Cyclones Race To Second At Roy Griak Invitational

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. - The Iowa State men's cross country team finished second at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday. The Cyclones put together a phenomenal out to place ahead of seven teams ranked in the top-30 nationally.

It took a tremendous team effort to accomplish the feat, as the Cyclones employed the pack running strategy that ISU Director of Track and Cross Country Martin Smith is known so well for teaching and utilizing when needed. The five Iowa State scorers all finished within five seconds and just seven placings of each other.

Junior Toby Hardwick was the first runner in the Cardinal & Gold to cross the finish line, clocking a 25:33. Hardwick is off to a strong start on this 2016 campaign, which he opened with a first-place finish at the Hawkeye Invitational.

On Hardwick's heals were a pair of runners making their Iowa State cross country debuts, as redshirt freshman Thomas Pollard logged a 25:34 to finish in 18^th, followed by freshman Andrew Jordan, who also clocked a 25:34 and finished 19^th. It's a promising start to the career of two runners who came to Ames as blue-chip high school prospects in the 2015 and 2016 classes, respectively.

Next across the line was sophomore Josef Andrews, who finished 20^th in 25:35. Senior Kevyn Hoyos, a graduate transfer from Syracuse, rounded out the scoring effort by placing 23^rd in a time of 25:38.

Additionally, sophomore John Nownes and freshman Sam Clausnitzer also ran for the Cyclones at Les Bolstad Cross Country Course. Nownes came up with a strong showing, finishing 46^th in a time of 25:57, while Clausnitzer, who also ran the season-opening Hawkeye Invitational, clocked a 26:43 to finish 102^nd.

Next Up
The Cyclones return to action on Saturday, October 1 at the Regional Preview in Iowa City. The race is set for 8:30 a.m. CT.

Team Score
1. Portland – 69
2. Iowa State – 97
3. Boise State – 112
4. Michigan – 158
5. Michigan State - 163

Individual Results
1) Jeff Thies, Portland 25:15; 17) Toby Hardwick, Iowa State, 25:33; 18) Thomas Pollard, Iowa State, 25:34; 19) Andrew Jordan, Iowa State, 25:34; 20) Josef Andrews, Iowa State, 25:35; 23) Kevyn Hoyos, Iowa State, 25:38; 46) John Nownes, Iowa State, 25:57; 102) Sam Clausnitzer, Iowa State, 26:43

Players Mentioned

Josef Andrews

Sam Clausnitzer

Toby Hardwick

Kevyn Hoyos

Andrew Jordan

John Nownes

Thomas Pollard

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics