Samford University cross-country coach Pat McGregor would rather have a cashew than a peanut.

On Friday evening, he got a sample of both.

The Bulldog men's and women's cross-country teams kicked off their 2016 seasons at the Jacksonville State University Strut's Season Opener on Friday, Sept. 2, in Oxford, Alabama. Competing in the Red Division, the Samford men placed third, and the Samford women placed fifth.

"We had some peanuts, and we had some cashews, but overall we had a good season opener," McGregor said. "We're off to the right step."

Dillon Dean earned the low stick for the Samford men by posting an 11th-place finish. The freshman from Alexander City, Ala., clocked a 5K time of 15 minutes, 45.7 seconds in his first collegiate race.

Dean was followed by fellow freshman Hunter Poole, who notched a 29th-place finish with a mark of 16:14.1. Freshman Mike Nicastro, redshirt freshman Brad Cheek and freshman Joyner Bousquet rounded out the Bulldogs' scorers.

Nicastro placed 45th in 16:30.3; Cheek placed 51st in 16:36.8; and Bousquet placed 53rd in 16:37.7.

Sophomore Will Nichols trailed Bousquet closely, finishing 54th in 16:38.

16 teams comprised of 138 runners competed in the men's race, but the scoring was divided into Division I (Red) and non-Division I (White). Six teams composed the Red field, and 10 teams composed the White field.

Only Auburn (15 points) and Troy (53 points) bested Samford's 74 in the Red Division.

On the women's side, freshmen Shian Mallory and Mary Grace Strozier paced the team by registering a pair of top-20 finishes in the 4K race.
Mallory placed 13th in 15:02.5, and Strozier placed 18th in 15:07.3.

Freshmen Lauren Granier and Presley Weems, along with redshirt sophomore Megan Roach, completed the Bulldogs' scoring.

Granier placed 22nd in 15:18.5; Weems placed 39th in 15:38.9; and Roach placed 77th in 16:33.7.

18 teams comprised of 160 runners competed in the women's race. Eight were classified in the Red Division and 10 in the White Division.

Auburn won the women's Red Division with 31 points. Georgia State (68), Chattanooga (78) and Florida A&M (99) finished ahead of Samford's 119.

The Bulldog cross-country team will return to action on Friday, Sept. 9, at the Powerade Invitational in Chattanooga, Tenn.