GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The ?Coach Jim Fields Era? starts again this weekend as the Tusculum College cross country teams open the 2009 season at the ?Stampede at the Shoals?, this Friday afternoon in Elizabethton, Tenn. The first race is slated to start at 5:15 p.m. and is being hosted by Milligan College.

Fields, who guided the Pioneer program previously from 2000-04, is back to direct the Tusculum fortunes and returns eight letter-winners (4 men, 4 women) from last year's squad.

Leading the charge for the Men's team is Academic All-American? Simon Holzapfel. Holzapfel, a junior from Nuremberg, Germany, is back following one of the best season's ever recorded by a Tusculum harrier. In 2008, Holzapfel finished in the top 10 in all seven events he competed in, including first-place finishes at the Tusculum Invitational, Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational and the Camp Bethel Open.

The 2008 NCAA II All-Southeast Region performer already owns seven of the top ten 8,000-meter times in Tusculum history. The best four times have all been achieved by Holzapfel, including a school-record 26:20 at last year's Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational. He also finished runner-up at the 2008 SAC Championship and ninth at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.

Sophomore Elvis Machado is back after competing in six events last season. The Taylorsville, Utah product finished sixth at last year's Tusculum Invitational with an 8K time of 30:00.6. He also finished 31st at the SAC Championship and recorded a pair of 34th place performances at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational and Winthrop Invitational.

Morristown, Tenn. native Ben Hale is back for his junior campaign as he competed in three events in 2008, including a 30th place showing at the TC Invitational. Junior Jason Seaton (Midway, Tenn.) returns after running in three events, including his top 25 outing at the Tusculum Invitational.

The Tusculum men have three newcomers on this year's roster, including Tyler Buckner, David Parham and Tyler Rogers. Buckner, a sophomore from Athens, Tenn. is a graduate from McMinn County High School. Rogers, a sophomore from Knoxville, Tenn., is a product from South Doyle High School, where he was also a three-year letterman on the football team. Parham, a 5-7 local standout from West Greene High School, lettered four years with the Buffaloes and was the team's most valuable runner in his final three seasons. He finished third at the regional championship to advance to the State meet.

On the Women's side, senior Kelsey Longwell is back after competing in four events last season, including a 57th place performance at the SAC Championship. The Dayton, Ohio product also tallied a 43rd place outing at the Winthrop Invitational.

Dandridge, Tenn. native Katie Shelton also returns for her senior campaign. Shelton ran in three events in 2008, including a 55th place effort at the SAC Championship and 34th at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational.

Senior Estefania Chavez (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) is back following a 2008 season where she ran in three meets, which her best showing coming at the Winthrop Invitational with a 46th place performance.

Junior Jessica Figler (Merritt Island, Fla.) is back for her second Tusculum campaign. Figler ran in the first four meets in her inaugural TC season, but was sidelined with an injury, but is back for 2009. She finished 22nd at the Tusculum Invitational and 55th at the L-R Invitational.