This Friday, two of the most pristine cross country courses in the country will host respective contingents of national contenders at a pair of season openers.

The larger of the two meets is giving programs their first look at the site of the 2025 NCAA Cross Country National Championships, as the Gans Creek Classic welcomes 17 ranked programs to Columbia, Missouri. 

A six and a half hour drive southwest will take you to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where a handful of top-five programs will clash on the championship course at the Cowboy Jamboree.

Both meets will play host to season openers from most of the true title chasers, but we may still have to wait another week or two before all of the stars are out.

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Oregon Women Look To Make Early Statement

On Friday, November 21st, over 500 athletes and 64 programs will head back to 'CoMo' for the season finale, but for now, all eyes are set on the Gans Creek Classic. 

Tomorrow morning, five programs ranked inside the top 10 of FloTrack's College XC Rankings will go toe-to-toe in the Women's Gold division, as No. 2 Oregon, No. 4 Stanford, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Florida, and No. 9 Northern Arizona are on pace to collide. 

Missouri head coach Kyle Leavermore, whose Tigers will host this weekend's meet on their home course and the NCAA Championships later this fall, emphasized the value of such a deep early-season test. 

“The quality of the field is going to give each team real feedback about the national stage. It’s no secret that most teams are in hard training blocks and have their eyes on the end of October and November, but the competitive information is great feedback and provides a checkpoint to make adjustments and build toward championship-ready.”

As much as we'd hope for all five squads to race their 'A-Team', you can never tell who exactly we're going to see toeing the line, but it doesn't hurt to speculate!

For Shalane Flanagan's Oregon Ducks, they're coming off a fifth-place finish last November, and return some key pieces in All-Americans Silan Ayyildiz (13th) and Anika Thompson (31st). The Ducks also welcomed Kenyan duo Diana Cherotich and Juliet Cherubet to Eugene, where the pair is expected to help Oregon compete for a national title.

Cherubet finished 11th at the NCAA Championships a year ago at Texas Tech, and Cherotich sports a 15:01 5000m PB, so it's safe to say they'll be strong additions. 

Despite all of the preseason hype covering their West Coast rivals, the ladies of Stanford aren't making the nearly 2,000-mile trip just for fun; they're racing to make a statement. 

Led by upperclassmen and returning All-Americans Amy Bunnage (4th), Sophia Kennedy (33rd), the Cardinal would love nothing more than spoiling the Ducks' trip. 

Alabama, Florida, and Northern Arizona will surely be jockeying with the previously mentioned powers, but with Doris Lemngole and Brenda Tuwei of Alabama not entered and the Lumberjacks seemingly not racing their full squad, those two may have to wait until Nuttycombe or even later to truly make their debut.

Florida, on the other hand, seems to be showing the bulk of their cards, including the Gators' top returner, Hilda Olemomoi, who was third at last year's championships. 

All of the top teams' frontrunners are going to be speedy group up front chasing the gator, so look out for the trio from Oregon, as well as other stars from the other eight ranked programs. 

Iowa State Aims To Flip The Script On Defending Champs BYU

On the men's side, there's somehow even more firepower to play with, including the top two teams in our College XC Rankings, No. 1 Iowa State and No. 2 BYU. 

At last year's championships, the Cougars held off a gritty Cyclones squad 124-137, but the men in crimson and gold have vengeance on the brain. 

Led by their trio of hungry All-Americans Sanele Masondo (23rd), Joash Ruto (34th), and Robin Kwemoi Bera (37th), Iowa State is already the most talented and most complete team in the country. 

Complimented by the additions of Meshack Kimuati, Rodgers Kiplimo, and Ryan Watts, there's a very good chance the Big 12 comes out on top for the second consecutive year in November.

But I think I'm getting ahead of myself because it's not like Ed Eyestone is going to simply step aside and let Jeremy Sudbury's squad walk away with the trophy; the Cougars are going to defend that title with every ounce of being they've got.

While the reigning champs aren't returning any of their four All-Americans from a year ago, Paris Olympian James Corrigan, Davin Thompson, and a lot of young talent are geared up and ready to roll in their title defense. 

In addition to last year's top two finishers, No. 5 Wake Forest, No. 7 Stanford, and No. 8 Virginia have already thrown their hat into this weekend's ring, and they've got the runners-up front to get the job done. 

The fifth-ranked Demon Deacons have quietly built a true contender right under our noses, as Rocky Hansen, Hunter Jones, and JoJo Jourdon are set to lead the charge.

Lex and Leo Young will lead the Stanford Cardinal this weekend, as Palo Alto's finest will provide us a glimpse into how their team is looking this fall, as well as Gary Martin and his fellow Virginia Cavaliers.

In addition to the individual contenders we've already mentioned, Washington State's front-running duo of Solomon Kipchoge (previously at Texas Tech) and Evans Kurui will add some spice up front, as well as Alabama's Dismus Lokira.

No Hedengren, No Hutchins, Presumably No Problem As Cougars Open Up Season

Meanwhile, seven hours south in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the majority of nationally-ranked programs will be previewing the national championship course, both Oklahoma State's and New Mexico's men's and women's programs will be in attendance, as well as the 12th-ranked Oregon men and the top-ranked women of BYU. 

To answer your first question, no, freshman and high school legend Jane Hedengren will not be making her collegiate debut this weekend. In fact, All-American Jenna Hutchins will also hold off on making her junior debut. Riley Chamberlain, the lone returning All-American from last year's title-winning team, is also one of the few upperclassmen racing this weekend. 

Even without some of their top runners, the trip to Stillwater will still be a tremendous chance for newcomers and underclassmen to get a 6k under their legs against top-notch competition.  

For New Mexico, which is ranked fifth in our College XC Team Rankings, we won't see 10,000m national champion and 2024 cross country runner-up Pamela Kosgei, but we will catch our first glimpse of Marion Jepngetich this season, the Lobo sophomore coming off a fourth-place finish in the 5000m at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. 

The Oklahoma State women come into the season ranked 10th in our rankings, and they'll race 17 women on Friday as they begin to narrow down their travel squad. 

Cowboys, Lobos Lead Marquee Men's Field At Jamboree

While Gans Creek has the top two teams going head to head, the Cowboy Jamboree has the next top two teams meeting for a September clash. 

The Cowboys are once again led by Brian Musau, Denis Kipngetich, and Fouad Messaoudi, a trio of All-Americans who are hoping to bring the program its second national title in three years. 

Throw in Laban Kipkemboi, Ryan Schoppe, or any of the other 14 men I've yet to mention, and you've got a well-rounded and super quick squad that wants to improve on their eighth-place finish from 2024.

While Habtom Samuel won't make his debut in Stillwater, the Lobos will still race the rest of their stars, including returning All-Americans Collins Kiprotich (35th) and Evans Kiplagat (40th), as well as Matthew Kosgei, Vincent Chirchir, and Lukas Kiprop. 

The mighty men of Oregon will be in contention with the two long-distance powers, but it's going to be a tough day at the office for the Ducks. Granted, if there's one thing we've learned by now, it's that Jerry Schumacher will have this team ready to roll when the time's right. 

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