FALCON HEIGHTS -- After sitting out last week, Josh Rohatinsky placed third, leading the No. 5 Cougars to victory at the Griak Invitational. The women also had success on Saturday placing second in two races. They ran an A and B team in the Great America Cross Country Festival in Gary N.C.

The women's A-team, who ran in the Nike Race of Champions, were led by Chelsea Smith McKell. Smith McKell ran the 5K race in a time of 17:15 placing fourth. Heidi Magill, in her first race of the season, followed Smith McKell with a fifth place finish. Anne Heiner (20), Jocelyn Gardner (25) and Amy Fowler (29) rounded out the top five for the women's A-team.

Overall the A-team came in second place with 68 points. No. 1 Duke won the event with 20 points and Virginia place third behind the Cougars with 110 points.

"We knew Duke was going to be very good this year, there is a reason they are No. 1," women's head coach Patrick Shane said. "I really think we are on track. We're still training really hard. I feel like we ran well. We never peak early so we're a long ways from where we want to be at the end of the year, but I feel satisfied that we are in the right place."

The B-team, which ran in the University Seeded Race, was led by Sarah Ingebretsen who came in 12th place with a time of 18:34. Amber Duffin (17), Ann Marie Thomas (21), Carolyn Quebe (24) and Allison Passey (43) followed Ingebretsen to give the team a second place finish out of a 14-team field.

On the men's side, the Cougars placed three runners in the top 20 to give them the first place finish over No. 1 Wisconsin. Following Rohatinsky's third place finish was, Chandler Goodwin (16), Dustin Bybee (20) and Josh McAdams and Nick McCombs rounded out the top five.

"Wisconsin got out really well but we ran a smart race and ended up beating them," men's head coach Ed Eyestone said. "It was a very strong team effort. We came to do the best we can and the guys ran well."

Rohatinsky said the course was tough but he was pleased with his, as well as the team's performance.

"The race was kind of back and forth for me, which isn't common but overall I think I stuck in there mentally," he said. "The team did great. I finished, took a couple breaths and turned around and saw Chandler and Bybee come in and McAdams and Nick did well too. We packed it up and we were able to stay together. I think we really deserved the win."

Next week the women will be running in a 5K road race in Salt Lake City, after which they will have a week off to get ready for Pre-Nationals.

The men have the next two weeks off to prepare for Pre-Nationals on Oct. 15. The Pre-National race is in Terra Haute, Ind., and is run on the same course as nationals. This gives the team a chance to get a feel for the course before that event which takes place in November.

PROVO -- Both the men's (No. 5) and women's (No. 6) teams are on the road this Saturday, facing their stiffest competition of the season in the Griak Invitational, in Minnesota for the men, and the Great America Cross Country Festival, in North Carolina for the women.

"The competition will be very good," women's head coach Patrick Shane said. "It will be the best we've seen by 10 fold. We're in the fire. We were standing outside there for a while but we're in it now."

The women are coming off two first place finishes at the BYU Autumn Classic and the Big Wave Invitational. Chelsea Smith McKell led the team in both races with first place finishes.

BYU will run two teams on Saturday. The A-team will race in the Nike Race of Champs, while the B-team will be showcased in the University Women Race. Smith McKell will run on the A-team and Heidi Magill, 2004 MWC Freshman of the Year, will join her for her first race of the season. The B-team will feature Sarah Ingebretsen, second place finisher at the Big Wave Invitational.

Shane said he thinks both teams will run well. He said his girls have been working hard this season. His only concern is that they have trained too hard and could come out flat, but he wouldn't change that, he feels good about where they stand.

"I think our season has gone just right," he said. "We've been able to come along and train really hard to this point."

The men are heading to Minnesota after a week off. Prior to that they placed first in the BYU Autumn classic with Dustin Bybee and Chandler Goodwin coming in first and second, respectively.

"We'll be running against some good competition," men's head coach Ed Eyestone said. "We will see how we fair against them."

Because of the good competition Eyestone said the Griak is the first chance the team has to get a feel for where they stand. In addition, he said this race brings a change for his team because they will be running a five-mile course compared to a four-mile course they have been running.

"This will be our first test of the year," Eyestone said. "We'll be running twelve of our top guys. I think we are well prepared. We've had a couple guys with sniffles and a little bit under the weather, but with taking twelve guys I'm sure we're going to have at least five that will step it up and run well."

The men's top runner, Josh Rohatinsky sat out the Autumn Classic but will be back to lead the Cougar pack.