STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma City University cross country will open a new era under first-year head coach Frezer Legesse on Saturday morning when the Stars compete at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree.

The men's 8,000-meter run is slated for an 8:30 a.m. gun at the OSU Cross Country Course.
 
Boosted by the return of the top two runners in last spring's NAIA National Championships (Zouhair Talbi and Shimales Abebe), the Stars look to challenge for the sixth NAIA team national title in school history. The Stars finished fourth in last spring's NAIA Championships having most recently won back-to-back team titles in 2018-19. OCU owns five national titles won in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.
 
A solid pool of runners, including several newcomers, are expected to compete for the 3-4-5 spots in the deep and talented OCU lineup.
 
TOP RETURNERS

• Junior Zouhair Talbi is considered one of the top runners in all of collegiate cross country, regardless of affiliation. He is the reigning NAIA individual national champion and Sooner Athletic Conference champion. Talbi was named 2020-21 SAC athlete of the year and was an Olympic qualifier representing Morocco 

• Sophomore Shimales Abebe finished second in last year's NAIA Championships and is expected to push Talbi for the top spot on the OCU lineup this fall 

NEW FACES

• Brendan Robeaux is an outstanding newcomer from Mustang High School who helped lead the Broncos to the state championship. He finished 10th as a senior in Class 6A state cross country championship 

• Halen Biggs was the No. 2 runner in last year's Oklahoma senior class, finishing fifth at the state championship in cross country. He Helped his team to a fourth-place team finish.  

• Beckam Hartis and Fares Marrouf were teammates from Piedmont High School, one of the great cross country programs in the state. They led their team to the Class 5A state title last year with top-10 individual finishes 

PRESEASON BUZZ

• OCU is ranked 10th in the NAIA Preseason Poll
 
THE SCHEDULE

• After competing at the Cowboy Jamboree on Saturday, the Stars will run at the Chili Pepper Festival at the University of Arkansas on Oct. 2 and the NAIA Mid-States Classic at Southwestern College (Kan.) on Oct. 23 

• The Sooner Athletic Conference Championships are slated for Nov. 6 at Woodson Park in Oklahoma City, and the NAIA Championships are scheduled for Nov. 9 in Vancouver, Wash. 
 
MEET THE COACH

• Legesse takes over as OCU men's and women's cross country and track and field coach after serving as head coach cross country coach at Oklahoma Baptist, where he led the Bison women to a 2021 Great American Conference title and the men to a second-place finish in the conference meet 

• As a volunteer assistant at OCU under Matt Aguero, Legesse contributed to the Stars' 2018 and 2019 national men's cross country championship teams as well as two Sooner Athletic Conference men's titles and two SAC women's crowns 

• Legesse is a former professional runner who started his coaching career at Oklahoma Christian University 

• A graduate of U.S. Grant High School, Legesse graduated from the University of Oklahoma where he was an NCAA Division I all-American, Big 12 champion and eight-time first-team all-Big 12 

Coach Legesse took a couple of minutes from his schedule to share some thoughts on the upcoming season:
 
QUESTION: How will your experience as an elite runner benefit you in your approach to coaching?
ANSWER: I have always looked at my experience as elite athlete to be a blessing. I've gained a great deal of knowledge and experience through it. This moment to share the blessing is something I have always looked forward to, so I am excited. 
 
Q: What are your expectations for the men and women's cross country teams this season?
A: I have great expectation for both programs. We have great leaders, great talent and a group of athletes that want to work hard to see how good they can be as a team together. As a coach you can't ask for more. We want to be a podium team!