The 2010 cross country season begins Saturday, as the Bobcats are set to host Rio Grande in a dual-meet in Athens.

Both the men’s and women’s squads will run 5 km races, giving them a chance to ease into a long schedule that will typically feature 6 kms for women and 8 kms for men.

“It’s basically a get-your-feet-wet race,” head coach Clay Calkins said. “We’re trying to get one under our belt and see where our athletes are at.”

The course runs over the campus golf course on South Green and provides the perfect setting for this first meet of the season.

Calkins said the terrain was forgiving, and the trail should be one of the easiest the team will face this season.

Because he can bring an unlimited roster size, Calkins did not have problems deciding which runners will compete.

“We’ll pretty much run most of our athletes, minus some of the top ones,” Calkins said. “For the returning athletes and the freshmen, this will be a good gauge and it will help us see who’s going to make the traveling team for the following week.”

Calkins will rest some of his top runners because of the Sept. 17 Virginia Tech Invitational.

The top five runners in each race Saturday will receive points, while the next two finishers also will place.

But while this is the first event of the fall for Ohio, Rio Grande is bringing in a bit more experience.

The RedStorm of the NAIA competed in the Flyer 5 km Challenge at the University of Dayton. The women’s team finished fifth out of eight teams in the Intercollegiate Division and the men’s team finished fourth out of seven.

Junior Cassie Mattia was Rio Grande’s leading woman runner, as she crossed the line in 19 minutes and 46 seconds.

Sophomore Nick Wilson, the first RedStorm male to finish, turned in a time of 15:43.

At the Ohio Open Saturday, the women will start at 2:30 p.m. and the men will begin at 3 p.m.