ARCATA — Saturday's lone regular season home meet holds great significance this year than most years for the Humboldt State men's and women's cross country teams. The Jacks will be finding their footing and getting a feel for the course that will serve as venue for the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships on Oct. 24.

Beau Pre Golf Course in McKinleyville will be the location of this year's races, which begin with the women's 6K at 9 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 9:45 a.m. Beau Pre was previously site of the 1990 and 1996 NCAA Division II Championships, both hosted by Humboldt State, along with several other league and regional  meets.

Joining the Jacks on Saturday will be squads representing Southern Oregon University, Fresno Pacific University and College of the Redwoods.

The Course
This week's meet debuts a newly configured course designed by former Humboldt State cross country runner Jason Lewis, who is currently employed at Beau Pre. Configured to offer spectator-friendly loops, the course features on major hill and is run almost completely on grass. The start is the same broad area used for the previous meets at Beau Pre.  Located along hole No. 10 on the golf course, it provides runners with approximately 500 meters of wide-open space before they make the first turn.

Men's Notes
Following an impressive opening performance at the Hawaii Pacific Invitational, the Jacks had a bye in the schedule last week. A small contingent of HSU athletes kept fresh, however, by competing at the Shasta Invitational. Eric Malain claimed the individual title, racing the four miles in 21 minutes, 54 seconds, followed by a pack of teammates that provided the Jacks with 18 points and an easy team title. …Depth is definitely one of HSU's strong suits this season, according to head coach Sandy Moran. That claim was clearly supported at the HPU meet, where six Jacks placed among the top 10 finishers. "An advantage we have is the ability to run in a pack," Moran said. "that's something that works to our advantage, and will make a huge difference at the bigger meets that lie ahead." …Along with Malain, a junior, those runners who could take turns at the head of the group are sophomore Andrew Sylvester, freshman Alex Caballero, sophomore Austin Huff, Freshman Luis Galicia and sophomore Nick LaPlant. Only 14 seconds separated the first three at the HPU meet.

Women's Notes
Unlike the men, senior Megan Rolland is a clear No. 1 for the HSU women, and a runner who should challenge for top honors at most meets this season. Rolland opened with a third-place finish at the HPU meet two weeks ago. …Included in the group of runners supporting Rolland are several athletes. Freshman Bridget Berg, junior Irene Graham, junior Tess Dahlgren and senior Amanda Garcia filled out the scoring pack two weeks ago. Less than a minute separated that contingent. "Our No. 2 to No. 6 runner should change throughout the season, depending on who has a stronger day or who is training at a higher level that particular week," Moran said. …The first regional rankings for the regular season are due out late today. The national rankings will be released Tuesday.

Opponent Notes
Southern Oregon's men are ranked 10th in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Poll.  Southern Oregon won the Cascade Conference title last year and went on to finish a program-best fourth at the NAIA National Championships.  The Raiders are missing their top three runners from last year's team, but return David Laney and Ryan Ghelfi. …On the women's side, the young SOU women's is picked to finish seventh in the Cascade Conference in the preseason coaches' poll. …Fresno Pacific's team began its season at the Fresno State Watermelon Run back on Aug. 23.  The Sunbirds had two men and two women finish the two-mile run in the top 20, led by Jessica Suddaby in 10th on the women's side and Josh Hodges in 11th for the men. …College of the Redwoods will be fielding men's and women's cross country teams for the first time since the programs were suspended in 2002. The Corsairs are coached by former HSU All-American and Hall of Fame Inductee Reed Elmore. …Elmore took a small group of athletes to the Shasta Invitational last week. This week's event will be the Corsairs' second competition.