AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State Cross Country team starts its season Friday at the Bulldog Classic located at Ewing Park in Des Moines, Iowa. The 4,000-meter competition will begin at 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. for the women's and men's teams respectively.

"We're anxious to get the season started (this Friday)," head coach Corey Ihmels said. "We've got a mix of athletes that will be running (at the Bulldog Classic). It gives us a chance to get our feet wet and see where we are at as a team. We are really looking forward to the season."

Cyclone women competing at the Bulldog Classic include Kim Brown, Christine Fries, Molly Lohry, Kayla Marsh, Erin Penticoff and Kaylee Small. Cyclone men competing include Elphas Sang, Michael Alexander, Josh Mellman, Garrett Eklof, Alex Whitesell, Dan Murray and Charlie Paul.

Last year, then-sophomore Daniel Murray finished fourth at this event with a time of 12 minutes 33 seconds, while then-sophomore Alex Whitesell finished in a close sixth place (12:37). Then-sophomore Kaylee Small finished in eighth last year (16:19), while then-junior Kim Brown finished ninth (16:20).

Post-meet coverage will be available on cyclones.com.