Sacramento State’s cross country team looks to improve its on fourth-place Big Sky Championship finishes from last season.

The team will compete without a key runner from last season as the team opens its season Friday at UC Davis in the Aggie Open. Despite Renisha Robinson graduating after finishing top-100 in the NCAA West Regional, Scott Abbott said the team has the ability to compete at the same level as last year.

“I think we can be in the top half and (finish) fourth, and potentially even (be) a top-three team in the conference in a year where we have a lot of young people on the team,” Abbott said.

The team hopes junior Rachel Mitchell, the newly appointed women’s team captain, can help fill the leadership role.

“(I can) help (the team) learn how their team dynamic is and show them how to be positive,” Mitchell said. “It’s going to be a developing year and it’ll be a good time to really establish a new team atmosphere (and) identity, because we have basically a whole new team.”

Incoming freshmen MacKenzie Paul from Luther Burbank High School and Teresa Mallory of Golden Valley High School in Merced have stood out in practice, Abbott said.

Other key returning runners on the women’s side include Lauren Mugnaini, whom Abbott said has led the team in training thus far, and fifth-year senior Lora Marchini, who “has steadily been getting better every year,” Abbott said.

On the men’s side, returning sophomore Reesey Byers “can be very competitive at the national level,” Abbott said. Cole Younger, who finished 26th individually in the Big Sky Championships, was named the men’s captain.

Sac State hosts its only home meet, the Hornet Jamboree, at 9 a.m. Sept. 10 at Granite Regional Park.

Katie McMillin can be reached at [email protected].