The Southwestern men's and women's cross country teams are set to open the season Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Mustang Gallop hosted by Mount Mercy University.

The meet will be held at Tuma Soccer Complex in Marion. No spectators are being allowed at the meet.

Saturday's competition will be the first of the season for the Spartans after Iowa Western canceled the Region XI Time Trial, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29, and the Reiver Classic, scheduled Friday, Sept. 4. Both the men and the women will race a 5K distance at the Mustang Gallop.

"Our student-athletes have been on campus since Aug. 3 and have been working hard ever since. They are definitely ready for a competition against other schools," Southwestern Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Scott Vicker said. "This will be a great opportunity for our young men and women to race on a fast course and get a good gauge of their fitness level early in the season."

Southwestern will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 11, in the Viking Invitational, hosted by Grand View University on the DMACC campus in Ankeny. After a week off from competition to concentrate on training, Southwestern will host the Spartan Classic at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, on the SWCC campus and Crestmoor Golf Club. It will be the only home competition of the fall season for Southwestern athletics, with the women racing 5K at 4 p.m. and the men racing 8K at 4:45 p.m.

Other meets on Southwestern's schedule include the Trent Smith Invitational hosted by NIACC on Friday, Oct. 9, and the Indian Hills Invitational on Friday, Oct. 16. The Region XI Championships will be held on Sunday, Nov. 1, at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge, with the NJCAA National Championships being held on the same course on Saturday, Nov. 14. The NJCAA Half Marathon Championships will also be held in Fort Dodge on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

"As our schedule has undergone several changes in the buildup to the season, most of our competition this year will be against fellow ICCAC schools, so it will be nice to see other competition at Mount Mercy and Grand View," Vicker said. "With the unique circumstances of this season, we need to take full advantage of every meet we get in."

The Southwestern men will be led this year by freshman Josh Baudler of Fontanelle. Baudler was the Class 1A state champion last fall for Nodaway Valley, becoming the first boys individual state champion in Nodaway Valley's storied history. Baudler has looked impressive in early workouts for the Spartans.

A trio of former Hawkeye 10 Conference runners have the potential for breakout freshman campaigns. Connor Koppa of Red Oak, along with Nicholas Mather and Levi Detrick of Shenandoah, logged the most mileage of their running careers over the summer. Ahmed Fofana and Leland Perkins round out the men's roster with important roles, as the final scoring member of the team and the team's pusher.

"Josh is a great leader for our guys. He shows up ready to work hard every day and that attitude is catching on fast," Vicker said. "Connor, Nicholas and Levi have put in the most mileage of their lives and are already seeing the benefits of that added aerobic strength. I truly believe they will surprise a lot of people with their progress this fall."

Southwestern's women's team is composed of a pair of sophomores in Tori Reynolds and Mazzy Hummel.

Hummel was a late addition to the roster this fall, but has quickly rounded into shape. Reynolds consistently improved during her freshman season and will look to do the same this year.

"Our main goal for our two ladies is to lower their times each meet. We want to end the season with PRs for both of them," Vicker said.