Gopher XC Teams Report to Camp

In yet another sign that autumn is just around the corner, the University of Minnesota cross country teams have reported to their respective pre-season camps.

After swinging by campus for team photos -- shown HERE and HERE -- and, we're guessing, for the dreaded annual rite of filling out all the paperwork demanded by the NCAA and the University, the teams have headed north.

The Gopher women are training in Ely, while the Gopher men are running from the Belle Shore Resort in Nevis.

Both teams enter the season with high hopes. The Gopher women are the two-time defending Big Ten champions. The squad returns five members of its top-seven from last year's squad, which placed 11th at the NCAA Championships.

The Gopher men, third at Big Ten's and 15th at NCAAs, also return five from the the 2008 team's top-seven. Defending Big Ten individual champion Hassan Mead returns, but the squad will need to fill the spikes of graduated all-American and 2006 Big Ten champion Chris Rombough.

The Gopher women open competition this Saturday with an intra-squad meet at Les Bolstad Golf Course.

The Gopher men also get underway on September 5, at St. Olaf.