Photo by: Troy Babbitt-UW Media-Athletics
9/18/2025 1:42:00 PM | Cross Country, Pokes Insider
Wyoming Cowboys cross country looking to repeat at Roy Griak Invitational
LARAMIE – The Wyoming men's cross country team is returning to the race that launched a memorable 2024 season.
The Pokes are the reigning champions at the Roy Griak Invitation on Friday in St. Paul, Minn.
Two senior standouts, Jacob White and Ryker Holtzen, will try to lead the program to a repeat performance after helping the Pokes finish first in the 8K a year ago in a field that included rival Colorado State, Ohio State and host Minnesota.
White and Holtzen were UW's top two finishers at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, where the Cowboys finished 30th. The runners' high continued when they both earned All-American status while competing in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field championships in June.
"I think a lot of these younger guys saw the momentum, saw how cool it is to do these things, and everybody wants to carry that forward this year," Holtzen said. "We have a good shot at doing that again."
UW opened the season with a second-place finish behind No. 13 Colorado at the Wyoming Invite on Aug. 30 in Cheyenne. White was the runner-up in the 5K with a time of 15 minutes, 3.36 seconds.
Holtzen (15:29.98) was eighth, just ahead of teammates Mathis Chavand (ninth) and Mac Zastrow (10th). Head coach Mark Scott Dahlberg describes the annual race on the Little America course as a "rust buster" for the Pokes.
Despite graduating an impressive group of senior contributors last fall, lofty expectations remain for UW.
"On paper, if someone was to look at who we've returned, you would probably think we would be losing some depth," Dahlberg said. "We graduate a big crew within that top seven, but we're very excited about this next year.
"Guys like Ryker and Jacob were All-Americans in track, they gained a lot of experience competing at a high level. I think bringing that experience along with some confidence to the group is going to be good for that entire crew."
White finished 15th in the 5,000-meter final and Holtzen finished 15th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., to cap last year's memorable year for the UW cross country and track and field teams.
The Roy Griak Invitational field is headlined by No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 16 Cal Baptist and the returning champions from Laramie.
Although they will be running with a different cast of teammates, Holtzen and White will step on the course for the 9 a.m. race on Friday focused on returning to the top of the podium.
"They know what the expectations are, they know the experience of running at that high level at nationals," Dahlberg said. "Just making that meet is really hard. It gives those young guys confidence they can do the same things."
The Cowboys will next compete at the Joe Piane Invitational on Oct. 3 hosted by Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
The Pokes are the reigning champions at the Roy Griak Invitation on Friday in St. Paul, Minn.
Two senior standouts, Jacob White and Ryker Holtzen, will try to lead the program to a repeat performance after helping the Pokes finish first in the 8K a year ago in a field that included rival Colorado State, Ohio State and host Minnesota.
White and Holtzen were UW's top two finishers at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, where the Cowboys finished 30th. The runners' high continued when they both earned All-American status while competing in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field championships in June.
"I think a lot of these younger guys saw the momentum, saw how cool it is to do these things, and everybody wants to carry that forward this year," Holtzen said. "We have a good shot at doing that again."
UW opened the season with a second-place finish behind No. 13 Colorado at the Wyoming Invite on Aug. 30 in Cheyenne. White was the runner-up in the 5K with a time of 15 minutes, 3.36 seconds.
Holtzen (15:29.98) was eighth, just ahead of teammates Mathis Chavand (ninth) and Mac Zastrow (10th). Head coach Mark Scott Dahlberg describes the annual race on the Little America course as a "rust buster" for the Pokes.
Despite graduating an impressive group of senior contributors last fall, lofty expectations remain for UW.
"On paper, if someone was to look at who we've returned, you would probably think we would be losing some depth," Dahlberg said. "We graduate a big crew within that top seven, but we're very excited about this next year.
"Guys like Ryker and Jacob were All-Americans in track, they gained a lot of experience competing at a high level. I think bringing that experience along with some confidence to the group is going to be good for that entire crew."
White finished 15th in the 5,000-meter final and Holtzen finished 15th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., to cap last year's memorable year for the UW cross country and track and field teams.
The Roy Griak Invitational field is headlined by No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 16 Cal Baptist and the returning champions from Laramie.
Although they will be running with a different cast of teammates, Holtzen and White will step on the course for the 9 a.m. race on Friday focused on returning to the top of the podium.
"They know what the expectations are, they know the experience of running at that high level at nationals," Dahlberg said. "Just making that meet is really hard. It gives those young guys confidence they can do the same things."
The Cowboys will next compete at the Joe Piane Invitational on Oct. 3 hosted by Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Monday, August 11
Monday, August 15
Friday, November 16
Thursday, November 08
