MacGregor Park (Google Maps)

HOUSTON -- Coming off a solid first season in the Southland Conference last year, HBU's men and women open the 2014 cross country campaign Friday, Aug. 29, at MacGregor Park as the Huskies host the University of Houston and SLC rival Sam Houston State in double-dual competition. The women's two-mile race goes off at 5:45, followed by the men's three-mile.

Top returnees for the Huskies include Juan Fraga, who was HBU's number two men's runner as a freshman in 2013, and Gabriela Busquet, who placed 22nd individually at the SLC meet to lead HBU's women to a sixth-place finish. Three other top-five men return in Orlando Garcia, Javier Zamora and Oscar Garcia, who helped the Huskies to a seventh-place finish in the conference last year.

Carolyn McClanahan, Stephanie Aguilar and Kierstin Santana were also in the top five for the women at the SLC meet and will be joined by a talented group of freshmen that includes Texas high school state cross country meet veterans Katie Haring, Arielle Price and Brielle Eskridge, along with Lauren Stockton, the daughter of HBU assistant baseball coach Russell Stockton, who was fifth at the TAPPS state meet last fall for Houston Incarnate Word Academy.

In the USTFCCCA pre-season rankings, Houston's men are No. 9 in the South Central region, with Sam Houston at No. 12 and HBU at No. 15. The Huskies are also No. 15 in the South Central women's poll.