firsThe Minnesota women's cross country team slipped three spots to No. 28 in this week's Finish/Lynx Women's Cross Country National Poll, released today. The Golden Gophers were ranked No. 25 in the first regular-season release of the poll, but have not competed since Sept. 14.

The Golden Gophers' next competition is Saturday, Sept. 28, when Minnesota plays host to the Roy Griak Invitational. The Griak is the largest cross country meet in the nation, with all collegiate divisions and high school, both men and women, competing in seven races. The Gopher men will compete in the Men's Gold Race, which begins at 12 noon. The Gopher women run in the Women's Gold Race, set for a 1 p.m. start. The Griak is held at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcons Heights, Minn..

FinishLynx/NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country National Poll (Conducted by the Women's Cross Country Coaches Association) September 23, 2002 Ranking Team Points Last Week 1. Brigham Young (13) 390 1 2. Georgetown 376 2 3. Stanford 360 3 4. Colorado 348 4 5. Notre Dame 337 5 6. North Carolina State 332 6 7. Arkansas 304 7 8. Duke 300 8 9. Michigan State 277 9 10. Boston College 260 17 11. Northern Arizona 252 10 12. UCLA 230 11 13. Providence 223 18 14. Marquette 210 t14 15. William & Mary 206 13 16. Villanova 199 12 17. Colorado State 162 20 18. Wisconsin 155 21 19. Arizona State 153 19 20. Penn State 133 t14 21. Cornell 125 28 22. Wake Forest 102 24 23. Southwest Missouri St. 93 rv 24. Yale 87 16 25. Michigan 78 rv 26. Virginia 68 26 27. Arizona 65 27 28. Minnesota 63 25 29. Toledo 33 rv 30. Weber State 30 29 Other teams receiving votes: Columbia (21), Wake Forest (17), Washington (15), South Florida (14), Coastal Carolina (12), North Carolina (7), Georgia Tech (4), Missouri (3), Stony Brook (1).