Roseville’s Robert Mechura wins 38th annual Roy Griak Invitational

"I was nervous because there were a lot of good runners out here," said Mechura, who won last November's Class 3A meet on the same 5,000-meter course. "It's probably the most competitive race I'll run until state. But I was also confident because I was the top Minnesota runner here last year and I had a good summer."

At the state track and field meet in June at St. Michael-Albertville, Mechura also swept the 3A 1,600 and 3,200-meter races. He spent the offseason working smarter, not harder. Just because he could run for days, doesn't mean he found it wise to do so.

"It's better to do too little than a little too much," he said. "Last year, I think I went a little too hard on my summer workouts. I was a little smarter about not going so hard."

On Friday, Mechura was 6.5 seconds off the lead pace at the one-mile mark and the gap increased to 8.1 seconds at the 3,000-meter mark. He wasn't fazed.

"I had to start farther back and work my way up," Mechura said. "That was my strategy."

Wayzata junior Maddie Gullickson took fourth in the girls 5,000-meter championship division, one spot ahead of Forest Lake senior Norah Hushagen, the defending Class 3A individual champion. Wayzata, which won its second consecutive 3A state meet last fall, grabbed second.

Freshman Erik Semling (Cotter/Hope Lutheran) finished first among Minnesotans and third overall in the regional meet. Junior Lev Dougherty (Heritage Christian) placed sixth overall and second among Minnesotans. Mounds Park Academy senior Eddie Snider, Minnesota's Class 1A champion in November, grabbed eighth.

Hibbing senior Tara Hertling finished first among Minnesotans and second overall, with Hillsboro/Central Valley seventh grader Claire Grinde placing third overall and second among Minnesotans. Senior Sonja Semling of Cotter/Hope Lutheran capped the top three in-state finishers.