ROCHESTER, Mich. – After a three-year hiatus, the Golden Grizzlies men's and women's cross country teams are hosting the 21st edition of the Golden Grizzlies Open Cross Country Meet in Rochester. With a new 5k trail set north of Katke-Cousins and R&S Sharf Golf Courses, the women's college 5k event will start at 11:45 a.m., while the men's 5k starts at 12:15 p.m. ET.

OU last hosted a regular season cross country meet in 2021, where the Golden Grizzly men picked up seven top-ten finishers in the 6k and the women earned all top-ten spots in the 4k race.

Reaching out to the community, OU is also hosting middle and high school meets on the course beginning at 9 a.m. ET. For parking information, course map, and live stats for the race can all be found HERE.

The men's team enters the 2025 season where it finished last season as the team that raced to a third place finish at the 2024 Horizon League Championship. Wesley Hollowell is the top returner on the men's side for the Golden Grizzlies, placing 12th in at the Horizon League Championships and earning Second Team All-Horizon League status.

The women's team was voted to finish third after a second-place finish in the Horizon League standings last season. Despite losing First Team All-Horizon league members in fifth-year senior Grace Nolan and senior Erin Hagerty, the women still return veteran runners Haileigh Bissett and Hannah Fisher, who were the third and fourth finishers for OU at the 2024 League Championship.

2025 Under Armour Men's #HLXC Preseason Poll
Place. Team (First Place Votes) – Points
1. Youngstown State (9) – 98
2. IU Indianapolis (1) – 86
3. Oakland – 73
4. Green Bay – 63
T5. Northern Kentucky – 55
T5. Purdue Fort Wayne – 55
7. Milwaukee – 38
8. Wright State – 34
9. Detroit Mercy – 31
10. RMU – 17

2025 Under Armour Women's #HLXC Preseason Poll
Place. Team (First Place Votes) – Points
1. RMU (7) – 111
2. Youngstown State (2) – 102
3. Oakland (1) – 99
4. Purdue Fort Wayne(1) – 97
5. Milwaukee – 82
6. IU Indianapolis – 67
7. Northern Kentucky – 48
8. Detroit Mercy – 40
9. Green Bay – 36
10. Wright State – 24
11. Cleveland State – 20
                                                                                                                                                     

How to Follow Oakland Cross Country/Track and Field: For complete information on Oakland Cross Country/Track and Field teams, follow the team on X at @OaklandTrackXC. The team is also on Instagram.