Sparks, NV—The UC Riverside Cross Country Teams open the 2015 season this Friday, September 4 at the Nevada Twilight Classic at Shadow Mountain Park. The 4k College/Open Women's race gets underway at 8:30 pm PT with the 5k College/Open Men's race starting at 8:50 pm.

The field for the women's race is comprised of Nevada, UNLV, UCLA, Sierra Nevada College, and UCR, while the men's race is a smaller field with UCLA, Sierra Nevada College, and the Highlanders.

The course at Shadow Mountain Park consists of a short loop of approximately 1000 meters and a longer loop of approximately 1350 meters. The course is a mainly dirt trails, with grass at the start and finish.

Last season, Raquel Hefflin won the season opener, setting a new course record in the process with a time of 14:06. Hefflin's finish helped the Highlanders women's team to a third place finish out of six teams. On the men's side, the blue and gold finished second in a field of four teams with Cody Jordan and Seth Totten finishing in the top-five. (women's recap / men's recap).