The 2009 edition of Big West cross country is set to commence this weekend as seven of the league's clubs hit the trails in their first competitions of the new year.

UC Riverside has the opening honors of '09 as the Highlander men and women head to Reno for the Nevada Twilight Classic Friday. The third annual race is one of the more unique competitions in the country as it is held in the late afternoon to evening hours on the trails of Sparks’ Shadow Mountain Park. Stanford and  Fresno State will join UCR and host Nevada in the collegiate races.

Cal State Fullerton will host a meet the following day as the Fullerton Season Opener welcomes runners to Orange County. Long Beach State is also scheduled to compete in the race, a competition that is in a different location this season as the usual site, Carbon Canyon Regional Park, is under construction. Thus the 25th edition of the race will be held at Fullerton Municipal Golf Course. A year ago, the CSF men won the 8K race, while the 49er women took home the top honors in the 5K event.

The league's two Northern California schools will see each other during the season’s opening weekend as UC Davis and Pacific head to the Bay Area for the 17th annual USF Invitational hosted by San Francisco.

The meet will be the first for the Tigers under new head coach Josh Jones, who was appointed to the position in June.

Finally the two Central Coast Big West schools will be in Santa Barbara for the UC Santa Barbara Lagoon Open.

The Mustangs and Gauchos will be the only collegiate teams in attendance, but the event will be open to unattached and club elite athletes.