The Niagara University men's and women's cross country teams start their season at the Little 3 Championships on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York. The women's race starts at 10:45 a.m., followed by the men's race.

Welcome Back

• Niagara will see familiar faces again this year in terms of its coaching staff as head coach Christine Kloiber returns for her fifth season while assistant coach Steve Whittmore will be back for his third season under Kloiber.
• The men's team only returns two runners from last year's roster: Ryan DeLola and Ben Slate.
• The women's team returns six runners from last season: Julia Freemire, Sarah Grubbs, Alyssandra Orfano, Mallory Ronan, Kylee Schultz and Emilee Welton.

Who's "NU"?

• The men's team welcomes William Fritz, Nicholas Surdej, Spencer Swoboda and Joseph Tricarico.
• The women's team welcomes Emma Bagnato, Nora Klinowski and Stephanie Webster.

Race Notes

• The Little 3 Championships feature Niagara, Canisius and St. Bonaventure.
• In last year's event, the men's team took second while the women's team finished third.
• Ryan DeLola (16:43.20) and Alyssandra Orfano (21:07.00) are the top returners from last year's championships, finishing 15^th and 22^nd, respectively.

Last Time Hosting

• Niagara last hosted the event in 2014.
• The women's team finished third while Brianna Malanga placed 10^th; Emilee Welton and Sarah Grubbs, then freshmen, participated in the race.
• The men's placed two (Nick Orlowski and Freddie Liederbach) in the top-10 and finished second overall. Ben Slate, NU's lone senior this season, was a freshman that year.

Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and for cross country updates at @NiagaraXCTF. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.