Sayen named GLIAC Cross Country Player of the Week
HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech junior Clayton Sayen has been named GLIAC Men's Cross Country Player of the week the conference office announced on Tuesday (Sept. 28). Sayen (Houghton, Michigan) led Michigan Tech cross country with a first-place individual finish at the Roy Griak Invitational Friday afternoon at Les Bolstad Golf Course. Sayen turned in a winning time of 25:17.7 in the Joe Rider Men's Maroon 8K race, edging Wayne State's Ransom Allen (25:22.5) and Zac Truman (25:41.3) for the top spot on the podium. It was the first victory of the season for Sayen, who trimmed his time by 40 seconds since the Huskies last ran the same event in the fall of 2019.
Sayen took 12th place two seasons ago. A total of 374 men representing NCAA Division II and III teams appeared in this year's race. Sayen continued his strong start after posting a third-place finish to open the season at the Wayne State Warrior Challenge with an 8K time of 25:05.1 on September 9. Sayen was named USTFCCCA All-Region as well as All-GLIAC First Team in 2019 as a sophomore. He placed 44th in the NCAA National Championships with a time of 30:56.4.
Tech men's and women's cross country is off to a strong start to the 2021 season and returns to action on Friday, October 1 at the Blugold Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin, Eau Claire. The men's 8K race begins at 5:15 p.m. and the women's 6K is slated for 6:15 p.m. at Whitetail Golf Course. The entry list includes 34 teams from NCAA Division I, II, and III member institutions.