University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, August 29
Minneapolis, Minn.
University of Minnesota
vs
Oz Memorial
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Cross Country
Distance
/ Women's Cross Country
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Cross Country
Distance
/ Women's Cross Country
Distance
/ Women's Cross Country
Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Gophers to Host Oz Memorial on Friday to Begin 2025 Campaign
8/28/2025 8:20:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
The two-race event begins at 6 p.m. at Les Bolstad Golf Course.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota cross country team is ready to begin the 2025 season with the Oz Memorial at the Les Bolstad Golf Course on August 29. The event will feature a pair of races that begin at 6 pm and 6:30 pm with the men kicking things off.
OZ MEMORIAL RACE SCHEDULE
Friday's competition will see the Golden Gophers run against Iowa Central.
A QUICK 2024 RECAP
Last season the Maroon and Gold women returned to the NCAA Championships and finished 18th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wis. The NCAA appearance was the program's ninth in the last 12 years under the leadership of Sarah Hopkins. Then-junior Ali Weimer led the way throughout the season and captured a bronze medal at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships and later added a runner-up finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Additionally returners Isabelle Schmitz and Izzy Roemer earned All-Region honors en route to a bid to the 2024 NCAA Championships.
Minnesota's men in 2024 saw the emergence of Aidan Jones, a redshirt freshman from Minneapolis. Jones was 29th in his first career 10K at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Ill. In 2024 the men were 11th at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships and finished 10th at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The men's team returns 15 from last year's roster and brings in four newcomers.
ROEMER, JONES NAMED BIG TEN RUNNERS TO WATCH
Redshirt junior Erin Reidy and redshirt sophomore Emmet Anderson were named the cross country team's Runners to Watch by the Big Ten, the conference office announced on August 20.
Roemer, a Chanhassen, Minn. native, returns after a stellar 2024 cross country campaign where she was named All-Midwest Region and put down the 15th-fastest 6K time in school history (20:10.5) at the Big Ten Championships. Roemer's time at Big Tens went down as the fifth-fastest by a Gopher at the conference meet and also put down the seventh-fastest Midwest Regional time by a Gopher at 20:18.1. In 2024 Roemer also aided Minnesota's 18th-place team finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships (149th overall, 20:49.2) as well as a team win at the 2024 Roy Griak Invitational (19th, 22:08.7).
Out of Minneapolis, Jones had a strong start to his Gopher career as a redshirt freshman in 2024 and looks to build on that in his third year at the 'U'. In cross country last season Jones posted lifetime bests in the 5K (16:34.9), 8K (23:38.1) and 10K (30:12.5). Jones came on late last season and excelled at the Big Ten Championships (8K) where he was Minnesota's second-best finisher in 48th and followed that performance with a 29th-place finish in his first NCAA Midwest Regional (10K), which was first among the Gopher lineup.
WOMEN BEGIN SEASON RANKED
The University of Minnesota women's cross country team begins the 2025 season ranked No. 18 in the country by the USTFCCCA, the same position the team finished at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last season. Ali Weimer, Izzy Roemer, Isabelle Schmitz and Nadia Phillips all finished inside Minnesota's top seven at the 2024 NCAA Championships and return to the roster in 2025.
Among Big Ten teams the Maroon and Gold are the fifth-highest ranked women's team in the first USTFCCCA rankings and come in at No. 2 in the Midwest Regional rankings.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will take three weeks to prepare for the 39th Roy Griak Invitational that is scheduled for September 19, at the Les Bolstad Golf Course.
OZ MEMORIAL RACE SCHEDULE
- Men's College 5k // 6:00 p.m. CT
- Women's College 5k // 6:30 p.m. CT
Friday's competition will see the Golden Gophers run against Iowa Central.
A QUICK 2024 RECAP
Last season the Maroon and Gold women returned to the NCAA Championships and finished 18th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wis. The NCAA appearance was the program's ninth in the last 12 years under the leadership of Sarah Hopkins. Then-junior Ali Weimer led the way throughout the season and captured a bronze medal at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships and later added a runner-up finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Additionally returners Isabelle Schmitz and Izzy Roemer earned All-Region honors en route to a bid to the 2024 NCAA Championships.
Minnesota's men in 2024 saw the emergence of Aidan Jones, a redshirt freshman from Minneapolis. Jones was 29th in his first career 10K at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Ill. In 2024 the men were 11th at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships and finished 10th at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The men's team returns 15 from last year's roster and brings in four newcomers.
ROEMER, JONES NAMED BIG TEN RUNNERS TO WATCH
Redshirt junior Erin Reidy and redshirt sophomore Emmet Anderson were named the cross country team's Runners to Watch by the Big Ten, the conference office announced on August 20.
Roemer, a Chanhassen, Minn. native, returns after a stellar 2024 cross country campaign where she was named All-Midwest Region and put down the 15th-fastest 6K time in school history (20:10.5) at the Big Ten Championships. Roemer's time at Big Tens went down as the fifth-fastest by a Gopher at the conference meet and also put down the seventh-fastest Midwest Regional time by a Gopher at 20:18.1. In 2024 Roemer also aided Minnesota's 18th-place team finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships (149th overall, 20:49.2) as well as a team win at the 2024 Roy Griak Invitational (19th, 22:08.7).
Out of Minneapolis, Jones had a strong start to his Gopher career as a redshirt freshman in 2024 and looks to build on that in his third year at the 'U'. In cross country last season Jones posted lifetime bests in the 5K (16:34.9), 8K (23:38.1) and 10K (30:12.5). Jones came on late last season and excelled at the Big Ten Championships (8K) where he was Minnesota's second-best finisher in 48th and followed that performance with a 29th-place finish in his first NCAA Midwest Regional (10K), which was first among the Gopher lineup.
WOMEN BEGIN SEASON RANKED
The University of Minnesota women's cross country team begins the 2025 season ranked No. 18 in the country by the USTFCCCA, the same position the team finished at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last season. Ali Weimer, Izzy Roemer, Isabelle Schmitz and Nadia Phillips all finished inside Minnesota's top seven at the 2024 NCAA Championships and return to the roster in 2025.
Among Big Ten teams the Maroon and Gold are the fifth-highest ranked women's team in the first USTFCCCA rankings and come in at No. 2 in the Midwest Regional rankings.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will take three weeks to prepare for the 39th Roy Griak Invitational that is scheduled for September 19, at the Les Bolstad Golf Course.
Cinematic Recap: 2025 Oz Memorial
Tuesday, September 02
Cinematic Recap: 2024 NCAA Championships
Monday, November 25
NCAA Championship Send Off
Thursday, November 21
Cinematic Recap: 2024 NCAA Regional
Friday, November 15