Bolivar, Mo. - The Southwest Baptist University men's and women's cross country teams opened up their 2015 season on a strong note, as both teams claimed team victories at the SBU Invite on Saturday.

The SBU women were led by Katherine Sitzes who won the 5,000 meter race in a time of 18:46.90, while Elizabeth Luckel finished 3rd in a time of 18:58.13. Newcomer Mary Carr was next to cross the line for SBU, finishing the race in 19:25.93, while Ashley Lawson also claimed a top 10 finish by finishing 10th in a time of 20:12.99. Rounding out the scoring for SBU was Emily Cumpton who finished 12th in a time of 20:22.32, followed closely by Katelyn Evans who finished 14th in a time of 20:24.61. Also competing for the Bearcats were Rachel Wheeler (21st; 21:05.21), Madelyn Ballard (37th; 22:27.39), and Jessica Williams (42nd; 22:48.92).

On the men's side, Cody Troy Smith was the top SBU finisher, taking 3rd place in a time of 20:52.35 on the four-mile course. Drew Cargill (21:02.66) and Thomas Chabrecek (21:04.82) finished 6th and 7th, while Luke Karamitors took 11th (21:28.73), Jeremy Inamn 12th (21:29.24), and Jacob Burch 13th (21:30.30). Max Robinson was the next to cross the finish line, taking 19th place in a time of 21:51.24, while Ryan Pate finished 23rd in a time of 22:08.47. Also competing for the Bearcats were Derek Showler (28th; 22:21.38), Tucker Seise (29th; 22:29.99), Josh Bertoldie (33rd; 22:45.21), and Jonathan Murphy (53rd; 23:38.92).

The women picked up the team victory with 28 points, defeating Missouri Southern, who also had 28 points, in a tie-breaker. The men picked up the team victory by scoring 31 points, defeating second place Missouri Southern by 12 points.