Vanessa Abrahamson Blog: DyeStat.com – News – Addison Price hopes Cherry Creek has the right stuff again at the Roy Griak Invitational

Senior aims to help Bruins become the fourth girls’ program outside of Minnesota to win multiple Gold Division titles after winning 2019, with Nechanicky seeking an individual crown; Breker, Scott, Heidesch, Blomker and Gilles headline the Deep Boys’ field as Iowa’s best collide with hometown heroes

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Addison Prize remains the only connection to the last trip made by the Cherry Creek girls’ cross country team to Minnesota for the Roy Griak Invitational.

And the senior leader is also the only link in the Bruins roster to one of the most impressive performances in tournament history.

Cherry Creek placed five top 40 scorers in the 2019 Gary Wilson Girls Gold Race, including a win in the sophomore year Riley Stewart — now a freshman at Stanford — and an 11th-place finish from Price, which produced a 75-165 win over Illinois’ Naperville North High.

Price is poised to lead Cherry Creek to another triumph in one of the fall season’s elite invitational races Friday at Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul, with the Bruins attempting to battle Naperville North, South Dakota’s Sioux Falls Roosevelt and Dowling Catholic of Iowa as the only out-of-state program to have won multiple Roy Griak Gold titles.

“I’m really excited and grateful for the opportunity,” Price said. “I am very happy to come back and be able to drive on the track. It’s such a fun and different gathering from Colorado. My team and I are really looking forward to coming to the race and seeing how it develops.”

Olathe West of Kansas, last year’s Gold Race champion, is also part of the field that will compete at 3:45 p.m. CDT, as well as 2017 winner Naperville North and 2018 champion Yorkville of Illinois.

Minnesota’s Wayzata, who last clinched a gold title at Roy Griak in 2013, is also scheduled to compete, led by an outstanding senior Nechanicky Abbeythe only returning competitor from the 2019 race to finish better than Price in fourth overall.

St. Paul Highland Park and Hopkins of Minnesota are also incorporated, along with Johnston, West Des Moines Valley and Ballard Community of Iowa, Olathe North of Kansas, Sioux Falls O’Gorman and Sioux Falls Lincoln of South Dakota, and Batavia of Illinois.

“It’s really a great opportunity to come and compete against different teams,” Price said. “Colorado has so much depth, but we’re looking forward to competing against new teams and seeing what happens. Griak has such a fun vibe and it will be really fun to see and race new people.”

Nechanicky leads a strong lineup of individual contenders trying to follow him Ali Weimer from St. Michael-Albertville as the Minnesota star who secured the title after Stewart clinched the win in 2019.

Anjali Stool Singha junior at Olathe North, is the best returnee from last season with a fourth-place finish.

Ali Bainbridge from Sioux Falls Lincoln, Addison Dorenkamp from West Des Moines Valley and Olivia Verde from Johnston, all of whom placed in the top 10 of last year’s Gold Race and will compete on Friday.

Sydney Drevlow of Hopkins is also expected to race, as well Paityn Noe the Ballard community and Luna Scorcelli of St. Paul Highland Park.

In addition to Price, the Bruins rely on freshman Emily Cohenalong with seniors Alice Hamm and a pair of siblings Kinley Wolfe and Baylor Wolfeas well as Catalina Aguilar Rosenthal and Paloma Aguilar-Rosenthalto follow her victory in the Liberty Bell Sweepstakes on September 10th at Heritage High.

Despite high school Shelby Balding, Addison Laughlin, Claire Semerod and Stewart from last year’s lineup, Cherry Creek is aiming for victory at a prestigious meet outside of Colorado for the fourth straight year, including last fall’s Nike Portland XC in Oregon and the XC Town USA Meet of Champions presented by The Garrett Companies, in Indiana in 2020.

“We prepared for this meeting but did a lot of turf intervals and turf work,” Price said. “The biggest piece of advice I would give my team is to really focus on the start and finish because getting out quickly is key to getting the race started. It’s also exciting to run at lower altitudes to give the racing a little variety.”

The Larry Zirgibel Boys Gold Race at 3pm CDT will see the return of the top three competitors from last year’s race Sam Scott from Minneapolis Southwest, Michael Blomker from Shawnee Mission North in Kansas and Nick Giles from Minnetonka.

And none of them could be considered favorites afterwards Noah Breaker by Robbinsdale Armstrong became only the fourth male athlete in Minnesota prep history to finish a 5K under 15 when he clocked a 2:57.2 on Sept. 8 at the Hopkins Bauman/Rovn Invitational.

Alden Keller the Breck School in Minnesota and Natneal Kifle Returning Gold Team Champion Sioux City North also placed in the top 10 last year. Sioux City North is also bringing back Gabe Nashwho finished 17th last season.

Jackson Heidesch by Dowling Catholic and Ford Washburn from Iowa City High in Iowa, Andrew Casey from Lakeville North in Minnesota, Aiden Johnson from West Fargo Sheyenne in North Dakota, man plaster from Onalaska in Wisconsin, Daniel Hruska from Cherry Creek and Clay Shively of Wichita Trinity Academy in Kansas are also elite competitors expected to compete.

Jake Lein from Bismarck High in North Dakota was the last repeat winner of the 2011-12 boys gold race.

Sioux City North is attempting to become the first consecutive gold champion for boys since Wayzata 2013-14.

Minnetonka, Lakeville North and Wayzata, the top three programs in Minnesota, compete in the gold race, in addition to Iowa’s top three teams in Dowling Catholic, Norwalk Community and Iowa City High.

Charlie Power-Thiesen Como Park of St. Paul returns as the winner of last season’s Lefty Wright boys’ Maroon race and aims to become the first male athlete to win in consecutive years since the former Cougars’ excellence Innocent Murwanashyaka 2015-16.

Bismarck High of North Dakota will not be competing in the Roy Griak this year, creating an opportunity for a new winner to emerge from the chestnut boys’ competition.

Mounds View of Minnesota has moved up to the girls’ gold race after winning the maroon section last year.

In the morning collegiate competition, Minnesota will attempt to defend its title in the Jack Johnson Women’s Gold Race at 11:15 a.m. CDT against a field comprised of ranking programs Wisconsin, Colorado State, Utah, Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa State and Cal includes Baptist.

Iowa State last won in 2012, Michigan State last triumphed in 2014, and Cal Baptist prevailed in 2019.

Anastasia Korzenowskiwho finished 10th in last year’s 6K for the hosts Golden Gophers is the best returning competitor from last year. Tierney Wolfgram from Nevada, Addie Engel of the state of ohio, Samantha Stieve from Wisconsin, Kaitlyn Hynes of the state of michigan, Emily Venter from utah, Lily Tomasula Martin of the state of Colorado, Greta Karinauskaite by teammates from Cal Baptist and Iowa State Dana Feyen and Madelyn Hill are all potential contenders.

With Brigham Young, last year’s winner of Merrill Fischbein’s men’s gold race, not returning to Roy Griak this season, Colorado State is the youngest winner in the 2017 field.

The Rams are joined by Cal Baptist, Wisconsin and Michigan State.

Matthew Wilkinsoncompeting untied for Minnesota is the top returning athlete in the 8K field after finishing 20th last year.

Abdifetah Ahmed from Michigan State, who finished 22nd last year, is the leader return of the men.

Bob likesthe reigning Big Ten champion from Wisconsin, is expected to compete alongside his teammates Eve Bishop, Shuaib Aljabaly, Jackson sharp and Rowen Ellenberg.

Mason Brown and Brock Dykema Lead the state of Colorado with the reigning champion of the Western Athletic Conference Florian LePallec and Giedrius Valincius expected to fight for Cal Baptist.

The University of Mary returns as the winner of last year’s Suzy Wilson Maroon Women’s Race with reigning individual winner Lindsay Cunningham by Winona State, who is also scheduled to compete.

Clayton Sayen Michigan Tech, who triumphed in last year’s Jo Rider men’s maroon race, is also expected.

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