The Saint Louis men's and women's cross country squads open the 2025 campaign on Friday morning when they take part in the Mizzou Opener in Columbia, Mo.

Both the women's and men's teams will run 5K. The women's race begins at 8 a.m., with the men's race to begin at approximately 8:30 a.m.

The meet is being held at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, the site of this year's NCAA Championships. As such, there will be several national contenders in the meet. Oregon and Wisconsin joins SLU and Missouri on the men's side. The women's race features Arkansas, Wisconsin, SLU and Missouri.

"We're excited to get the season started," SLU head coach Jon Bell said. "Tomorrow is just step one in a long season ahead. Our schedule this year is one of the toughest in the entire country. Throughout this regular season the men race 14 of the top 30 preseason teams in the country and our women 11 of the top 30. The men open up against #5 Wisconsin and #9 Oregon, so right off the bat we'll see how we trained over the summer. We'll also get to see how our freshman adjust to college racing. The women open against #21 Arkansas, so just like the men, we'll get challenged right away. The key to success this season will be our ability to stay patient and let the season come to us."

Friday marks the first of four regular-season meets for the Billikens. They are also at Missouri on Sept. 26 (Gans Creek Classic) and Oct. 18 (Pre-National Invitational). SLU runs in the Bradley Intercollegiate on Sept. 19. The 2025 A-10 Championship is set for Saturday, Nov. 1, in Cedarville, Ohio, and the NCAA Midwest Regional will be held Friday, Nov. 14, in Stillwater, Okla.