The Cyclone men’s and women’s cross country teams opened their seasons at the ISU Open this past weekend with a first place finish from Alienor Gilchrist on the women’s squad.

The women’s team returned nine letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished eighth in the Big 12 and in the NCAA Regionals.

Some of the top returnees from the women’s squad are senior Erin Bresnan, juniors Emily Martini, Laurie Meythaler and sophomore Andrea Crapisi.

Head coach Dick Lee believes newcomers Alienor Gilchrist, a junior transfer from Iowa, and freshman Cara Van Eck from Lincoln, Neb., would add support to this year’s squad.

Lee predicts Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Baylor to be some of the tougher teams in the conference and stressed the importance of getting a chance to qualify for the NCAA tournament this year.

ISU got off to a good start in its quest to qualify for the NCAA tournament with a strong showing in the first meet.

Alienor Gilchrist took home the first place finish at the ISU Open with a time of 18:54.41, while teammates Andrea Caprisi finished second with a time of 19:09.05, and Emily Martini finished third with a time of 19:26.55.

Overall, Lee thought the first meet ended on a good note. “I was very pleased, and it was a good opener,” Lee said.

On the other hand, this year’s men’s squad returns seven letterwinners from last year. Last year’s squad finished fifteenth in the NCAA tournament, second in the Big 12 and fourth in the NCAA Regional tournament.

Head coach Kevin Bourke believes that senior All-American David Lichoro will be the top returnee from last year’s squad.

The new faces on the men’s team will be Philemon Too and John Sainna, both from Kapsabet, Kenya.

Bourke believes Colorado, who placed third nationally, will be a strong opponent to the Cyclones, as will Oklahoma State. Both teams returned the majority of their lineups from last year.

The men’s squad competed in an intrasquad meet because two of the teams did not show up for the ISU Open. However, Bourke was impressed with the times of his runners in the first meet.

Both Lee and Bourke were optimistic about the upcoming season and discussed the importance of qualifying for the NCAA tournament in Lawrence, Kan.

The Cyclone men’s and women’s teams will travel to the Minnesota Invitational on Sept. 26.