By HALEY HALL

Sports Editor

 The men’s and woman’s cross country teams started off their season on the road against Western Carolina University, or WCU, on Sat., Sept. 5. Coach Jeff Jenkins and Assistant Coach Ian Layne have been working side-by-side preparing the teams for their first meet. 

“Both the men and the women have been working really hard in preparation for the season opener,” said Jenkins. “It’s great to finally have the opportunity to see the results from all of the training that they’ve put in over the summer and so far this fall. The first race is always a bit of a rust-buster, but it will be exciting to see how we stand up to the bigger universities at WCU.”

At the WCU Invitational, both the men’s and women’s team finished fifth of five teams.

The men’s roster now includes Cody Parker, Jarrod Howell, Clayton Thayer, Zane Rimmer, Nathan Crews, Dewayne Cagle and Cory McClung. 

Five of the freshmen are already running within the top seven of the team, according to Jenkins.

“Being a freshman on a new team can be very scary sometimes, but Coach Jenkins has done a great job of getting us ready,” said first-year runner Clayton Thayer. 

The women’s roster includes Reese Bowles, Mackenzie Devine, Amber Duffy, Kristin Whitlock and Kayleigh Banks. The women’s team has five newcomers. 

“We have been training extra hard and putting in lots of miles, so I am ready to see some results,” said second-year runner Reese Bowles. 

Their next meet is the Furman Classic on Sept. 12 in Greenville, S.C. hosted by Furman University.