PEORIA, Ill. -- First-year Bradley men's and women's cross country head coach Willy Wood will get an early look at his squads, with the Braves running in the earliest season opener in program history Friday at the Western Illinois Early Bird in Macomb, Ill.

The women's 4K race will kick things off at 5 p.m. at Spring Lake Park in Macomb, Ill., with the men's 6K race following at 5:45 p.m.  The Western Illinois Early Bird will serve as an early-season tune-up for Bradley with 13 men and 13 women slated to run for the Braves.

The Bradley women, who are ranked seventh in the USTFCCCA Midwest Region, were picked second in the Missouri Valley Conference pre-season coaches' poll.  The Braves return their top five finishers from both the 2013 MVC Championship and 2013 NCAA Regional. 

The Bradley men's cross country team looks to build on arguably its strongest season in decades and has been picked to finish fourth in the MVC preseason poll.  The Braves are ranked 14th in the USTFCCCA Midwest Region and return 13 of 16 letterwinners from last fall.

Following Friday's season-opening outing in Macomb, Ill., Bradley will host the 28th Bradley Intercollegiate Friday, Sept. 12 (5 p.m.) at Detweiller Park.