WICHITA—The Wichita State cross country teams make a short trip at 9 a.m. on Saturday to Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence to kick off the 2019 season.
 
The opening meet of the year is composed of a 6K race at 9 a.m. for the men and a 5K race at 10 a.m. for the women and . The Shockers will send a total of nine athletes to the inaugural race of the season.
 
Cade Heikes, Jason Landon, Britte Magnuson, Asher Moen and Keegan Staats will run for the men's team. All five athletes are competing in their first cross country race as a Shocker.
 
Miranda Dick, Sharon Kiprop, Hope Saunders and Erin Topham are set to race in the women's 6K. Saunders is the only returner slated to compete this weekend.
 
Fans can head to Rim Rock Farm, which is located at 2276 Burnett Lane in Lawrence. Updates will be posted as they become available on Twitter (@GoShockersTFXC). A recap and full results will be posted to GoShockers.com after the race.
 
Shockers in the Polls
 
The USTFCCCA Preseason Poll was released Monday, and the women's cross country squad was picked as a top-10 team in the Midwest Region. The Shockers were ranked No. 7 in the region, which is the team's highest placement in the poll since 2016. 
 
The WSU women's cross country team also came in as the highest-ranking team in the state of Kansas. The Jayhawks were slotted at 13^thin the Midwest Region.
 
Coach Kirk Hunter on the meet
 
On the offseason
 
"We had great training sessions this summer. They did a good job training this offseason. The freshman weren't up to the level of the returnees, but they're just inexperienced, so they're going to be growing through the season. The returners definitely came in more fit than in the past."
 
On the expectations of the Bob Timmons Classic
 
"This is just going to be a good chance for these freshmen to gain experience. They really don't have any experience of DI cross country, so this is a good chance to get them out there to experience. Without the experience, they can't grow and learn from it."
 
On the advantages of opening the season in the state of Kansas
 
"Every year I've been here, our home meet has been the first one of the year, and I prefer that, but based on rules and return dates, we needed another meet. I'm thankful KU is allowing us to come in and run with a few athletes. It's nice we only have to go a few hours, and we don't have to spend a lot of money or time."