MANHATTAN, Kan. The Kansas State men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 1, for the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree. The women’s 5K race will begin at 9:10 a.m., followed by the men’s 8K race at 9:40 a.m.

The men, who finished seventh a year ago at the Jamboree, will run their full lineup for the first time this season. Coach Michael Smith anticipates the performance of his male harriers.

“This is our first real competitive challenge of the season,” said Smith. ”There will be some good teams. Hopefully, our front runner on the men’s side will be more of a penetrator at this race, and finish under 25:30. I would like to see our number two and three runners finish under 26:00. If we do that, and the rest of our pack finishes well, we will finish in the top 10.”

Senior Joseph Moore will most likely lead the K-State men’s team this Saturday. The remaining field will consist of senior Christian Smith, junior Matt Swedlund, and freshmen Alex Umberger, Ben DeLay, and Casey Johnson.

On the women’s side, freshman Jana Gwinn is expected to continue her early success of the 2005 season. Coming off of a 19^th-place finish at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational two weeks ago, Gwinn is primed for a breakout performance this weekend.

“Jana Gwinn is getting better everyday. She improves from week to week,” said Smith. “As she improves, she can compete at a higher level. She’ll continue to adjust and become more confident in her racing ability.”

While at Blue Valley North High School, Gwinn set her two-mile personal-best time of 11:05 at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree. The 11:05 mark is the third-fastest time in course history.

Once again, due to injuries, the women’s team will run shorthanded again this weekend. Along with Gwinn, the K-State women will look to sophomore Stephanie Lavin who recorded her best time of the 2004 season (19:09) at the Cowboy Jamboree.

Results from the Cowboy Jamboree will be posted following the event at www.k-statesports.com.