The Cougar and Lady Cougar Cross Country teams will kick off their season at the Mountaintop Invitational at Covenant College Friday at 6:00 ET.

Both programs and head coach David Kyle will enter into their third season. Since Walters State established a program this season, this will be the first year that the TCCAA will offer Men's and Women's Cross Country as an official sport. Cleveland State will host the first annual TCCAA Championship Cross Country Meet, which will take place on Oct. 26.

The men's team features a team with a good balance of strong returning talent and a strong recruiting class. Returning impact sophomores Derek Gallardo and David Tullock will help lead a team filled with talented newcomers, highlighted by two-time Catoosa County Cross Country Runner of the Year in Erik Martinez, region champion Diego Guzman, Dalton State standout Luis De La Pena, and Clayton State transfer Riley Higginbotham, who was the only freshman to qualify for the school's conference track meet and is a sophomore that will also offer leadership. Gallardo, Martinez, Guzman, De La Pena, and Higginbotham all ran at or under 18:00 minute in their 5k pre-season test at the Race to Achieve Saturday, with Martinez winning the race with a time of 16:21.

There is also reason for excitement on the women's side, as the roster features experienced returning sophomores Alexis Kyle and Sadie Lane and is rounded out with newcomers Angie Torres, Jordan Wagers, and Lydia Hollis. Torres ran a 25:09 5k at the Race to Achieve, with Lane and Wagers rounded out the team's top three. 

"I'm excited to get the Cross Country Season started at Covenant this week," Kyle said. "We had a good 5k last week to get some fast road times. However, Covenant is a challenging course with a fast finish so I am definitely anxious to see everyone's cross country times. They have worked hard on their own all summer and we have had good practices since August 1st. They are ready and now it's time to show off our team. I'm confident in their ability so it should be fun."

Both teams will look to make an appearance in the NJCAA National Championship in Alberqurque, N.M. for the first time since Luis Perez and Madison Guider competed as individuals in 2017.

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