STILLWATER, Okla.  --  Wichita State's men's and women's cross country teams will open the season Thursday at the Cowboy Duals with a small contingent of mostly underclassmen runners ahead of the Shockers' home meet Saturday.

Running for the men against a strong field in the duals will be Gage Garcia, Brandon Lewis, Aaron Miller, Connor Stine and Austin Sturdy. The women's team will consist of Kelsey Lathrop, Kendra Schoening, Emma Stamm, Deidra Walker and Sydney Wilson, a freshman from the track and field team.

Host Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tulsa, and Oral Roberts round out the field. The Cowboy Duals is set to begin at 8 a.m., with the women's 3K race and the men's 5K race will follow.

On the women's side, the No. 8 Oklahoma State Cowgirls will be the favorite at OSU Cross Country Course, while Arkansas' teams earned preseason top-15 spots (men sixth, women 11th), Tulsa's men were No. 27 and the Oklahoma's men were 19 as the second-highest ranked Big 12 squad behind the OSU at 11.

The remainder of the Shocker squad will host the 68th Annual J.K. Gold Classic on Saturday morning at the R.A.F. T. Course in Augusta.