FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Arizona Cross Country is set to begin their 2023 season on Saturday in Flagstaff for the George Kyte Invitational hosted by NAU.
 
"The UA Cross Country teams are excited to kick off the season in Flagstaff this weekend," said Head Coach Bernard Lagat. "The student-athletes have worked hard and have a solid base as a result of their summer preparations. We are hosting our training camp in Flagstaff and look forward to the opportunity to test ourselves at George Kyte."
 
The competition takes place at Buffalo Park and begins at 1:30 p.m. MST with the men's 4.5-mile run. The women's 2.5-mile run will follow at 2:30 p.m. MST. Live results for both races can be found here.
 
The Wildcats return five total runners on the women's side and nine total on the men's side. Of those returners, three women (Alisa Lyesina, Sailor Hutton, Johnnie Mitchell) and five men (Ian Sanchez Lopez, Iker Sanchez Lopez, Cooper Quigley, Noah Jodon, Brennan Foody) competed at last year's NCAA Western Regional Championships.
 
Six new freshmen plan to make their Wildcat debut on Saturday as well. The women's team added Sage Patzer and Sorcha Shiu, while the men added Andrew Gibby, Gibson Kibia, Noah Ray, and Michael Urbanski. Patzer, Gibby, Kibia, and Urbanski are all Arizona natives, while Ray is from California and Shiu is from Alberta, Canada. The six join a young squad with only three seniors among the men and women (Alisa Lyesina, Sailor Hutton, Brandon Bounds).
 
"The freshmen will be competing in an Arizona uniform for the first time as collegiate athletes and that's always an exciting experience," said Coach Lagat. "The men's team is a young program with the majority being freshmen and sophomores. They're still learning, but a year wiser and ready for some competition! The women's team is a small, tight-knit group led by three seniors that will surprise a few teams. I'm excited to see how everyone will do this season."
 
This meet marks the first of four regular season events for the Wildcats, which will then be followed by the Pac-12 Championships, NCAA Western Regional Championships, and NCAA Championships at the end of the season. Additionally, the men enter the season ranked 13th in the West Region by the USTFCCCA.
 
This is the Wildcats third straight year of opening the season in Flagstaff at the George Kyte Invitational. At last year's competition, both the men and women placed second overall. Among this year's returners, Quigley and Hutton were the team's top finishers.
 
A meet recap will be posted to ArizonaWildcats.com detailing the competition results. Live updates will also be posted to @ArizonaTrack on Twitter.
 
RUNNERS
MEN
Brandon Bounds, Brennan Foody, Andrew Gibby, Noah Jodon, Gibson Kibia, Parker Lehmann, Cooper Quigley, Noah Ray, Cade Russo, Ian Sanchez Lopez, Iker Sanchez Lopez, Ayden Schilb, Michael Urbanski
 
WOMEN
Beatrice Honebrink, Sailor Hutton, Alisa Lyesina, Kara Mickelson, Johnnie Mitchell, Sage Patzer, Sorcha Shiu
 
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