The Bemidji State University cross country team will travel to Falcon Heights, Minn. Sept. 27 to compete in the Roy Griak Invitational for the first time since 2012. The event, hosted by the University of Minnesota at the Les Bolstad Golf Course, features 11 different divisions from high school through every level of college with nearly 5,000 participants expected to compete.

Bemidji State will complete in the Maroon Division (NCAA Division II) and will hit the 6,000-meter course at 9:50 a.m.

The last time the Beavers participated in the event, the team finished 34th with Tina Larson leading the way with a time of 25:54.

Current Beavers who participated in the race in 2012 include juniors Emily Turner (Windom, Minn) (26:46) and Mikayla Connell (Bemidji, Minn.) (26:56).

The University of Colorado Springs won the invitational in 2012 and the individual winner was Melissa Agnew of the University of Mary with a time of 22:03.

BSU is coming off a sixth-place finish at the Randy Smith Invitational Sept. 12. Turner led the Beavers with a time of 19:23 and finished 21st individually. Turner’s trimmed 48 seconds from her time on the same course the previous year leading a group of seven returning runners who shaved time from their 2013 Randy Smith Invite marks. BSU’s largest improvement came from Connell who placed 43rd after turning in a time of 21:08—an improvement of 1:41 over her 2013 mark in the 5,000-meter race.

After the Roy Griak Invitational the Beavers will travel to Jamestown, N.D. Oct. 10 to compete in the Jimmy Invitational.