LAKE CHARLES – The defending Southland Conference Champion McNeese Cowboy cross country team will be joined by the Cowgirls to open up the 2022 season on Friday when it hosts the McNeese Season Opener.
 
The women will run a 3k beginning at 6 p.m. while the men will follow with a 6k at 6:20. The event will be run at the Enos Derbonne Sports Complex.
 
Joining McNeese in the field will be squads from the University of Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Lamar and Northwestern State.
 
The Cowboys will enter the meet ranked No. 13 in the preseason USTFCCCA South Central Region Top 15 Poll. Lamar is ranked seventh and Stephen F. Austin is 15^th. McNeese returns three runners from last year's championship team, led by junior Jacob Kipkogei who was the 2021 SLC Newcomer of the Year and third team All-SLC following a 13^th place finish at the league championships. Junior Elias Loriposia, who placed 20^th at the conference championships, also returns as well as sophomore James Hyland, sophomore Omar El-Fadl, who placed 16^th at the SLC meet, and sophomore Filippo Squassina.
 
Newcomers include sophomore transfer Gilbert Kimutai who earned All-American honors at Southeast Community College following a 10^th place finish at the NJCAA National Championships. Also joining the Cowboys this season are freshmen Abdullah Elkhair, Evans Kemboi, Desmond Kiplomo, and Obeid Mohamed.
 
On the women's side, the Cowgirls are ranked 14^th in the preseason and the only team in the field ranked in the top 15.
 
The Cowgirls return six runners from last year's team that finished third at the conference championships.
 
Headlining the returners is All-SLC second team selections senior Pamela Kosgei who finished seventh at the league championship meet. Junior Sorcha Moloney returns after a 17^th place finish at last year's conference meet and just missing out on all-conference honors while sophomore Bonnie Andres also returns following a 24^th place finish. Rounding out the returners are redshirt junior Ciara Gilroy (32^nd at SLC meet), sophomore Irene Barrerio-Lopez (38^th), and sophomore Grace Sullivan.
 
New to the squad is transfer sophomore Jasmine Perez, who last season as a member of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, finished 16^th at the SLC meet to help the Islanders win the league title.