RENO, Nev. – The Nevada men and women won their first meet of the cross country season at home against Sacramento State and Sierra Nevada College. The Bonanza Casino Nevada Twilight Classic is the only meet hosted by Nevada and was the first meet in 25 years with a men's team competing for Nevada.

The collegiate men raced first after the evening began with middle school and high school races. The Nevada men finished the race with six out of the top ten spots, all finishing the 8k in under 26 minutes. Leading the Wolf Pack was Jared Marchegger who ended with second place and a time of 24:39. After Jared was Adam Sjolund who took fourth place followed by Carson Leavitt who took fifth.

Overall, the Wolf Pack men came out on top with a total of 25 points, second was Sacramento State with 31 and third was Sierra Nevada College who did not score.
"It's absolutely pleasant to see a young team win against some veteran athletes," said head coach Kirk Elias after the men's race. "We made some mistakes in the race, but it was a really tough effort and we did it through our depth."

Next, the Nevada women opened their season finishing their 6k with six out the top ten as well. Morgin Coonfield held first place for most of the race and finished there with a time of 21:31 followed by Mikayla Shults who took third with a time of 21:46.

 The Pack women earned a team score of 22 points followed by Sacramento State who ended with 37 points and finally, in third, Sierra Nevada College whose women's team also did not score.

Alumni from throughout Nevada's recent history came out to support the season opener for the team and to celebrate the return of the men. A mini hall of fame which displayed photos and achievements of past athletes contributed to the uniqueness of the night. "I think a lot of these guys thought they'd never see a Nevada men's team in uniform again," coach Elias remarked. Men from the original teams all the way through to the last teams in the nineties were present as well as plenty of women from just as diverse of a time span. 

The meet was sponsored by many local businesses including the Bonanza Casino who is a large supporter of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. They urge anyone who wants to help contribute to finding a cure to visit the Bonanza Casino's dedicated webpage or the Prostate Cancer Foundation's website .