CLINTON, Iowa - The casual observer might view the Ashford University's men's cross country roster as having a handful of youthful runners and conclude that the team is in for a season of growing pains.

However, it's the experience those newcomers and the core of returning student-athletes that have Head Coach Tyson Graham's sights set on a Midwest Collegiate Conference championship.

"I truly believe we have the best team ever fielded in Ashford University history and I have very high expectations for this season," said Graham. "There should be seven guys in the all-time at Ashford cross country record list after the season is complete. Last year our roster was very young and getting racing experience under our belts. This season, however, I expect the returners to be much better."

Expected to lead the core group of returners are senior National Qualifier and 2009 All-MCC member Andrew Drinkall with sophomores Mizael Carerra, Ray Rivera, Patrick McClain and Rafael Crisosto.

With an already lengthy list of accomplishments during his tenure, including the third fastest 8K time in AU history, Drinkall will look to return to the NAIA National Cross Country Championship meet for the second consecutive season to cap off a storied career.

Carerra's impressive summer will allow him to compete for the number one runner position, while Rivera (who owns the 10th-fastest time in school history), McClain, and Crisosto will use the valuable experience learned last year to fuel them this season.

Junior Robert Phillips, sophomore Aleksander Jakobsen and redshirt freshman Julius Oteng, will look to build off of last season's success as well.

Just like any other program, a balance of returning athletes with a mixture of newcomers will bode well for the team's success.

"While the returners bring back a strong core to the roster, perhaps the biggest surprise will be the talent levels of the newcomers," Graham added.

Danville Community College transfer Doug Powers highlights the list of newcomers, as he was announced as team captain by Graham earlier this month. Freshmen Tom Hansen, Brian Meyer, Matt McCune, Carl Woodard and David Trotter, will also suit up for the Saints in the fall. The new additions will not only provide the men with a level of depth that the program has never seen before, but each member brings a level of experience that should immediately translate to the college level.

The Saints won't have to travel far when the conference meet rolls around, as Ashford will host the 2010 Cross Country Championships this season at the South Campus on Nov. 6. The meet will mark the first time in school history that the MCC meet has been hosted in Clinton, Iowa.

"I look at it as home field advantage," said Graham of hosting two meets this season. "We get to run the course regularly and we know what to expect on race day while everyone else has to see it when they get here. It's a huge advantage."

The Saints begin the 2010 season on Aug. 28 at the Seventh Annual Harper Hawks Invitational, hosted by Harper College in Palatine, Ill. After three highly-competitive meets that feature NCAA Div. I competition, including the Iowa Intercollegiate Championships at Iowa State University, Ashford will host its first-ever cross country event on Oct. 9. The Saints will run at the St. Ambrose University Invitational in Bettendorf, Iowa before the MCC meet on early November.

The cross country season will close on November 20 with the NAIA National Cross Country Championships, hosted again this year in Vancouver, Wash.