South Dakota State’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams will begin their season at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the NDSU Bison Open in Fargo, North Dakota. They are coming off a season where they both won the Summit League Championship.

The men will have to replace their top runner from last season, Joel Reichow, who was an All-American and finished No. 20 in the NCAA championships. Seniors Kyle Burdick and Ayub Kassim will have the task of filling his shoes.

Burdick competed in five races last season and finished sixth in the Summit League Championships and No. 38 in the NCAA Midwest Region Championships. Kassim finished third in the Summit League Championships and No. 26 at the NCAA Midwest Championships. Both were career-bests.

Senior Cal Lawton and Junior Chase Cayo are also returners for the Jacks and are expected to be near the top of the team after last years performances.

Lawton finished No. 13 in the SDSU Classic last season and Cayo finished No. 52 in the NCAA Midwest Regionals with a career-best time of 31:21.9.

The women will return their top two runners in juniors Emily Donnay and Rachel King. Donnay won the Summit League Championships and placed No. 23 at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship. King finished in second at the Summit League Championships and placed No. 26 in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship.

Head Coach Rod DeHaven said expectations have not changed for the Jacks, as the men have won the Summit League Championship five out of the last eight years.

“The goal for the season is the same as it has been for quite some time, to win the league meet and keep climbing the mountain to qualify a team for the nationals,” Coach DeHaven said.