LAKE CHARLES The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns cross country team will officially start its 2015 season on Friday when it travels west to compete in the McNeese 6K Relay, that begins at 6 p.m. at the Enos Derbonne Multi-Sports Complex.

Louisiana will be joined in the meet by host McNeese State, LSU and Southeastern Louisiana.

Each women's team will consist of two runners with each running three kilometers while the men's teams will have two runners per team and running four kilometers. The meet will be dual scored and the men and women will be scored separately.

Louisiana, ranked No. 14 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men's South Central Region preseason poll, returns 10 letterwinners on the men's side from last season highlighted by 2014 All-Sun Belt Conference performers Matt Rice and Beau Robinson.

Returning letterwinners Bryce Robinson, Christian Bergeron, Sean Bezdek, Trey Bonin, Jacob Chicola, Dylan Heck and Cole Stafford are part of a squad that finished fourth at last year's Sun Belt Conference Championships and was picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll.

Anna Devitt, an All-Sun Belt Conference performer and the 2014 LSWA Female Runner of the Year, leads a veteran group on the women's side that returns nine letterwinners. Ashley Irwin, Danielle Castaldi, Kelci Lyons, Claire Hodges, Courtney Broussard, Lindsay LaGarde and Courtney Musgrove all return to the lineup for the Ragin' Cajuns, who earned a fourth-place finish at last year's Sun Belt Conference Championships and are picked to finish third in the SBC Preseason Poll.

Newcomers John-Paul Bergeron and Regan Lemaire will each make their collegiate debut for the Ragin' Cajuns on the men's side with newcomers Julianna Brooks and Hailey Hesterman also slated to make their debut for the women's squad.

Louisiana will compete in five events prior to competing in the Sun Belt Conference Championships, scheduled for Nov. 1 in Atlanta, Ga. The Ragin' Cajuns will travel to events at Rice (Sept. 11), Texas A&M (Sept. 26) and McNeese State (Oct. 3) before hosting the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational on Oct. 16 at Acadiana Park.