Normally, rivalry meets in cross country are generally positioned towards the middle of the season, or right before the championship season begins.

However in a minor twist, the University of Washington and Washington State University will face off against each other Friday in Ephrata in what's believed to be the first dual cross country meet between the two schools in over 40 years (both schools' sports information offices have been asked for any records of dual meets between the Cougars and the Huskies; in my years as a mediocre distance runner at the UW in the late 1970s, we never ran a cross country dual meet against the Cougars).

The Huskies will open their season two weeks sooner than usual this year, while still hosting the Sundodger Invitational on Sept. 18. The dual race will let the teams ease into the season with a slightly shorter than usual race, and also bring an exciting head-to-head component that is rarely seen in collegiate cross country.