Bergan, Uhl Named To Roy Griak Hall of Fame

AMES, Iowa – Former Iowa State track and field and cross country head coach Bill Bergan and Cyclone runner Kiel Uhl (2005-09) are among the eight honorees that will be inducted into the Roy Griak Invitational Hall of Fame inaugural class.

The meet, which has approximately 5,000 participants each year and crowns 10 champions among various divisions, will celebrate its 30^th anniversary on Sept. 26, 2015. The Hall of Fame class will be inducted during festivities at this year's meet at the Les Bolstad Cross Country Course.

Bergan became Iowa State's first head cross country coach in 1971 and in just his fourth season at Iowa State, Bergan guided the 1974 Cyclones to their first conference championship in 43 years. Under Bergan's leadership the Cyclones would win 10 Big 8 championships, including five straight from 1987 through 1991. His 1989 ISU team established a Roy Griak Invitational record by scoring 15 points on the way to the team title. It would be the first of three Griak titles for Bergan and the Cyclones (1990, 1993).

Bergan would also guide Iowa State to national titles in 1989 and 1994 before stepping down as coach of the Cyclones. During his time as coach at ISU his teams competed in the NCAA meet 15 times and placed among the top-eight finishers in each of the last 11 seasons with Bergan at the helm. He was chosen as Big 8 cross country coach of the year five times in a span of eight seasons while at Iowa State.

Kiel Uhl, a 2005 graduate of Des Moines Roosevelt High School, earned more accolades than any other competitor in the history of the Roy Griak Invitational. He placed 12th as a high school junior, as Roosevelt became just the second school to win consecutive high school titles at the Griak. He won his only Griak individual title as a senior and capped his high school cross country career by winning the 2004 Griak championship in a time of 15:31.3, the second-fastest winning time in the history of the meet.

Uhl would continue his Griak success by placing among the top 20 and appearing on the awards stand all four years while competing at Iowa State University. He finished 15th at the meet as a freshman and seventh as a sophomore with the Cyclones before turning in his best finish as a collegian at the meet in 2007 as ISU placed third as a team with Uhl placing fourth in the individual race. His squad placed second at the 2008 Griak as Uhl placed 10th in his final Griak appearance. In total, Uhl amassed seven indivual awards at the Griak Invitational.

The meet was named after former Minnesota head coach Roy Griak, who coached the Gophers for 33 years before his retirement in 1996. Griak, who passed away in July at the age of 91, is also among the Hall of Fame class of 2015.

Iowa State University Athletics

Bergan, Uhl Named To Roy Griak Hall of Fame

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors