters will be making their season debuts of the Penguins. Hanchoksy has made two appearances for the Penguins in each of the last two seasons. Shutters will be making his Youngstown State debut after not competing last season and redshirting the 2022 season.
Gorby, Haley, Hunyadi, and Jackson will be making their second appearances of the season after running in the Tommy Evans Invitational last month. Each of the four men placed in the top 60 out of 98 runners. Hunyadi placed 39th overall with a time of 19:28.2. Gorby clocked a time of 19:37.5, good enough for a 44th-place finish. Jackson crossed the finish line in 50th place with a time of 19:48.3. Haley rounded out the Penguins runners with a 54th-place finish as he ran a time of 19:52.1.
12 men's teams will compete at the meet: Charleston (W.V.), Edinboro, Geneva, Glenville State, John Carroll, Kent State-Trumbull, Slippery Rock, Washington & Jefferson, West Virginia Wesleyan, Westminster (PA.), Wheeling, and Youngstown State.
Women's Preview
15 women will compete for the Penguins in the women's 5K race: Kenzy Beckett, Cecilia Chase, Alayna Cuevas, Aiamyia Dudley, McKinley Fielding, Molly Hopple, Bre Joki, Caylee Mackey, Linsey Plant, Jenna Razavi, Grace Rhoades, Caleigh Richards, Lauren Runion, Megan Stafford, and Molly Yasnowski.
Beckett, Cuevas, and Rhoades will make their season debuts, while Joki will make her Penguin debut as a freshman. Cuevas and Rhoades competed in all six races last season, while Beckett competed in five.
The other 11 women will be making their second appearance of the season after competing in the Tommy Evans Invitational in August. Fielding had a very impressive Penguins cross country debut as she finished in sixth place as she ran a time of 18:08.8. Richards also had a top-25 finish, as she placed 24th with a time of 18:40.7. Stafford, crossed the line in 54th place with a time of 19:41.0, Hopple finished closely behind her in 59th place as she clocked in a time of 19:53.5. Yasnowski ran a time of 20:08.9, good enough for a 64th-place finish. Mackey crossed the line with a 76th–place finish, Chase and Dudley finished closely together in 83rd place and 88th place, respectively, and Plant and Runion rounded out the Penguin lady runners with individual placements of 98th and 108th, respectively.
For live updates and results throughout the 2024 season, follow @YSUTrackFieldXC on X.
