The 2005 Roy Griak Invitational was loaded.
Head coach David Uhrich's Marquette women were one of eight nationally ranked teams to participate in this weekend's event on the Les Bolstad Golf Course at the University of Minnesota.
"I felt that if we ran really well we would have been able to finish a little higher," Uhrich said. "But with so many great teams there, an off day could have given us a much lower finish."
The No. 30 Golden Eagles tied defending Big East champion Providence for seventh place with a team score of 222 points. Marquette ran seven women in the 6K race, which was won by No. 7 Arizona State.
Sophomore Cassie Peller continued her impressive start to the 2005 season for the Golden Eagles and finished 36th overall with a time of 22:05.
Close behind was senior Jodi Jakubek (22:09) at 40th.Senior Susie Emond (22:11) and junior Michaela Courtney (22:11) crossed the finish line at the same time, finishing 42nd and 43rd, respectively.
"We got about where we should have based on the rankings, but it's just another step along the way," Peller said. "There were lots of positives. Especially Susie, she had an incredible race."
On a day in which the temperatures were in the 50s, and a fresh rain slowed down the course, Uhrich emphasized that the times were slower due to the conditions, which further validated Emond's time.
"We weren't even that satisfied with how we ran. We haven't really fined tuned anything yet," Emond said.
"That was probably her best race here at Marquette," Uhrich said. "She stayed focused on our top three girls and finished with the pack. The hard work she did this summer is paying off."
"The pack" that Uhrich refers to is that core group of runners: Jakubek, Courtney and Peller. Throughout the season if other girls can improve and complement those three, the team will have a stronger pack heading into the NCAA Championships. The team has emphasized the magnitude of running together during a race and how much easier it is for them.
While the big four carried the Golden Eagles on Saturday, junior Alli Sauer (22:29) finished with an impressive 61st. Junior Heidi Lindeman (22:42) finished 73rd, while senior Terri Emond (23:03) rounded out the Golden Eagles' effort at 100th.
On tap for Marquette next weekend is the Loyola Lakefront Invitational at Montrose Beach, a 5K race in Chicago.
This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 27, 2005.