GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The 2010 cross country season gets off and running on Saturday when the Fighting Sioux men's and women's cross country teams host the annual Ron Pynn Classic at the Ray Richards Golf Course.

The women's 5K race gets underway at 9 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 9:45.

Both the men's and women's races will be scored as double-dual meets and will feature UND, South Dakota State and Seattle. SDSU's men's team was voted the preseason favorite in the Summit League preseason poll, while its women's team was ranked third. Seattle was ranked second in the Great West Conference preseason men's poll and fourth in the women's poll.

UND's women's team, under 26^th-year head coach Dick Clay, was voted third in the GWC preseason poll and returns five letterwinners from last year's team that placed third in the conference. Among the returnees is junior Katherine Enabnit (Carmichael, Calif.), an All-GWC second team performer last season who placed 10^th at the conference meet.

UND's four other returning letterwinners also competed for the Sioux at the 2009 GWC Championship: junior Emily Emerson (Lino Lakes, Minn.), junior Meghan Enabnit (Carmichael, Calif.), junior Angela Kumm (Hutchinson, N.D.) and sophomore Anna Lipetzky (Moorhead, Minn.).

Clay also takes over head coaching duties with the men's program following the retirement of longtime head coach Mike Grandall. The Sioux, picked seventh in the GWC preseason poll, welcome back three letterwinners from the 2009 team, including senior Josh LaBlanc (International Falls, Minn.), who earned All-GWC second team honors with a seventh-place finish at last year's conference meet.

UND's other returnees include junior Tyler Rose (Brainerd, Minn.) and sophomore David Niday (Richfield, Minn.).

Admission to Saturday's event is free.

- Go Sioux -