Pioneer men win Griak title

The sixth-ranked UW-Platteville men's cross country team turned in one of the best days in the program's storied history, winning the 25th annual Roy Griak Invitational Saturday on the University of Minnesota campus.

Coach Tom Antczak's men beat 29 other schools to win the Griak championship for the first time in school history. The Pioneers, led by Patrick Klein in third and Jason Garvens in fourth, scored 47 points to easily out-distance runner-up UW-Eau Claire's 99.

Klein took third with a time of 25:48, while Garvens was right behind at 25:50 in the 8K race. Bill Clift added a third Pioneer top-10 finish out of the 303 runners, taking 10th in 26:16. Anthony Swimm was 13th in 26:19, Nathan Petesch 17th in 26:29, Scott Clark 26th in 26:39, and Matt Borneman 33rd in 26:49.

The UW-Platteville women also fared well Saturday, placing seventh among 32 schools. Ann Tank led the Pioneer charge with a 15th-place finish, covering the 6,000 meters in 23:15. Alli Tank was 30th in 23:49, followed by Gina Smith, 34th in 23:53, Emily Flood, 64th in 24:27, Carin Lowe, 95th in 25:12, Steph Dorton, 111th in 25:28; and Danielle Kunkel, 116th in 25:34.

The Pioneer women were 10th in the latest NCAA III Midwest Region poll.