LINCOLN, Neb. – Wichita State cross country travels up the road for the 35^th Annual Greeno/Dirksen Invitational Saturday at the Mahoney Park Golf Course.
 
The men's 8K race begins at 10 a.m., followed by the women's 5K at 10:50 a.m. Wichita State will compete against 25 men's teams and 24 women's teams, including four squads ranked in the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Week One Rankings.
 
Wichita State's Lucy Ndungu is set to make her season debut and race in a cross country uniform for the first time since November 2023.
 
TEAMS IN THE USTFCCCA RANKINGS
MIDWEST REGION - MEN
No. 6 Missouri
No. 13 Wichita State
 
MOUNTAIN REGION – MEN
No. 5 Air Force
 
MIDWEST REGION - WOMEN
No. 5 Missouri
No. 10 Nebraska
 
LAST TIME OUT
The majority of the team opened their season at home at the JK Gold Classic on Sept. 6. Sophomore transfer Elkana Kipruto made his Wichita State debut with an individual win, running 18:41.49 in the 6K to lead the Shocker men to their fourth-straight JK Gold Classic team title. Freshman Mercy Jepkoech led the Shocker women to a third-place team finish with her second-straight top-three placement, taking third in the 5K with a time of 18:34.9.
 
PREVIOUSLY AT THE GREENO/DIRKSEN INVITATIONAL
The last time the Shockers raced at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational, both the men's and women's team placed third, and every Wichita State runner who raced recorded a personal-best time. Lucy Ndungu finished third in the red division (Division I schools) with a 5K time of 17:19.67, and Zander Cobb led the Shocker men with an eighth-place finish in the red division with an 8K time of 24:24.86.