FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University's men's and women's cross-country teams will open the season Friday evening at the Florida Intercollegiate Invitational, hosted by the University of North Florida.

The meet will feature a competitive field that includes Florida, Florida State, Stetson and Jacksonville, among others. The women's race is scheduled for 7 p.m., followed by the men's race at 7:30 p.m. at Cecil Field.

Head coach Argeo Cruz enters his second season at the helm with a mix of veteran leadership and new talent on both rosters. The men's team returns six athletes from last season — Nekhi Perry, Siyabonga Mokgothu, Brayden Lowe-Massi, Hector Toro, Evan Casterline and Dylan Torres — and welcomes six newcomers: Jackson Dailey, Jean Joel, Jacob Leon, Elmer Mijangos, Joshua Neilitz and Innocent Ntwali.

On the women's side, four new Eagles — Violet Lackey, Samantha Ruiz, Tess Shultz and Sofia Torres — join a core of six returners: Alise Petrova, Ozia Trujillo, Addison Torres, Gabrielle Spain, Mercy Kosgei and Haley Bergan.

The Eagles will look to build on a 2024 season in which Petrova was named ASUN Freshman of the Year and helped the women's team to a fifth-place finish in the conference. The men's team has been working to improve on its eighth-place finish at last year's ASUN Championship.