WICHITA – Wichita State cross country is set to race in its home opener, the 76^th Annual JK Gold Classic, Saturday morning at Clapp Cross Country Course.
 
The Shocker men race the 6K at 8 a.m., and the women race the 5K at 9 a.m. The first high school race begins at 8:30 a.m., and the final race starts at 11:15 a.m.
 
Wichita State will host 11 men's teams and 12 women's teams, including American Athletic Conference foes, North Texas (men/women) and Tulsa (women).
 
The Wichita State men placed fourth at the championship meet with 107 points a season ago, beating North Texas, who finished seventh with 186 points. The women of Tulsa edged out Wichita State at the 2023 AAC Cross Country Championships, taking fourth as a team with 102 points as the Shockers finished fifth with 128 points. The North Texas women placed 13^th with 303 points.
 
Tulsa is racing Chloe Hershenow, the 2022 AAC cross country champion and 2024 AAC indoor and outdoor AAC 5,000-meter champion, along with 2023 all-conference cross country runner, Robyn Kowalski, and 2024 steeplechase champion Katharina Pesendorfer.

The three AAC teams will get a preview of the course where this year's AAC Cross Country Championships will take place as Wichita State is set to host the championship races on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Wichita State's Yared Kidane will make his Shocker debut after redshirting last season. Prior to coming to Wichita State, Kidane raced for Iowa Central CC where he won the 2022 NJCAA Region XI Cross Country Championships.
 
"Yared is looking very good and will be significant for our team this season," Hunter said.
 
2022 all-conference runner Sarah Bertry will make her season debut after competing unattached during the outdoor track and field season to even out her eligibility. Coach Hunter said Bertry "came back really fit" from summer break.
 
Many Shocker underclassmen will race for the second-straight week after opening up at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic on Aug. 30.
 
"I've been impressed with our freshmen already," Hunter said. "I thought the newcomers that came in did one of the best jobs of a freshman group that I've seen [to prepare]."
 
The Clapp Cross Country Course women's 5K record is held by Lucy Ndungu, who ran 17:42.50 in 2023, and the men's 6K record is held by Adam Rzentkowski, who ran 18:09.24 in 2023.
 
Fans can find the full schedule, entries, parking and course maps, live results and more on the home meet info page.