The state of cross country entering the Nuttycombe Invitational

One of the biggest weekends of the cross country season is here. The Nuttycombe Invitational runs on the final weekend of September, leading the elite slate of invitationals around the country. It's a weekend that will see season debuts, head-to-head clashes and deliver a taste of championship-level racing. Let's break down what you need to know.

What you may have missed to start the season

For the first time since 2018, the Nuttycombe Invitational is in September instead of October. That means we've only seen a glimpse of the cross country season in 2024. Here's some of what you may have missed in September.

Roy Griak Invitational

Minnesota's Roy Griak Invitational is another tent pole event in cross country with plenty of history. Speaking of history, the Wyoming men's squad made some of its own at this year's Griak, finishing with three runners in the top 10 to win its first Griak title in program history. Individually, Utah Valley's Mohamed Guled won the Roy Griak by 5.9 seconds.

In the women's race, the Gophers defended their home course with Ali Weimer and Emma Atkinson going 1-2 to bring Minnesota the team crown.

SCHEDULE: Cross country invitationals to watch in 2024

Defending champs take the grass

NC State enters 2024 as the first women's team looking to four-peat since Villanova won six-straight women's team titles from 1989-1994. The Wolfpack got off to a good start at the Adidas XC Challenge, taking the team title. Although NC State lost a lot from a senior-laden lineup with stars like Katelyn Tuohy, the 2024 edition of NC State looked good as Grace Hartman and Hannah Gapes finished fourth and fifth, while Division III transfer Fiona Smith finished sixth. More impressively, potential point-scorer Leah Stephens didn't run in the Adidas XC Challenge and NC State still won.

You may have noticed that no NC State runner finished in the top three at the Cary, NC-based invitational. That's because Clemson took the top three spots. South Carolina transfer Judy Kosgei lived up to the hype — now running for the in-state rival — winning the women's race by more than six seconds. Kosgei's fellow sophomore Gladys Chepngetich finished third and Clemson freshman Silvia Jelego finished second. The Tigers are building with a talented young group.

WINNERS: Here are the DI cross country teams with most NCAA championships

Michigan dominates

The Michigan women won the John McNichols Invitational with seven athletes in the top 10, paced by Rylee Tolson. It's a notable start to the season for the Wolverines, especially with the Nuttycombe Invitational up next.

What to watch for in this year's Nuttycombe Invitational.

This year's Nuttycombe Invitational will bring a national spotlight to the course that will be featured in late November for this year's Division I cross country national title races. There are storylines galore ahead of this meet.

Men's Nuttycombe storylines

There will be 17 of the top 30 teams in men's cross country running at this year's Nuttycombe. No. 2 BYU, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 6 North Carolina lead the way, while the host school Wisconsin comes in at No. 13. 

All eyes will be on BYU first and foremost, with the Cougars looking like a team deep enough to make a title run. Casey Clinger is back after a year off, Creed Thompson has national point-scoring potential and 2024 Paris Olympian James Corrigan is set to make his 2024 cross country debut at the Nutty. In a summer full of "big three" talks, BYU might have what it takes to make a title run this fall. The Nuttycombe will be a good preview of that.

Individually, North Carolina's Parker Wolfe and Villanova's Liam Murphy could lift be the 2024 Nuttycombe champs. Wolfe has finished in the top 10 in his last two Nuttys. Murphy is the two-time reigning Mid-Atlantic region champion.

STARPOWER: The history of the USTFCCCA’s Cross Country National Athlete of the Year

Women's Nuttycombe storylines

The Nuttycombe may be in Big Ten country, but the top-ranked women's teams haven't always been. No. 4 Oregon and No. 5 Washington are running at their first Nuttys as members of the Big Ten, looking to cement their status among the nation's elite.

It doesn't get more elite than Georgetown's Chloe Scrimgeour making her season debut at the Nutty after finishing seventh at the invite last year and eighth at nationals. She'll face individual challenges from No. 10 Providence's dynamic duo Shannon Flockhart and Kimberly May, but don't be surprised if Week 1's National Athlete of the Week Brynn Brown of North Carolina makes a push for the Nutty crown.

NUTTY: Nuttycombe champions who won the NCAA cross country title the same year

Other end of September meets to watch

The Nuttycombe might be the headliner, but it's not the only invitational to watch this weekend. The Dave Murray Invitational (Arizona), Chile Pepper Festival (Arkansas), Gans Creek Classic (Missouri) and Cowboy Jamboree (Oklahoma State) are all great invitationals to have on your radar.

We'll see elite distance runners debut at some of those invitationals this weekend too. Arkansas' stars Sydney Thorvaldson and Patrick Kiprop are expected to make their women's and men's debuts in the Chile Pepper Festival per reports, and the newest transfer Yaseen Abdalla is expected to run his first race as a Razorback. The Arkansas men are one of the biggest challengers to Oklahoma State's quest to repeat. The Cowboys should have more of its lineup on the grass when it hosts the Cowboy Jamboree.

Northern Arizona will run at the Dave Murray Invitational with women like Elise Stearns and Ali Upshaw hoping to carry the Jacks back to another podium in a few months, while the men's squad searches for the next stars of its dynasty.

Lastly, one of the preseason women's individual title favorites, Hilda Olemomoi will make her Florida Gators debut. The Alabama transfer finished fourth at last year's championships.