What: 2009 Roy Griak Invitational

Date: Saturday

Location: Minneapolis, Minn.

Time: 9 a.m. C.S.T.

Course:

This year’s Roy Griak Invitational is at the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad Golf Course. Runners can expect rolling hills and grassy terrain throughout the entire course.

Distance:

Men – 8,000 meters

Women – 6,000 meters

Previously:

OU’s women’s and men’s cross country teams opened the season Sept. 5 at the Hurricane Festival in Tulsa. The women finished fourth overall, behind (in order) Tulsa, Oklahoma State and Oral Roberts, while the men finished fifth, behind Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Texas and Oral Roberts.

Women to watch:

•Jr. Kelly Waters. The leader of the women’s team, Waters earned All-Big 12 Honors last year while finishing fifth in the Big 12 Championships. The junior did not compete in the season opener in Tulsa, but she should be more than prepared for this weekend’s competition.

•Sr. Lauren Watson. The Oklahoma Baptist University transfer has showed major improvements over the previous two seasons.

Watson, whose first action as a Sooner was the 2007 Roy Griak Invitational (where she placed 117th), will certainly be aiming to improve upon that finish this year in Minneapolis.

She started the season off well, leading the Sooner women with a solid fourth-place finish three weeks ago at the Hurricane Festival in Tulsa, completing the two-mile course in 11 minutes and 15 seconds.

Men to watch:

•Sr. Chris Sweeney. The Colorado native has a knack for starting the season off strong. Sweeney has been the OU men’s highest finisher at the previous two Hurricane Festivals. This year he finished 11th, completing the four-mile course in a time of 21:03.

•Sr. Tony Clement. Right behind Sweeney three weeks ago was Clement, who took a mere two seconds longer to finish the course, clocking in at 21:05. Although a senior, as all scholarship runners redshirted last year, Clement figures to be one of several athletes ready to take advantage of last year’s learning experience.