A new era is on the horizon for the Bruins.

UCLA cross country will compete in its season opener in a tri-meet against UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara in Big Bear Lake, California, on Friday. The competition marks the program’s first under the direction of coach Joanna Hayes, who was appointed to the helm of the program in June.

The season opener will be one of just three regular-season meets that will prepare the Bruins for their first year in the Big Ten. Despite the conference change, senior Mia Kane said the team’s focus remains the same.

“It’s always the same goal – just scoring high as a team,” Kane said. “Moving to the Big Ten provides a new opportunity, a whole bunch of new teams to compete against.”

This month, Kane and graduate student Michael Mireles were named to the 2024 Big Ten Cross Country Preseason Player Watch List following their standout performances last season. Kane led the Bruins in four of five meets last season and won UCLA’s first-ever steeplechase title at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships, while Mireles finished as runner-up in the 5K at the same championships.

While Mireles and Kane are UCLA’s top dogs heading into the season, the focus of the first meet isn’t on the standouts. Assistant coach Andrew Ferris said the team will be debuting some new faces during the meet.

“We’re going to run a bit of a B squad this week,” Ferris said. “On the women’s side, I’m excited to see what freshman Quinci Lott and sophomore Ailish Hawkins can do. On the men’s side, excited to see how freshman Everett Capelle looks.”

Ferris is entering his second season with the Bruins as Hayes tackles her first. Despite what seems like an inexperienced coaching staff, the pair brings a caliber of expertise the program had previously lacked. Hayes, who boasts an Olympic gold medal and an NCAA title to her resume, may be the missing piece from the Bruins’ puzzle.

“Coach Hayes is the change that we were definitely needing,” Kane said. “She brings an intensity and experience to the program that is super exciting. We’re all really excited to get working with her.”

To prepare the team for the meet, Ferris has emphasized the finer details of the Bruins’ training regimen. Nutrition, sleep, recovery, hydration and rehab exercises are just some of the ingredients in the Bruins’ plan for a successful first meet.

Ferris said attention to those details will allow UCLA to run at a higher level.

“Being a great athlete isn’t just about the running that you do – that’s only a small portion. Doing the other things like the finer details are what allows you to actually run at a higher level,” Ferris said. “Those things – doing them correctly – allow you to run better.”

UCLA will begin its race against Riverside and UCSB in Big Bear Lake at 9 a.m. Friday.