CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University men's and women's cross country teams will return from three weeks of dedicated practicing for their first measuring-stick race of the season on Saturday, Sep. 27, in Riverside, Calif. The Thunderbirds will gauge themselves against two Western Athletic Conference competitors as the season begins to ramp up.

MEET INFORMATION

LIVE RESULTS

Coach Eric Houle Said

"It'll be great for the team to get racing again. We've had a good three-week training phase, which has helped our young athletes develop. The invitational allows all our athletes to improve their performances and prepare for future competition."

 UCR Invitational

Hosted by the University of California, Riverside, the race will take place on the UCR Agricultural Operations Course. The historically popular venue boasts groves of citrus trees and irrigation canals, but also conceals a deceptive rise in elevation in the back half of the course.

In addition to competing with the UCR Highlanders, the Thunderbirds will face WAC rivals California Baptist University and Utah Tech University and future Big Sky opponent Eastern Washington University.

The women's 6K Invite will begin at 8:15 a.m., and the men's 8K Invite will follow shortly after at 8:50 a.m.

Last Time Out

Despite practicing through it, Southern Utah performed well at the Utah Valley University Invitational on Aug. 29. On the three-mile course, the men landed second place, and the women's team took third.

In an impressive effort for the men, five competitors finished in the top 25, with junior Logan Peel leading the way at 14:28.3. Audrey Hales earned 12th for the women with a time of 17:56.2, and Nixie Killpack followed close behind in 16th with an 18:03.4.

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