CEDAR CITY, Utah - Sept. 1 - Southern Utah cross country will open its 2010 on Saturday when the Thunderbirds compete at the Idaho State Invitational.  The meet will mark the fourth consecutive year that the T-Birds have opened the season in Pocatello with the teams having enjoyed a wealth of success over that span.

“Opening at Idaho State is great because it really gives us an indication of where the team is physically going into the season,” head coach Eric Houle said.  “We use this weekend to see who our top five runners will be on both sides and we have a great deal of talent among the men and women this year.”

Southern Utah's women will open the 2010 season as the Summit League favorite after being picked first by the coaches in the annual preseason coaches' poll.  The men were just shy of a first-place spot by four points, but did garner two first-place vote from conference coaches.

The Thunderbird women will be without 2009 ISU Invitational first-place finisher Sharla Manuele, following her graduation in 2010.  However, Manuele's presence will still be felt as the Enterprise, Utah native will be serving as an assistant coach with the Thunderbirds this season.  The men will have Kevin Sandall in the mix as the senior looks to defend his title at the race.

The Southern Utah cross country teams will have a two-week break from competition after Saturday's meet and will be back on September 18 to participate at the UC Riverside Invitational in Riverside, California.

For the complete release, please click on the link at the top of the page.