Former University of Minnesota Duluth cross country and track All-American Morgan Place is one of eight individuals who will be enshrined in the Roy Griak Invitational Hall of Fame's first-ever class this fall.

The induction ceremonies will take place on Sept. 26 during the 30th Roy Griak Invitatonal at the Les Bolstad Cross Country Course in Falcon Heights, Minn. Along with Place, charter members include Griak, former head coaches Bill Bergan (Iowa State University) and Dick Skoog (Duluth East High School), runners Ben Noad (Providence College), Fran Ten Bensel (University of Nebraska) and Kiel Uhl (Des Moines Roosevelt High School/Iowa State University) and long-time official meet starter Ralph Eugene "Lefty" Wright. Griak, a native of Duluth, Minn. who served as the University of Minnesota's cross country and track and field coach for 33 years (1963-96), passed away earlier this month at the age of 91.

As a freshmen running in just her third collegiate meet, Place captured the 2008 Griak Invitational championship -- the first of three consecutive first-place finishes at that event. The first college female to ever claim three Griak individual titles, she helped lead the Bulldogs to Division II teamcrowns in both 2009 and 2010. During her UMD career, Place secured NCAA Division All-American recognition a school-record eight times (three in cross country, four in indoor track and one in outdoor track) while qualifying for 11 of a possible 12 NCAA Division II national meets (four cross country, three indoor track and four outdoor track). In cross country, she won 22 of 35 career races, including the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title as both a freshman and sophomore and the 2008 NCAA II Central Regional crown. Place still owns the three top national finishes ever turned in by a Bulldog, taking fifth place in 2010, sixth in 2009 and seventh in 2008. The Ellsworth, Wis., product was also a three-time 5,000-meter indoor track All-American, with her best effort (fourth place) coming as a rookie. In addition, she was also part of a UMD distance medley relay team that finished third at the 2009 NCAA II indoors. Place's other All-American citation came on the outdoor surface in 2010 when she took seventh in the 10,000-meter run. In all, she won seven NSIC individual championships (3,000-meter indoors in 2008 and 2009, 10,000-meter outdoors in 2009 and 2010, 5,000-meter outdoors in 2009 and 2010 and 5,000-meter indoors in 2010) while being selected the 2010 NSIC Outdoor Athlete of the Year and the 2009 NSIC Indoor and Outdoor Newcomer of the Year. Place, UMD's Outstanding Senior Female Athlete award recipient for 2011-12, exited the Bulldog track program as owner of five individual school records,  three of which still stand (10,000-meter outdoors, 5,000-meter indoors and distance medley indoors).





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