LOGAN, Utah – Utah State's men's and women's cross country teams will host the season-opening Utah State Alumni Challenge on Saturday, Aug. 30, at Steve and Dona Reeder Cross Country Course.
 
MEET INFORMATION 
Utah State Alumni Challenge
Date: Aug. 30, 2025 
Start: Men's 7K @ 9 a.m.; Women's 5K @ 9:45 a.m. (MT) 
Site: Logan, Utah
Venue: Steve and Dona Reeder Cross Country Course
Live Results: Lickety Split
Course Maps: 5K Map and 7K Map
  
DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY ARTIE GULDEN 
"This meet is always a fun one, in large part because we have a number of alumni come back and spend the weekend with us. It's fun to have them race and also interact with our current team."
 
"For this first meet, we will race about half of our team. Ultimately, the goal of it is to find out where some people are individually and where we are collectively as a team and then be able to make a plan moving forward to get to where we want to go, which is ultimately the NCAA Championship."
  
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
Utah State's cross country programs are both currently ranked sixth in the preseason NCAA DI Cross Country Mountain Regional Rankings. The Aggie women's team has been featured in every regional ranking since 2012, while the men have been ranked in every regional poll since 2016. In 2024, the USU men were ranked as high as No. 19, their highest national ranking since 2021, before finishing 22nd at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships.
 
The men and women were each ranked fourth in the 2025 Mountain West Cross Country Preseason Polls. The Aggie women earned 85 poll points, ranking behind New Mexico (121), Boise State (111) and Colorado State (94). The men's team tied with Air Force with 57 points. New Mexico was picked first with 81 points, followed by Boise State (61) and Wyoming (60).
 
RUNNING IT BACK
USU's men's cross country team returns 11 runners from the 2024 squad, including five of the seven runners who helped the Aggies to a fourth-place finish and eventual nationals berth at the 2024 NCAA Mountain Regionals. An additional four runners on the roster competed during the 2025 track and field seasons. USU's returnees have combined for 12 MW weekly awards and 15 cross country postseason appearances over their careers. Graduate Logan Garnica earned second-team All-Mountain West honors and the NCAA Elite 90 Award during the 2024 cross country season.
 
On the women's side, 11 runners from the 2024 squad are making their return to the cross country course, with an additional returnee from the 2022 team. Junior Shelby Jensen, who earned first-team All-American honors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, is one of five Aggie women, including senior Sarah Ellis and juniors Camilla McKinstry, Brianne Smith and Natalie Swain, who bring cross country postseason experience to the 2025 roster.
 
LAST YEAR 
Utah State's men's cross country team finished in 22nd place with 554 points at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wisconsin. Graduate Camren Todd earned All-American honors with his 25th-place finish in the men's 10K race, clocking in at 29:17.4. The men also finished fourth in the 10K race at the 2024 NCAA Mountain Regionals with 152 points, eventually earning an at-large berth to the National Championships. Todd earned all-region honors during that race with a 14th-place time of 29:39.3.
 
USU's women's cross country team earned a ninth-place regional finish, accumulating 267 team points during the 8K race. Senior Emma Thornley earned all-region honors, finishing in 20:17.0 to finish in 22nd.
  
FOLLOW ALONG 
Fans can follow the Utah State cross country programs on X at USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on X at USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
  
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