SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg University men's and women's cross country teams open their 2004 season with the annual Wittenberg Invitational Saturday morning at John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Three schools - Ohio Valley College, Ohio Dominican University and Wittenberg - are scheduled to compete in the event, which starts with the men's race at 10:30 a.m. and concludes with the women's race at 11:15 a.m.

Ohio Valley College, located in Vienna, W.Va., is a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and an NCAA Division II scholarship program. Ohio Dominican is a brand new collegiate program, and the Panthers are competing in their first event as a program with club status.

The Tigers are hoping for big things this year with a roster full of fresh new faces. On the men's side, the 15-person roster includes 12 first-year students and no seniors. On the women's side, a few veterans are left to lead the pack, but four freshmen and six sophomores are among the 19 runners.

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